The 4th Floor (1999) User Reviews

There's Hell beneath your feet on the 4th Floor

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 10 June 2004]

Effective and original little thriller set on the island of Manhattan about a young woman terrorized in her rent-controlled apartment by unknown forces that want her out.

Juliette Lewis, Jane Ehelin, is at her feisty best as the victim of this horror drama who won't let herself be driven out of her apartment as the terror below her that at first is just annoying begins to turn deadly. The movie "The 4th Floor" has a lot of false leads as to who the person or persons are that are terrorizing the hell out of Jane. If your very attentive you'll notice something almost at the beginning of the movie, that is repeated in the films final sequence, why all of this is happening to her.

After her Aunt Cecile was killed from a fall down the stairs of her building it was found out in Aunt Cecile's lease that she put Jaen on it as co-occupant to her apartment. Jane was all set to move in with her boyfriend Greg Harrison, William Hurt, a local TV weatherman in the house that he just bought in the New York city suburb of Westchester County. Jaen instead canceled her plans in order to move into that empty and very affordable apartment in the city. As soon as Jaen moved in things began to happen all originating from the 4th floor, the apartment just underneath her.

The director and writer of the movie "The 4th Floor" leave a lot of red herrings as well as yellow and orange maggots and white and gray mice to what is behind all this and you almost suspect everyone in the movie that Jaen comes in contact with. The ending is quite a surprise because even when it comes it still may keep you hanging as to what was the reason for tormenting Jaen and driving her almost mad and out of her brownstone apartment. The very last scene in the movie really explains it all.

Besides Juliette Lewis William Hurt is very good in an unusually small but important role so are Shelley Duvall, Martha Stewart, no not the Martha Stewart in the news. There's also Austin Pendleton, Mr. Collins, as Jaen's neighbors and a very good performance by Tobin Bell the locksmith and next-door neighbor of Jean who knew a lot more to what was happening in Jane's building then what he let her on to.

Tension-pack and really creepy movie that will make your skin crawl as Jaen is slowly constricted by the four walls around her as the terror, that's a lot closer to her then she thinks, closes in on her for the movies surprising as well as really weird and shocking conclusion."The 4th Floor" is a lot better then you would, or I did, expect from many of the negative reviews that it got and is well worth seeing.

"The Tenant" meets "Rear Window"; excellent until the last 10 minutes.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 19 September 2003]

When the build-up of a movie is as good as it is in "The 4th Floor", the third act will almost inevitably have to be somewhat disappointing. The director, who is a first-timer to boot, does a very good job of creating a sinister, eerie atmosphere and keeping us hooked, always in doubt about who the guilty party is. Then in the last 10 minutes, it all becomes a routine slasher film, complete with half-baked plot "explanations" and a gratuitous "twist ending". Still, for the most part this an excellent little thriller, and definitely worth your time. (***)

Not perfect, but worth the time

[dead_doll00 · 6/10 · 10 November 2005]

This movie is a far cry from perfect. But then, few movies are nowadays and one has to learn not to be picky. If you're looking for some entertainment on a boring Saturday night, then this is a good way to go.

Despite the whining of her weatherman boyfriend, Jane becomes the newest tenant of a rather creepy looking apartment building, having inherited the place from a dead aunt. Over time, Jane comes to meet the various people that make up the rest of the tenants. They include a snoopy, loopy old lady, a slightly unhinged superintendent, a mysterious but kind old man, a blind and deaf old couple, and a rather mean-spirited old woman. Not to mention the man across the way from her may be a murderer, but, hey, can't win 'em all, right? Amidst all this, Jane finds herself being attacked by the woman living one floor below, obsessing over the "oral disturbances" that Jane just can't seem to cut out.

So yeah, rather a predictable, old plot, but still unique in a strange way. I own the movie and have watched it a few times already. Perhaps its the atmosphere and quirky, in some cases almost stereotyped characters that keep me coming back. Perhaps its the smooth, creepy music or use of scenery. Then again, it's probably Tobin Bell in his role as the Locksmith. Yeah, that could be it too...

A good premise ruined by a corny finale and zero logic.

[fedor8 · 3 August 2018]

A classic example of how to ruin a good set-up with a crappy finale worthy of a Bugs Bunny cartoon (provided those cartoons sucked caj*nes and were made by cretins). The first hour sets up an interesting mystery that touches vaguely on the haunted house genre, but when the villain reveals itself the movie falls apart like a badly stacked up deck of cards hit by a cyclone.

