10 Best Elevator Scenes In Horror Movie History
9. Resident Evil (2002)
An early scene, setting the tone of the movie shows several Umbrella Corporation employees trapped in an elevator after one of them released a virus into the building, setting off the emergency alarm.
The elevator falls but jerks to a stop just above floor three. They are able to prise the doors open slightly and see several people lying unconscious on the floor outside. The panic of the crowded lift and the unknown threat outside prompts one woman to try and squeeze out of the door opening in a desperate attempt to get out of the building for help.
As she gets stuck and the others try to push her out, the scene closes in on the ominous camera watching them and everyone suddenly hears the clunk of the elevator coming back to life. It drops, but before she is crushed it stops, giving a moment of relief before it rams up again and decapitates her.
The scene is so effective as it highlights the complete unemotional logic of the Red Queen in trying to eliminate the humans in order to stop the virus spreading, but also shows the immense survival instinct of the humans and their willingness to take risks in order to live.