Hellevator – Episode 1 (TV Game Show)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Hosted by Jen and Sylvia Soska
Executive Producers Jason Blum, Jay Peterson, Todd Lubin
Airs on Game Show Network
Imagine for a moment being dropped into the scariest possible scene of a horror film. Would you be able to face your worst fears?
That is the premise of “Hellevator,” Game Show Network’s newest horror series in its lineup, which is premiering just in time for Halloween (see it on Wednesday, October 21, at 8PM ET/PT on GSN).
Horror neo-icons Jen and Sylvia Soska (the directors of Dead Hooker in a Trunk, American Mary, and See No Evil 2), aka the Twisted Twins, serve as hosts and the diabolical masterminds behind the scenes, pulling the strings throughout the game. Furthermore, the show is produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions (those fine folks who brought us Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Purge, to name a few) and Matador in association with Lionsgate Television.
This is how it works: “Hellevator” gathers a trio of contestants, who are friends, and herds them into a haunted elevator that descends into various levels of an abandoned slaughterhouse. One player must get out on each floor and conquer a challenge in order to earn money for the team. If they don’t make it back in time, the elevator moves on without them. They can earn up to $50,000.
There will be eight episodes in the season, each one presenting a different scenario. I was not only lucky enough to visit the set in Downtown L.A. (which is, indeed, a converted slaughterhouse originally built in the 1900s), but I was also given a preview of the first show.
This pilot episode, which is about a creepy, long-dead funeral home director named Albert and ekes his backstory out little by little, features “Team YOLO.” Team YOLO is very briefly introduced before we find them thrown into a dark elevator (the “Hellevator”), and off they go into their set of scary challenges.
From a control booth, the Twisted Twins communicated with the team via a speaker system, and their reactions to the hapless victims are filmed as they try to make it through each frightening floor not only unscathed, but richer. One by one, the team members went out to – hopefully – complete the challenge (which is akin to walking through a haunted maze at a theme park). Two contestants were left inside the car to watch what was happening to their comrade on a closed circuit TV. This setup had a very predictable, assembly-line feel to it. But occasionally all of Team YOLO would get shaken up at once (like when an apparition suddenly “appeared” inside the elevator with them).
Between each challenge, there was more back story given about the week’s scenario. It’s told by the Soskas in voiceover and also shown to the audience via recreations, stock footage, and still photos. The first challenge involved grave-robbing, the second one forced the team members to search through blood and guts for money, and the third person found herself trapped in a crematorium tube with actual flames dancing near her head. There were some “corpses” in the capsule with her, as well as a live actor. By 3/4 of the way through the show, Team YOLO had only $1,500 to show for their trouble. But the biggest cash-grab opportunity, and the hardest challenge, was yet to come.
Even though I am not a fan of game shows – as opposed to challenge-based reality TV shows, which I do enjoy (think: VH-1’s “Scream Queens,” Syfy’s “Face Off”) – I tried to look at “Hellevator” objectively. Still, the show comes up short for me.
I have my reasons: First of all, there is not nearly enough of the Twisted Twins. They chime in with commentary and are shown sitting in the control room at regular intervals, but if I didn’t already know who they are, I’d have zero sense of their personalities or how funny and clever they can be. Unlike say, shows such as “Shark Tank” or “America’s Top Model”, where we get to know Tyra’s and Mr. Wonderful’s dispositions and quirks, “Hellevator’s” hosting gig might as well be fronted by any hot chicks in corsets. The Soskas are horror celebrities with charm to spare, but the viewing audience is not given a chance to connect with them much at all.
The same goes for the contestants; I really didn’t know or care about any of them. But that’s more forgivable because it’s not like they are going to be living with us for a whole season. In the game show format, it’s one and done.
Lastly, I didn’t care for the whole hour runtime. That length lends itself better to a reality show. For a game show that follows only three people, it should be a half-hour tops.
“Hellevator” is not a bad show, and it might be fine for the casual viewer – but true horror fans aren’t likely to get much out of it.
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