On paper, it seems so easy to dismiss. An American remake of a horror film about a killer elevator? Must be a reject from the 2000s era of inanimate horror. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find that Dick Maas's Down is one of the wildest movies of the twenty-first century. Film critic and cosplayer Jessica Scott (Insider, Fangoria) joins the Certified Forgotten podcast to make her case for, well, more Maas.
Nobody would call Mark Newman’s (James Marshall) transition to civilian life a wild success, but at least he has a job. In fact, Newman’s work as an elevator repair technician is one of the few things he does right – he has a real knack for machines, which is why he’s part of the team sent to investigate a series of escalating incidents at the Millenium Building, the film’s loose stand-in for the Empire State Building. But when people start dying – and dying in bunches – as a result of the elevator, Newman must team with opportunistic journalist Jennifer Evans (Naomi Watts) to figure out the dark forces at play. Also known as The Shaft, Down is a remake of Dutch filmmaker Maas’s 1983 horror film, The Lift – and without question one of the most ill-timed releases in Hollywood history.
In this short excerpt from the episode, Jessica explains whether you need to see both versions of the film to appreciate what Maas is doing onscreen:
I don't think it matters which order you see them in. I saw Down first, and I've only seen The Lift once because I just keep watching Down again. I would say watch them both, but you don't have to see the original first to appreciate the lunacy of Down.
The Down episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.