The villain is none other than the old geezer from the building. Now a quick rundown of the shoddiness of the goofy finale: the old geezer is basically indestructible and insane (though not near insane enough to pull of a string of tricks and manipulations that would normally require a sound mind and a dozen people). Juliette Lewis who shows spunk and courage throughout the movie behaves like a little schoolgirl lost when faced with this non-formidable foe who is shorter than Tom Cruise and has the build of a 14 year-old kid. She gets knocked out by him - yet again (does he walk barefoot? float through air?) - and then it's time for Thrilleric Clicherama 101: she knocks him out with a rod, but instead of finishing him off she, very typically for thriller/horror victims, throws AWAY her weapon, turns her backhriller/horror victims, throws AWAY her weapon, turns her back to the predictably not-badly-injured villain and very predictably he gets up to resume chasing her and endangers her yet again. Wow. Why must victims in thrillers always be so damn stupid in crucial situations?

WHY do people who fight for their lives - in dumb thrillers and horrors (obviously, not in real life, when everyone goes to much greater lengths to crush/bash/annihilate/destroy/pulverize/neutralize/bash the attacker) - never CONTINUE bashing the villain, just to make sure they're incapacitated, severely injured or thoroughly killed? Is this some unwritten-rule pacifist movie thing invented by left-wing writers whereby the hero can never be shown to be human i.e. justifiably vicious toward their attacker?

Dumber still, the janitor (played conveniently by the "Saw" guy before "Saw" was written and released by random dweeby knuckleheads), can't manage to overpower this tiny little old man, in a scene so stupid it can compete with any horsepoop from "Saw" or the even more amazingly dumb "Copycat" - perhaps even an Argento thriller. And then William Hurt just happens to arrive, and even he struggles to get the old man to put down the weapon.

The killer's motives for murdering so many building residents without anyone noticing they're missing or dead? Some gobbledygook about Ancient Egypt, the serenity of peace and what-not: it's not as if any of that stuff made enough sense for me to pay much attention to the killer's obligatory and very silly why-I-dood-it speech. We never find out WHY the stench of several corpses - plus the maggots - only manage to reach and bother Lewis. Nor do we quite understand how come NOBODY wants to believe Lewis despite the fact she has bundles of evidence. The nonsense reaches Hitchockian levels, because the overrated chubster also tended to use ridiculous plot-devices that ensured that nobody ever believed the protagonist.

Furthermore, they couldn't resist make the conspiracy even sillier. The epilogue heavily hints that William Hurt was in cahoots with the old geezer, which throws the already inane and far-fetched plot squarely into totally absurd territory. Once Lewis's boyfriend is somehow involved, one can safely say that literally nothing ties up logically.

It gets dumber. The "Saw" guy acts extremely suspiciously. In fact, what Lewis saw through the window in his apartment should have pegged him as a serial-killer, at the very least, and yet he turns out to be a helper in need. In fact, everyone is made to behave suspiciously or oddly, including Shelley Duvall and even Lewis's female colleague. Needless to say, the viewer is lied to and manipulated in the worst shoddy-plot-device way, and then "rewarded" for his time spent watching this dross by giving us the most laughable killer in years.

You anyway won't be able to find this movie easily, because it's made-for-TV drivel.

Good but then again Juliette Lewis is in it so it must be good.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 23 December 2019]

About The 4th Floor, first of all Juliette Lewis plays the main character, so that's already a major plus point. I might be a bit biased as I love Juliette Lewis but there you go I just think she's a good attractive actress. She has that little something that makes her a good actress. The rest of the cast did their job as supposed to so no complaints there. As for the story there is definitely a suspenseful atmosphere throughout the whole movie, with a good soundtrack you can already achieve a lot. I would watch it again, just to see Juliette Lewis again.

Why Put Up with that Garbage?

