The Lift [Blu-ray]

Director: Dick Maas Dick Maas

Overview

The Lift is the unintentionally hilarious horror story of an elevator with a bad attitude. When an elevator begins to display some unusual behavior, such as trapping and trying to suffocate some party-goers, and decapitating a security guard, Felix (Hubb Stapel), the repairman from the manufacturer begins to investigate -- aided by a nosy reporter. For his efforts he gets suspended by his boss. Felix then believes that the odd behavior of the elevator may be due to some microchip experiments being done by his company. The Lift, a Dutch production directed and written by Dick Maas, who also gave us Amsterdamned and Rigor Mortis, is a silly, unthrilling thriller which gives new meaning to "let's just take the stairs."

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2017
UPC:	0827058801591
Original Release:	1983
Rating:	R
Source:	Blue Underground
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	18,991

Special Features

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Dick Maas and Editor Hans van Dongen; Going Up - Interview with Star Huub Stapel; "Long Distance" - Short Film by Dick Maas (2003, 4 Mins.); Dutch Trailer ; U.S. Trailer; Poster & Still Gallery; Bonus Collectible Booklet with new essay by Writer and filmmaker Chris Alexander

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ab Abspoel	Maintenance Manager
Willeke van Ammelrooy	Mieke de Beer
Peer Mascini	Professor
Josine Van Dalsum	Saskia Adelaar
Matthias Maat	Waiter
Pieter Lutz	Man in Lift
Serge-Henri Valcke	Psychiatrist
Hans Veerman	Rising Sun Researcher
Hans Dagelet	Colleague Technician
Gerard Thoolen	Watchman #1
Siem Vroom	Police Inspector
Onno Molenkamp	Blind Man
Aat Ceelen	Detective
Huub Stapel	Felix Adelaar
Piet Roemer	Manager
Liz Snoyink	Woman in Lift
Dick Maas	Composer

Technical Credits

Dick Maas

Dick Maas	Director,Screenwriter
Matthijs Van Heijningen	Producer
Leo Cahn	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Let's just get this out of the way first, okay?... Any film with killer elevators is worth at least one viewing. Secondly, any film about killer elevators with the tagline "Take the stairs, take the stairs. For God's sake, take the Stairs!!!" undoubtedly has to be seen, whether it's trash or not. Bypassing the film's quality for the time being, Dick Maas' classic 1983 thriller The Lift certainly delivers the goods when it comes to the aforementioned bloodthirsty homicidal machines. And while the idea is genius enough, it's the technique these suckers use that makes this flick stand out... Beheadings, blatant taking advantage of blind people, and a great cat and mouse game played with a cute little girl are definitely the highlights of Maas' epic. The "Lift" in question is a bloodthirsty, nasty possessed elevator that seems to take homicidal glee in messing with folks and then killing them. If there's a downfall, unfortunately it's that they had to base a story around those mechanical Freddy Kruegers. Yep, the slow drag of "plot" just had to rear its ugly head in and all the audience can do is to wait and hope for the mechanical lifts to go haywire again. That said, the bootleg Crichton-esque idea behind all the gory hijinks is reasonable enough, but some truly dreadful pacing and an equally bad dub job to boot sadly slows down the fun of the flick. It's okay to throw character development in, but when you're dealing with a movie about killer elevators, the last thing you want is to have to sit through obnoxious scenes of marital problems for our lead hunk! To be frank, no one cares. They came for one reason -- and thankfully, The Lift has enough of that to float its bloody boat. Unbelievably, Maas wasn't through with this tale, as he remade it in 2001 as The Shaft, starring pre-Ring and Mulholland Drive's Naomi Watts.