Stars: 2/5

“Down” is another great holiday-themed entry in Hulu’s “Into the Dark” anthology.

“Into the Dark” is a series of films that Hulu releases one every month that deals with a holiday during the month, such as a New Year’s Eve film during December. It is very similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only with a much greater focus on horror.

Having been released in February, the holiday that “Down” is centered around is Valentine’s Day. “Down” takes place over Valentine’s Day weekend as two office workers are trapped in an elevator as they leave work Friday night.

“Down” centers around the trapped characters Jen and Guy. With nothing else to do, they begin to talk and open up to one another, until one of them shares too much and forces them into a game of cat and mouse to see who escapes the elevator alive.

One of the strongest aspects of the film is the slow burning tension that it builds up over its first 45 minutes. Both the characters do a good job at slowly revealing themselves to the audience and establishing themselves as genuine people. Up until it is revealed, both do a good job of hiding their true intentions.

However, the thing that drags the movie down (ha) is the flaws in its characters. Jen makes some of the most stupid decisions out of any final girl ever, such as prematurely revealing her true intentions, and Guy’s motivation of just wanting someone to want him sexually comes off as a cop out because the writers could not think of a better reason for the plot of the movie to unfold.

Honestly, this movie was better before it turned into a cliché thriller. Before the true reason they are stuck is revealed, the movie is carried by dialogue and character development. After, however, the movie turns into a cliched game of cat and mouse with a predictable ending and questionable decisions of all the characters.

The movie also throws in two random characters toward the end just to jack up its non-existent body count, which is a sign that the filmmakers didn’t have faith in the project. Throwing the proverbial lambs to the slaughter just to give a film some action is nothing but a distraction to the plot, especially as late as “Down” throws the random characters in.

If you want to watch a better version of this movie, go watch “P2.” It has the same premise only done much better and with more of a feeling of dread then a feeling of “WTF.”