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 21 May 2006]

Enjoyed viewing this film and could not imagine just why Juliette Lewis,(Jane Emelin),"Daltry Calhoun",'05 put up with all the horrible creeps in her apartment dwelling. The landlord, Superintendent, and practically the entire building was a loony bin of all kinds of characters. William Hurt, (Greg Harrison),"Syriana",'05, lived with Jane Emelin and did not like the idea of her going off and getting this apartment; he even told her how much he loved her. As the film progresses, all kinds of strange and mysterious things seem to happen in the apartment and an old lady living on the floor below Jane really started to raise all kinds of hell for her day and night. All the actors gave a great performance and you will probably figure the ending out, but it was not the greatest of William Hurt films.

Unplausible

[Antagonisten · 5/10 · 2 July 2007]

There are many problems with a movie like this one. First of all, you've seen it all before. A lone woman (or just lone person) moving into a flat in a building filled with psychos is a popular theme. Second of all, the story might work up until the end. Then it usually falls apart more or less completely, the way it does here.

Juliette Lewis and William Hurt are both decent actors and they do a decent job here. The supporting actors have bigger problems with Shelley Duvall and Austin Pendleton both coming off as completely unbelievable characters, playing neighbors in the strange house.

What i think worked well in this movie is first off the house itself. It's got a nice Gothic New York-feel to it, with seedy run-down interiors and huge staircases. Also like i said above Hurt and Lewis do their parts OK, although i feel Hurt almost always has something a bit unnatural about him. I don't know what it is, but his delivery is slow and contemplated, almost theater-like. It's not always fitting.

The negative aspects are mostly the supporting actors, which have a hard time with the script giving them characters that are just too much to believe. The one that stands out especially though is Sabrina Grdevich as Lewis work colleague. She seems to be in a porno-movie or something of the kind, flirting with the camera no matter what she's saying. Also the script has other problems, mostly with plausibility. That is not unexpected though as these kinds of movies usually need a villain capable of extremely intricate measures for a very small potential gain.

In the genre, this is not a disaster. I can't say i recommend it though. 5/10.

CHEER! - (7 stars out of 10)

[BJG-Reviews · 7/10 · 29 October 2021]

The stage curtains open ...

"The 4th Floor" is not that scary. But, where it lacks in scares, it makes up for with sheer entertainment, It does have a little bit of a creep and bizarre factor to it, and they do a pretty good job of keeping you in the dark until the final reveal/twist by movie's end - although it wasn't hard to guess. And yet, I had fun with this one.

Jane (played effectively by Juliette Lewis) has just inherited a full floor apartment from her late Aunt. Despite an offer from her very successful boyfriend to move in with him, she is intrigued with the idea of moving into the apartment to fashion a life for herself before committing to a life with her boyfriend. After she moves in, she finds that there were elements surrounding her Aunt's death that suggest it may not have been accident at all. Her neighbors are very different - especially the mysterious tenant on the floor right below hers, the 4th Floor. Tensions rise and situations develop - leading to a fun confrontational ending with a last minute twist.

This has been billed as a horror movie, but I found it to be more of a thriller. It didn't scare me on any level, but watching the scenes unfold made for a very entertaining 90 minutes. There is a scene where we see Jane blasting her downstairs neighbor with rock music while jumping up and down hysterically on the floor - I loved that scene.

I'm glad I discovered this forgotten gem. It isn't anyone's crowning achievement, but it looked like everyone involved was having fun making it. It is a great diversion and I would cetainly recommend it to anyone who doesn't take their horror/thriller movies too seriously. 7 stars out of 10.

Gave it a 3, for technical competence only.

[craig.duncan · 3/10 · 29 April 2000]

My wife invited my son and I to watch this on cable TV on a lazy Saturday evening, thinking that it might show an unusual role for Juliette Lewis. On this promise, at least, the movie delivers: her character is ineffectual, adhering to nearly every slasher-type horror movie cliche. As does the movie. A cataloguing of its studied adherence to them would be an exercise in recall of something I hope to quickly forget, so I won't make one. Basically, this is a whodunnit, heavy on the red herrings: everybody appears guilty, rather than just the two one suspects from the beginning. The "rule out the logical and obvious, and what's left is it" rule of bad horror movies works well on this one. The only surprise to have any impact on me was its final snagging of the indeterminate ending cliche: will Jane keep her appointment with her attempted rescuer, who will tell her the (obvious to the audience) identity of the 2nd conspirator, propelling her into another round of hysterical victim-play. Mercifully, I will never know.

Odd. I find it odd.

