In 2016, a Reddit thread titled “I Played the Elevator Game and Something Followed Me Home” went viral. The user, u/ShadowSeeker89, vanished days later. Their posts remain, a chilling warning to anyone curious about the infamous Elevator Game—a ritual said to open a door to another dimension… or worse.
The Rules of the Elevator Game
Originating from Korean urban legends, the game requires precise steps:
- Enter an elevator alone at midnight.
- Press floors in this order: 4, 2, 6, 2, 10, 5.
- If the elevator ascends to the 5th floor, you’ve entered the “Other World.”
- If it goes to the 1st floor, a woman in red will ask to get in. Never answer.
- To return, repeat the sequence backward. One mistake traps you forever.
Jess’s Story: A Dare Gone Wrong
Jess Carter, a 24-year-old nursing student from Chicago, documented her attempt on a now-deleted TikTok account. Her footage shows her entering the elevator of the abandoned Crestview Apartments at 11:58 PM.
Floor 4: The lights flicker. Jess jokes, “This is so staged.”
Floor 2: The elevator jerks. A cold draft seeps through the doors.
Floor 6: Static fills the camera. Jess’s smile fades.
Floor 2: The doors open to an empty hallway. She whispers, “Why is it colder?”
Floor 10: The elevator lurches upward. Jess grips the rail, breath visible.
Floor 5: The doors open. The hallway is bathed in blood-red light, walls dripping black sludge.
Jess steps out, her camera capturing faint whispers in Korean. A shadow flickers at the end of the hall. She runs back, mashing buttons. The elevator plummets to the 1st floor.
The doors open. A woman in a red trench coat stands there, head tilted unnaturally. “Going up?” she rasps. Jess slams the CLOSE DOOR button.
The Aftermath
Jess’s final video, uploaded an hour later, shows her apartment. The lights flicker as she sobs, “It followed me. It’s in the walls.” A shadowy hand reaches from her closet before the feed cuts.
Jess hasn’t been seen since. Her friends found her journal with frantic scribbles:
- “The woman in red isn’t human.”
- “They watch through the mirrors.”
- “Don’t let it know you’re afraid.”
Police dismissed it as a hoax, but urban explorers who visited Crestview tell similar stories: elevators stopping randomly, phantom knocks, and the smell of rot on the 5th floor.
Why the Elevator Game Terrifies
- The “Other World” is Consistent: Survivors (few as they are) describe identical details—red lights, black ooze, whispers.
- The Woman in Red: She appears globally, always in red, always asking, “Going up?”
- Digital Curses: Those who film the ritual often vanish, their devices corrupted with static and garbled voices.
Is It Real?
Skeptics argue it’s mass hysteria, but tech analysts can’t explain corrupted files from Jess’s phone. Others claim it’s a summoning ritual for the Jangseung, Korean gate guardians angered by intruders.
One thing’s certain: after Jess’s disappearance, searches for “How to play the Elevator Game” spiked 500%. Most posts are now deleted.
Final Warning
If you’re tempted to try the Elevator Game, ask yourself:
- Why do survivors beg others not to play?
- Why do all missing persons cases involve elevators built before 1980?
- And why does the woman in red always wear the same coat?
“Do you think Jess escaped… or is she still trapped in the ‘Other World’? Share your theories below. 🔔 Turn on notifications—we’re investigating a NEW ritual next week.”
