Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- macabre
- tense
- sardonic
- late night horror marathon
- cult cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film inventive and entertaining in its blend of black comedy, suspense, and technological menace, though many felt its execution was too tepid to make the premise consistently frightening.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The elevator itself traps, suffocates, and kills people while remaining embedded in an ordinary skyscraper.
Felix and Mieke investigate Rising Sun Electronics and experiments involving microchips after official explanations fail.
The film combines murders and thrills with charcoal-gray to pitch-black humor, as noted in its critical reception.
Skyscraper elevators and enclosed lift interiors become recurring spaces of entrapment and mechanical threat.
Films like The Lift, and why
Christine
Shared killer-machine premise, technological paranoia, horror-thriller tension, and darkly comic tone.
Demon Seed
Shared corporate technology menace, science fiction horror, and escalating mechanical violence.
Gremlins
Shared black comedy, inventive everyday-object danger, and European cult-horror sensibility.
Movie Details
- Director
- Dick Maas
- Release Date
- 1983-05-11
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (202)
Cast
- Huub Stapel
- Willeke van Ammelrooy
- Josine van Dalsum
- Liz Snoijink
- Wiske Sterringa
- Huib Broos
- Pieter Lutz
- Johan Hobo
- Dick Scheffer
- Matthias Maat
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Lift about?
- A skeptical lift technician and an inquisitive reporter uncover a lethal microchip conspiracy inside a malfunctioning skyscraper elevator.
- What is The Lift like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Lift as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Lift violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Lift as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Lift?
- Critics broadly found the film inventive and entertaining in its blend of black comedy, suspense, and technological menace, though many felt its execution was too tepid to make the premise consistently frightening.
- Which films are like The Lift?
- Films with a similar feel include Christine, Demon Seed, and Gremlins.
- How long is The Lift?
- The Lift runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Lift?
- In United States, The Lift streams on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