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 20 May 2006]

I was confused from the beginning of "The 4th Floor" because, fool that I am, it never once occurred to me that this young woman talking with William Hurt (who is my age) was actually his girlfriend. She looked like his daughter and in fact, with the 23 year difference in their ages, could have been. Once that was out of the way, I started to concentrate.

This is a pretty scary movie if you like the genre, but it doesn't make any sense. I can understand Jane moving into her late aunt's apartment - it's New York City, after all, reasonably priced apartments are hard to come by, and she doesn't want to move in with her boyfriend. But no matter how reasonable the rent, no one would have stayed in that building. The neighbors are all totally bizarre and someone - she thinks it's her neighbor on the 4th floor -- is tormenting her. Aggressively.

There are sometimes one can put these problems in a film aside and sometimes that one can't. This would be one of the times that one can't. It really stretched all reason. If it was the type of film where one just had to suspend belief, that would have been another story, but it wasn't.

I figured the plot out long before the denouement, although the ending is ambiguous in a way. The acting was mixed. Lewis sounded like she was imitating Jennifer Elise Cox's character on Lovespring, and Hurt's role was beneath him. The supporting players were the marvelous Austin Pendleton and Shelley Duvall who gave wonderful and interesting performances.

All in all, scary stuff, good atmosphere, an okay rental.

Unorignal and predictable movie but with some nice moments.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 5 March 2005]

This movie is fairly unknown and I see no reason why this should be any different. "The 4th Floor" is an highly unoriginal thriller/horror movie. There have been made dozens of movies like this the last couple of years and difference is that most of them were better than this one.

Yes, the movie does have some good moments and suspense but you can tell that director Josh Klausner is too unexperienced. There isn't much originality and the movie falls into some obvious clichés. Josh Klausner normally only works as second unit director for the Farrelly brothers. My advice to him is to stick to that job.

After a couple of minutes I already figured out the ending. Smart you!' you might say but I think it says something more about the originality and predictability of this movie than about my intelligence.

Still it was fun to see Shelley Duvall in a movie again. Besides "The Shining" I don't think that I ever have seen her in a other movie. I also enjoyed Tobin Bell who I like as an actor. Too bad he never ever really stars in big roles in big productions. William Hurt is a good actor but his role was simply too small in this movie to be really notable.

I can't think of any reason why you should watch this movie. But when you still decide to do so, you won't be completely disappointed, just as long as you don't expect too much of it.

5/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Great offbeat thriller, Juliette Lewis and William Hurt

[MarieGabrielle · 9/10 · 7 April 2006]

portray central characters in this film. Hurt in particular plays a pretentious weatherman, with a bow-tie, and is very amusing. Lewis plays a niece who inherits a rent-controlled apartment in the big city (NY, of course) and along the lines of "Rosemary's Baby", starts to realize there is something strange happening in the building.

Some of the tenants are: Shelley Duvall, Austin Pendleton, and the locksmith Tobin Bell (always excellent, and creepy). There are some scenes reminiscent of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" as Ms. Lewis is observing the goings-on in her neighborhood- be careful of what you may find out! The movie culminates in terror, and if you have ever lived alone in a city with strange neighbors, you will enjoy this movie. Watch it on a rainy night- better than the original "When a Stranger Calls". 9/10

finally an original thriller

[Mickey Knox · 6/10 · 17 December 2000]

(minor spoilers)

I have seen so many not original thrillers, or remakes, lately, that i even forgot how an original one looks like. Well The 4th Floor reminded me. Very interesting plot: a young woman (Juliette Lewis - fabulous as always) moves into a new building but becomes terrorised by one of the neighbours. The film manages to keep you watching and even to surprise you many times. It's tensed and exciting. Juliette is great, but William Hurt is still the bad actor as in many of his movies that i've seen recently.

I gave this movie only a 6 because of some reasons. Mainly because it's rather predictable. I've known halfway through the movie who's the bad guy. Well the bad guys. Then again, if i was the scriptwriter, i would've changed a few things here and there. It probably would've been better if the plot focused on the appartment on the 4th floor. Maybe with Juliette captive there for a longer time. And also a bigger accent on the psychological part would've been welcomed. Vote: 6 out of 10.

