10 Horror Movies Where The Characters Are All Complete Strangers

Although it's a very innocuous act, hopping into an elevator with a bunch of strangers is a rather terrifying thought when you step back and examine it, as you're forcibly placing yourself into a confined space with people you have no reason to trust. That's the kind of thought process that this movie takes advantage of, as it plays on the fear of being stuck in a dangerous place with people you don't know.

The movie follows a group of strangers who end up trapped in an elevator together. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of them dies of a heart attack after revealing that they have a bomb strapped to them, which is due to go off sometime soon. A desperate escape attempt then begins as the strangers struggle to remain a team.

One thing the movie effectively plays into is claustrophobia, as the tight, awkward setting, which is densely packed with bodies, gives you a sense of suffocation, only making the anxiety hit harder. It also keeps moving forward thanks to the threat of the bomb exploding, giving a palpable tension to every decision and action.

It's a sign of how simplicity mixed with tension can make for a great movie.