12 People Share Unbelievable Elevator Stories That Leave Them Screaming

🚨 Going down, up, or straight into chaos? From terrifying malfunctions to pranks that go way too far, these 12 elevator stories will rattle your nerves and leave you laughing—or screaming. You’ll never ride one the same way again. By the time you’re done reading, you may be taking the stairs for a while.

• True story, my mom and dad were in a crowded elevator while my mom was very obviously pregnant to the point of bursting. I guess, she looks at my dad and says, “When are you going to tell your wife about me?” My parents are happily married; she was just pranking him. My dad said it was the longest elevator ride of his life. © JumpKicker / Reddit

• My mom, sister, and I went on a vacation. While in the elevator, my sister joked, “The reason we brought you here was to break the news you’re adopted.” The man in front of us turned around and said, “and I’m your real father.” The doors opened and he walked out. © funparent / Reddit

• Working in NYC in a 70-story building, I worked on the 34th floor. Leaving late on a Friday evening, nobody was around. Got in the elevator and hit the ground floor button. The elevator sat a while, then started going up and up and up.
  I start bracing myself against the wall. Then it stopped, and the doors opened to a concrete wall that said Floor 60. Sat there for a minute, then went straight down to the ground floor. It definitely caused me to pucker up. © LemmyKBD / Reddit

• I got in the elevator and instead of it going to the floors that I and others pressed the buttons for, it started going to random floors before going to the top and dropping. Super scary, as it feels like a roller coaster with that weightlessness in your gut, and you just see the floor numbers flying by.
  The impact was loud and rocked the cart with a slight bounce from the emergency springs/pistons at the bottom of the shaft. The elevator legit then went back to the 1st floor (the default setting for most elevators upon reset) and opened the doors, to which I ran out wailing lol. © Unknown author / Reddit

• So recently, I just got a new job in another city and had to move out, found a great apartment in this lovely complex, signed the contract, moved in, and all. To this point, I have never met or seen my neighbors because I was too focused on dealing with the job transfer and moving out.
  The next day, while I was coming back from work, I arrived home and went in the elevator. A big and intimidating biker walked in with his dog. I was a little startled by his appearance; he was huge, and I am short and small.
  While we all stood there, he dryly said, “Sit down.” I started panicking. So I sat down. Little did I know he was talking to his dog...
  He saw my reaction and just started laughing. He never stopped. I had to listen to him laugh all the way to the 10th floor. © myhairdresserh****me / Reddit

• This morning I was on the elevator. It stopped on the 2nd floor, and I saw a dad and his toddler running for the elevator. I was smiling at them while I held what I think was the open door button. They almost made it, but it turns out I was holding the close door button.
  Got so many dirty looks from the people in the elevator. I want to die in shame. © mobile1502 / Reddit

• The student housing I lived in during college was an old hotel building with two very slow elevators. I lived near the top, on the 17th floor.
  One night, I cooked fish in my room and put what I didn’t eat in a trash bag. For some reason, I put the bag outside on the deck, where it was left for a couple of days.
  When I finally realized I should probably take it down to the trash, I found that it had been infested with flies. Unsure of what to do, I cinch the top of the bag, trapping the flies in. I then proceeded to take the elevator down, assuming that the flies would be trapped in.
  On the way down, we stopped at least 6 times, up until the elevator was near full. On the 12th floor, flies erupt out of the trash bag. I drop it and shift my position in the back of the elevator to a more anonymous position. People are in a frenzy for the remaining ride down.
  When we arrive at the ground floor, everyone pours out of the elevator screaming, swatting, and choking. I don’t know what I was thinking. © LarzHoneytoast / Reddit

• Back in college, I got into the elevator, ready to go to class. Then the power went out. It wasn’t a huge shock—the campus had been dealing with blackouts all week because of some construction.
  There were two other guys in there with me. I figured, okay, at least I’m not alone. We’ll just wait until it comes back on. But then, out of nowhere, these two guys turn to each other and start making out.
  I froze. I didn’t know where to look. I ended up sitting down in the corner, trying not to look at them. The emergency light was on, just enough to make everything even weirder. Then suddenly, one of them bursts out laughing and says, “Relax, man—we’re just messing with you!”
  Turns out it was all a joke. They weren’t even a couple. They just saw how uncomfortable I looked and thought it’d be funny. Power came back a couple of minutes later. Definitely one of the weirdest elevator rides I’ve ever had.

• Used to work in a law firm on the 40th floor of a skyscraper. I usually leave around the same time as my boss, and on this day, he decides to regale us with stories of his piercings and an invitation to see them. None of these piercings is visible. Turbo elevators are not fast enough. © nonpet / Reddit

• Yesterday, I went to a university I’m not familiar with to pick up an exam paper and took the elevator to the 3rd floor. After grabbing the paper, I got back into the elevator with two girls and stood by the buttons, hesitating because I wasn’t sure if “1” meant the ground floor. The girls chatted briefly, pressed “1,” and then went silent.
  When we reached the first floor, I stepped out to check if it was the right one—it wasn’t—so I got back in, and, strangely, the girls stayed too, saying nothing. A second group joined us and pressed buttons for the 3rd and 5th floors.
  We went up to the 3rd floor again, and the two girls finally got off—but weirdly, the second group didn’t, even though they had pressed for that exact floor. Instead, a third group with coffee came in, and one of them... pressed the button for the 3rd floor again. Eventually, someone pressed for the ground floor, and I felt actual relief when we finally descended.
  I stepped out alone, looked back, and saw no one else leave—even the person who pressed for the ground—like everyone was looping on purpose in quiet coordination, and to this day, I have no idea what that was.

• I was staying at my cousin’s place. They live in a 10-floor apartment. I took the elevator down around 11 PM to get something from the convenience store. I clearly remember pressing “0” for ground.
  But instead of going down, it went up. Weird, but I thought maybe someone called it. It stopped at 9. The doors opened. The lights in the hallway were off, and it looked... abandoned. Dusty.
  I was confused but stepped out for a second, thinking maybe I hit the wrong button. After a second, I got this crazy urge to leave—like goosebumps, full-body anxiety. I got back in and hit the ground. When I got back, I casually told my cousin.
  He stared at me and said, “Bro... 9th floor hasn’t been finished yet. No one lives there. It’s locked.”
  I thought he was kidding, so I double-checked with the Security guard, and no, he was not lying; the guard told me the same thing.
  We even went up the next morning—the lift skips that floor entirely. The button doesn’t even light up anymore. © CelebrationFull7209 / Reddit

• I lived in a building with quiet neighbors. One was a reclusive man in his 40s, always whispering and staring at people.
  One day, I went into the elevator with him, and it froze halfway down. Panicked, I looked up and locked eyes with my strange neighbor. I was terrified when he started jumping and trying to open the doors.
  I called emergency services, but he insisted on opening them himself, claiming his claustrophobia made him feel terrible. His frantic behavior terrified me, and I prayed to get out. Two long hours later, emergency responders arrived and freed us. That was my worst day ever.

🎬 Up next: 14 Real Stories That Are Too Cringey to Be True. Awkward conversations, wild assumptions, and public facepalms that’ll make you gasp, laugh, and silently thank the universe it wasn’t you.