Odd thriller keeps you guessing

[rosscinema · 5/10 · 13 May 2003]

This film had all the ingredients of a very bad and predictable "Woman being terrorized in her apartment" thriller but I have to admit, its really not that bad. Story is about a young woman who moves into her late aunts apartment but her boyfriend wants her to move in with him. Juliette Lewis plays Jane Emelin and William Hurt is the weatherman Greg Harrison who is dating her. Jane moves in and meets all the strange tenants like Shelley Duvall who is the resident snoop. Austin Pendleton is always running up the stairs in a long coat to try and avoid Duvall and Artie Lange is the Super who lives in the basement. Once she is in her apartment she watches the tenants in the other building (Like "Rear Window") and thinks she might have witnessed the locksmith murdering his wife. The neighbor below Jane keeps banging on her floor and leaving notes telling her to keep the noise down and gives her instructions on when she can make noise. Jane bangs on their door and replies to the notes but no one answers the door. Soon Jane has maggots coming up out of her drain and is plagued by mice! This little film is directed by Josh Klausner who has worked primarily with the Farrelly brothers. Its his first job as the main director and he does a pretty adequate job. Its not fancy but he seems to know exactly what he's doing. Klausner also wrote the script and its not predictable (For the most part) and as I watched this film I have to be honest and say I really didn't know what was going to happen next. You watch each strange character and its hard to guess who is doing what. *****SPOILER ALERT***** The one aspect of the film that didn't surprise me was the fact that the character by Pendleton is behind everything. He came across as the only normal guy so of course he's behind it all. But wait! He's not the only one behind it and the last shot of the painting with Pendleton and Hurt together is one that I did not expect. At the beginning of the film I suspected Hurt but then I figured it was someone else. This is one of the few times that Lewis has actually played a normal role. She carries the film well but why would she be dating a dullard like Hurt? And after all the maggots why didn't she call the health commission? Isn't it the job of the exterminators to report things like that? This is just nit-picking because the film does keep you guessing and its not a bad overall thriller.

Homage?Influence?How about good,old-fashioned RIP-OFF!

[tone143 · 23 September 2004]

If the majority of these reviews were written by people under 28,you're forgiven.If not,well-there's a monstrous gap in your film education.

Since every last plot line,lighting concept,and even verbatim dialogue was copped directly from Polanski's "The Tenant"(masterpiece)and Hitchcock's "Rear Window"(another masterwork),a proper homage should have been done here,since the control-maniac weatherman boyfriend went to all the trouble to re-create the paranoid world of the film,"The Tenant",in order to force his independent girlfriend to move back in with him,including the elaborate hieroglyphic hallucinations(courtesy of Ms. Simone Schuul,of "The Tenant").The 2 films should have been featured as "characters" in the movie.Of course,this would require the film to elevate itself to black comedy,which requires talent,none of which was present here,except 2 talented actors selling out to do a parasitic piece of cr_p like this.If you want to see a way better ripoff of "The Tenant",see "Apartment Zero"(1987?),a South American production with Colin firth and Hart Bochner.At least there's an original twist there.

"The 4th Floor" Summary

[tiskec · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

I really liked this film, even though the mass majority leaves it with a 5.7, I say it was a 7. I believe the movie is severely under rated. It was a great story. Not only great, it was realistic. It isn't your everyday slasher/monster movie. It's very original.

Juliet Lewis plays a great character, and you know what, she kind of looks like she would be an interior designer, like she is in the movie. She plays the part perfect. The only thing that I DON'T like about the movie, that isn't realistic, is how she just inherited her aunts apartment. You don't just inherit apartments. Unless the law is different in New York, I thought only something you owned directly could be written in a Will? I'm not sure, but if it were a condo it would've been more convincing, which is one reason I gave the movie a 7 instead of an 8.

Juliet Lewis is trying to settle down in her apartment, after the murder of her aunt. As she moves her belongings into the apartment, weird stuff starts happening. A neighbor starts destroying the floor from a bottom apartment, rats start showing up by the hundreds, and other weird notes start appearing. Apparently, someone doesn't want her there. At this point anyone would know it's one of the people living in the building. That's a given. It's just who? She meets all of them, and they all seem nice. However, that's not enough to convince her to move into her weather broadcaster boyfriends country home. She wants to stay where she is, and live on her own for awhile. As she does, she continues to experience these weird encounters.

