Travel writer Elaine Kalisher (Michelle Greene) arrives in Los Angeles to write an article about the Wessex Hotel. During her stay a malfunctioning elevator brings Elaine to the thirteenth floor which according to hotel staff does not exist. There she witnesses an horrific axe murder committed by an unseen maniac. Later Elaine awakens in the care of kindly Dr. Alan Lanier (James Brolin). Unfortunately neither he nor the rest of the staff believe Elaine's story as concierge Judith (Terri Treas), surly interior decorator Letti (Louise Fletcher) and jittery manager Rogas (Alan Fudge) still insist the hotel does not have a thirteenth floor. Following the disappearance of an elderly guest, Elaine resolves to convince skeptical cop Sgt. Madden (John Karlen) something strange is going on. In the midst of more grisly murders, she investigates the Wessex Hotel's unsavoury past uncovering a connection to a turn of the century Satanic cult.
Grauman does a decent job grounding things within a realistically mundane milieu to contrast with the increasingly outlandish plot twists. Co-screenwriters J.D. Feigelson and Dan DiStefano make no attempt to expand the story beyond anything more than a mildly suspenseful thriller with one-dimensional characters and scant subtext. Nonetheless Nightmare on the 13th Floor remains gripping throughout in spite of the campy nature of the conspirators and the fact their evil scheme does not hold up to close scrutiny. It might be too tame for hardened horror fans and somewhat of a slow burn but Grauman brings a certain old-school flair to proceedings, making menacing use of light and shadow, tilted angles and creepy mise-en-scene, keeping the violence off-screen. The music by Jay Grusha also contributes to the spooky atmosphere with memorable use of ragtime tunes as a harbinger of satanic doom.
Multitalented actress, singer and novelist Michelle Greene, a prolific TV staple then best known for a long stint on L.A. Law, makes for an engaging, personable lead. One can easily envision her character branching out into an ongoing series so it is a shame nothing came of that. By comparison the normally reliable James Brolin overplays his role as the silver fox making goofy, over-eager attempts to woo Elaine, although a few endearingly quirky supporting characters bring some colour into an otherwise silly story.
