31 Films for Halloween, #27: De Lift

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I guarantee you, with no doubt or hesitation, that "De Lift" (1983) is, hands-down, the finest Dutch killer-elevator film you will ever see.

It is not to be confused with the 1972 German made-for-tv movie "DER Lift", which is about a ski lodge, not an elevator. Which itself is not to be confused with Robert Zemeckis's 1972 student film "The Lift", which is about an elevator, but not a killer one.

Or with the 1974 made-for-television thriller "The Elevator", with Roddy McDowell, because how could it NOT have Roddy McDowell?!

Nor it is to be confused with "Down" (2001), which is the English-language remake of "De Lift", directed by... well, the same guy who directed De Lift (Dick Maas).  

And no one is allowed to even THINK about "Devil" (2010). Ugh.
If you do, you will get slapped in the face with a piece of jelly-bread. With the jelly FACING you.

It is more absurd than ALL of those, put together.  

No, this is the Original Killer Elevator Movie, "De Lift".  It's not a good film. But it is an AWESOME film.

You can also tell it's a European film, because in an American film, people like this would NEVER EVER get to have sex or get anywhere near this close to it.

I could tell you about the heroic everyman elevator-repair guy who is the protagonist.  Or the blind guy, or the little girl, or the evil scientist in league with Big Elevator. I could tell you that there were NO stunt actors, that it was made for pennies, shot in 30 days, and its score was written in a day, by the director, on two borrowed synthesizers.

Do I really need to, though? It's an about a KILLER ELEVATOR. If you don't immediately want to see it SIMPLY for that reason, I doubt there it much I could say that would sway you.

The building where they filmed it is still there, at Laan van Kronenburg 14, 1183 AS Amstelveen, Netherlands, and I dream of one riding in its elevators. And, I hope, getting out of them, too.


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