She eventually gets a package that reveals a picture of her dead aunt buried under a bunch of packing peanuts. This freaks her out. There's rumors throughout the building that floor floor houses this person who never comes out. A homebody who she thinks is trying to sabotage her. Of course the person is on the fourth floor...

Towards the end, she breaks an entering into the infamous apartment four. She discovers who ever lives there is a psycho path. You get to find out who this is, and when you do, you'll be surprised. Although, what I like about the surprise, is that there's a surprise behind the surprise. It's definitely a eye opener to Juliet's character.

Juliet Lewis eventually gets in a fight with this person, and a guy comes and knocks the person out from behind. Then, the person gets up again, runs after her, and is threw down the stairwell by her boyfriend who decides to visit. She then decides to finally move in with him on the country side.

At the end, a certain person watched what went on in the fourth floor apartment, and painted a picture on a canvas of what he ob served earlier. It was a painting of her boyfriend negotiating with this psychopath. So, the boyfriend is willing to do anything for possession. The certain person he negotiated with was nuts, and used the whole building as a fortress. I will not give the reader all of the the person did, it is worth watching for.

An overall summary would conclude that the acting was good and the story was believable. There was just some parts that the viewer would be saying "yeah right." Some logic was just poorly used in the script. All in all, I think this movie deserves more than a 5.7 rating. It's good for a one time watch.

Very Interesting

[FireCloud131 · 7/10 · 27 December 2003]

if u like Juliette Lewis, you'll enjoy this film I love the movies she has been in, she always picks great movies. This is a very colourful film, there are many aspects to this film that are enjoyable The character she plays is unique and entertaining. Another thing that i liked about the movie is that this is a who-donnit type of movie. Through out the movie you'll be asking this question and it's not who you think it's going to be. The end is great, if you haven't seen it, you ought to go get the video or dvd!

You got to love Juliette Lewis

[tadeusz-luksusowyjacht · 5/10 · 3 March 2009]

Well, I saw this movie last night. I got to say, it is pretty decent thriller with elements of psychedelic.

Young woman gets apartment from her died aunt and starts accommodating when strange things start to happen. Some are believable, some ...somehow not. I really liked the atmosphere of danger and a little weirdness. The whole world in this movie seems to be a little odd, kinda 3 inches to the left. You got a feeling that not everything is as it should be.

Unfortunattely I could pretty easy predict who is the main "bad guy".

I liked Tobin "The Saw" Bell small part, also Artie Lange was not bad in part kinda not his styla.

Now , minor or major, spoiler, so beware.

In 1976 Roman Polański made The Tenant (Le Locataire) based on great novel by late Roland Topor. If you saw that movie, The 4th Floor will be VERY familiar. Unfortunately, what worked in France is not that great in Da City.

Also, you got to love Juliette Lewis, she is not shy in front of the camera :) If you got nothing better to do - see this movie, but if you have to go to the Blockbuster - get The Tenant. Bye.

Freaks and lunatics have taken over the apartment!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 25 February 2005]

Although rather insignificant and anonymous, "the 4th floor" is an entertaining and well-made thriller, capable of providing you with a few modest scares and maybe even a single "jump"-moment. The premise is far from original, though. It doesn't require a lot of experience in the horror genre to see where writer/director Josh Klausner found his inspiration. The 4th floor combines elements that made films like "The Tenant", "Rear Window" and even "The Shining" legendary. But still the tension is built up carefully and with respect for the genre so I really don't feel the urge of using the lack of originality against Klausner. The headstrong and self-confident Jane (Juliette Lewis) inherits a small apartment from her late aunt and, even though there were plans for her and her lover to move in a house on the countryside together, she prefers to live in it. Almost immediately after her arrival, it becomes clear that her neighbor down below holds a grudge against her. The supposedly elderly tenant from apartment 4 begins to terrorize Jane, with steps of increasing eeriness. Jane also soon finds out that she won't get help from her other neighbors, as they're a unique collection of eccentric beings….on the verge of social misfits, actually. The character drawing of this film is pretty good and the climax – although you see it coming – is overall satisfying. The acting is pretty weak. Especially William Hurt (who plays Jane older lover and national weather-man Greg) seems to openly wonder how on earth he could have ended up in a production like this. Lewis acts like she always does (almost impossible to determine whether she likes the script or not) and exaggeratedly shows her skinny body. The supportive cast is the most interesting, as it contains a freaky role by Shelley Duval (The Shining) and Robert Costanzo as the exterminator. The 4th Floor isn't essential viewing but you certainly won't regret having seen it, neither. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of brainless suspense and cheap thrills.

Makes. No. Sense.

[LilyDaleLady · 2/10 · 2 March 2023]

Confusing horror/suspense flick (not gory though, and no nudity)... starring Juliet Lewis and the late William Hurt... in what feels like a variation on "The Tenant" plus "Rear Window" (Polanksi & Hitchcock, not bad role models for a variation)... only 1/10th as good and filled with confusing misdirection and details that make no sense.

Lewis, only about 25 here (1999) and Hurt (49) are dreadfully mismatched. I mean, I know rich geezers would often like to date ingenues, but at least the HUGE age difference should be a talking point in the film; she looks like his daughter! This is icky!

It makes perfect sense that a young woman would want to experience life in NYC (in a very cool, huge rent-controlled apartment that she lucks into when her aunt dies)! Vs. Moving in with old Mr. Dullsville in Westchester.

The filmmakers don't take this whole film seriously because one supporting character is named "Martha Stewart" (!!!) and another "Alice Cooper" (!!!). Give me a break! If the filmmakers don't take it seriously, we won't either. (though it is always nice seeing Shelley Duval in anything!)

The plot is filled with logic bombs. (Lotsa spoilers here, folks.) Hurt eventually turns out to be the baddie, something telegraphed from afar but only revealed in the last few seconds... but why kill her aunt, if he didn't want "Jane" to move in with him? Why co-opt the downstairs neighbor, the nut with all the foam peanuts? (Btw: how the hell do you get literally millions of foam peanuts into an apartment and then not have them spill out the door constantly, as we see happen anyhow??? This would be like 1000 huge boxes of 'em.)

How do you get mice, both wild & domesticated ones, to run UP into a neighbor's apartment (but not down or anywhere else in the whole building?) How do you get MAGGOtS to crawl up that far? They can't be trained! How do you arrange to break thick terra-cotta tiles on Jane's floor ON DEMAND, as if by a mysterious power? Floors are thick, have big joists! Tiles like that need to be hammer to even get them up! This is not possible from the ceiling below.

Also: how did either villain get the hole in the floor (again, through beams & joists & plaster & hardwood flooring) to DISAPPEAR on command?

If you keep a dead body in the tub, long enough to be consumed by maggots... trust me, not only would everyone in the building now have blowflies... the smell would knock you off your feet and people would smell it even next door (and call police!) and if an old lady doesn't come out of her apartment for months, yes you can call police or the landlord to get inside. You'd also smell this much decomposition from the outside door. (Don't ask how I know this.)

Why drag in the whole portcullis thing?, when it has nothing to do with anything in the story, which turns out to be a stupid setup by Hurt's character to get "Jane" to move in with him. It is a red herring to suggest there is anything here about the supernatural or hieroglyphs or Ancient Egyptian burials.

Oh, and stamping on a floor (again, thick beams and joists) with BARE feet won't case a huge cement plaque to fall off the wall and conveniently hit the villain on the head. (And in the same vein: poor Jane gets not one but TWO really severe head injuries, plus falls down a huge flight of stairs... with apparently zero injuries, as if two direct blows to the HEAD is "no big deal" (in fact it is very big deal, probably land you in the hospital -- needing an MRI -- you can have a brain bleed and DIE from this!)

Guys: if you want your girlfriend to give up her cool rent-controlled apartment in the Big City... take my advice, and show up with flowers and a diamond engagement ring and get down on your knee and propose. A lot easier than trying to stage some kind of crazy disjointed plan to "scare her" into moving in with you! DUH!

Conclusion: don't bother... this went straight to video in 1999 without a theatrical release, and with several major actors... what does that tell you?

Scary Enough, but Frustrating at Times

[tiffanytallent1981 · 6/10 · 23 July 2023]

Although, it starts out slow, this movie will keep you guessing. I watched it probably 20 years ago and couldn't remember who the antagonist was. It really could be anyone, except the main character, Jane and the exterminator. They were the only ones who weren't creepy. Seriously. Every neighbor, the locksmith, Jane's boyfriend, and Jane's assistant acted so strange towards her. And of course the cops didn't believe Jane because she had called a few times. And when the cops arrived each time, they explained away what happened. Like when her downstairs neighbor busted holes into her floor from below, the cops said it was the heating pipes that busted. And when someone knocked her out, the cops said she passed out & fell down because of a gas leak.

The only person to act normally was the exterminator, who Jane had to call when she woke up to 50 mice in her apartment. The exterminator found that the downstairs neighbor had drilled a hole into her apartment and placed the mice. THIS was the time to call the police. She had evidence and a person to verify her story. The cops would've had to get into the downstairs apartment & see what was actually happening then. But does she call immediately? No. And by the time she does, the hole had been magically repaired.

Some things are predictable and I was half right about what was going on. It's worth watching just to find out the rest. The ending was satisfying, even though it wasn't complete. I would've liked to have seen how the rest played out though. Watch and you'll see what I mean.

apartment hell

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 27 March 2012]

"The 4th Floor" has a neat premise, but it seems as though the whole thing peters out early on. Maybe it's just that there have been so many movies about mysterious neighbors that this one came across as a rehash. It wants to be an homage to "Rear Window"; instead, it ends up being more of a joke. Juliette Lewis, William Hurt, Austin Pendleton, Shelley Duvall (with bleached hair!) and Tobin Bell (Jigsaw in the "Saw" movies) are wasted. As it turns out, the movie got released theatrically in Germany, but went straight to video in the US. Truth is, either they should have written a better script or not made the movie at all. Really, truly saddening.

Truly scary movie

[skelly-4 · 10/10 · 11 July 2002]

I was looking last night in my video shop and found this in the really cheap area and thought hmmm the story line looks ok, straight to video so I thought what the hey i'll get it out and see what it's like.

I strongly reccomend watching this film alone with the lights out. The film itself is nothing special no big special effects, but I still found it quite scary. The feeling of being alone and lack of privacy and conspiracy all seem like powerful points to this film. A definite Rosemarys Baby comes through with the strange characters all being possible suspects and the building itself almost feeling alive very shining. (Note the lens on the room 4's door).

The films has it all frights, the bad guy is truly crazy and the twist at the end leaves a nasty taste in your mouth.

If you have seen all the new releases definitly give this a try. I can't promise high budget but can promise you the creeps

The 4th Floor

[Toronto85 · 6/10 · 2 August 2013]

A young woman inherits an apartment on "The 4th Floor", and discovers some deadly secrets. Jane Emelin's grandmother passed away after a bizarre accident in the building, so she gets the apartment on the fourth floor. Immediately she meets her crazed and wacky neighbours, some of whom seem very off. She also has a slew of people doing weird things across the street from her, she has a perfect view from her place into theirs. It has a "Rear Window" feel to it, very well done. Pretty soon after, her neighbour below begins banging on the ceiling scaring Jane late at night and even during the day telling her to keep quiet. The person below soon fills Jane's apartment with rats, frightening her! But this person's issues go much deeper than wanting Jane to keep the noise level down... and the person goes further than simply putting a few rats inside of the apartment.

I liked 'The 4th Floor', it was a pretty well done suspense film. Jane is basically being harassed by her neighbour below in an attempt to get her to move out. We get some suspects; her boyfriend who wants her to move in with him, a creepy female neighbour, a locksmith who lives across the street and a nice but odd male neighbour who takes a liking to Jane. According to everyone in the building, the neighbour below is an old lady who NEVER comes out. We of course find out differently, and also discover what really happened to Jane's grandmother. Lots of mystery.

Acting was well done by all in this one, with Juliette Lewis in the lead heroine role. "The 4th Floor" doesn't have all the blood and special effects that others have, but it doesn't need it. It's story and very creepy conclusion/twist that make this a must see!

6/10

Good neighbors are hard to find

[rambow · 5/10 · 29 April 2000]

The basic idea behind the film is a good one. The suspense builds for the first part of the film nicely, but in the second half too many points are unrealistic or too unbelievable. Far too many references to Hitchcock's Rear Window show us what could be instead of what is. If you really want that type of suspense watch that one. I found myself saying out loud that no one is that dumb, no one would do something like that. But the lead character was. I'd say more but some of you may actually watch it. I wanted to like what was happening, but I can't get around all the problems with the script. Once more we're shown that without a good story the project is doomed to fail.