1991 Directed by Wes Craven
When young Poindexter "Fool" Williams breaks into the creepy, immense old home of his family's greedy and uncaring landlords, he uncovers a disturbing scenario underneath the stairs.
La Gente Detras De Las Paredes (1991), La Gente Detrás De Las Paredes
The most merciless evocation of Bush I White Supremacist Necrocapitalism ever put to film, The People Under The Stairs is the crowning achievement of Wes Craven's personal struggle against an Inbred, Paranoid, Racist America On Lockdown And Armed To The Teeth. This is a movie that understands the interlocking economics of the Funeral Home, the Liquor Store and Deathtrap Rentals, how there is a purposefully maintained cycle of cheap disempowered labor, ill health, eviscerated education systems, a war on drugs and overflowing prisons as a way of projecting the fear felt by White America in their gated, alarm-trapped, police-guarded keeps onto everyone else like a boot to the neck. The People Under The Stairs is a movie that understands Family…
Undoubtedly making for one of the more underappreciated works from his entire filmography, Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs is an admirably diverting and full-on witty horror-comedy that efficiently mixes sharp social satire, devout tension, and lively dark humor to a rather noteworthy degree in this.
The all-around cast that includes Brandon Adams who naturally plays the relatively charming young lead, and Everett McGill/Wendy Robie who both portray the amusingly unhinged antagonists here are all easily the film's standouts, with each of them reliably making quite solid impressions as a whole.
Definitely glad I've come around to this one with this much-needed revisit as The People Under the Stairs is without question another remarkable effort from one of the best horror directors of all time, Wes Craven.
this is one of the most tonally insane movies i've ever seen lol. a heightened children's fairy tale rendition of capitalism, gentrification and class/racial tensions in LA but also just a plain nasty little gothic horror with all of craven's interests in american horrors painted over by middle-class & suburbs literally punching their way to the surface. its an obvious message picture but with a real campy attitude about its satirical elements (ed and nadine from Twin Peaks playing their incestuous real estate cannibals like they're side characters in a tobe hooper movie) and a real eye for the horror. craven crafts suspense like few others, the eerie wide shots, the odd, stilted angles, the directional mood lighting and of course…
Even with its greedy landlords pushing black folks out of the ghetto, the class warfare element here has been a little overstated; like a lot of Craven's best stuff it's just a foundation to ground the nightmare in a recognizable headspace. Splitting the action between the decrepit mansion and the maze-like crawlspaces between walls is the clearest expression of its overlapping worlds of declining decadence and urban decay, but it also perfectly sets the stage for a supremely kooky children's-tale-turned-rancid in the scariest-ass house on the block, Hansel and Gretel spun out with a pair of incestuous siblings keeping an army of cannibal urchins in the basement. Also one of Craven's funniest movies, packed with weirdness like Everett McGill in full-on gimp bondage gear running around with a shotgun yelling his head off.
A lovely couple must defend their home and teenage daughter when intruders break in determined to steal her and their hidden treasure.
A foolproof plan. Boy Scout cookies are yummy. Searching for da gold. A mean motherfuckin dog. Rich folk have rats too. The secretary of pussy. Spencer's dead giveaway. Marsellus Wallace takes a tumble. A future My So-Called Life star lends a helping hand. Roach's sling-shot. Spring cleaning. Voodoo dolls. Sadistic as fuck siblings. A nut-punch. Fighting for your life under the stairs. A great escape. Keeping your promise. A money explosion. Fool, one of my favorite kid characters, and the main reason I enjoy this under appreciated Wes Craven production.
Geoff T's Hoop-Tober 6.0 Challenge
Craven Triple Bill #3
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Guess I saved what is quite possibly the best until last. The People Under the Stairs can best be described as the film equivalent of a haunted house attraction. Here, Craven tackles the 90s hood film with a Goonies/Home Alone-style ride that combines his usual macabre sense of humour with a healthy dose of offbeat social satire.
Poindexter "Fool" Williams is an inner-city kid living with his dying mother in a working-class part of LA, who is about to be evicted as a result of their greedy landlords. With the help of Leroy (Ving Rhames), Williams breaks into the heavily-secured house of the married landlords…
This was always a film I adored as a kid. It's just so twisted and dark and action-packed. Luckily it still rules watching it as an adult and this viewing really hit the spot!
Watching this I couldn't help but feel like this is one of Wes Craven's more underrated gems. Conceptually it's pretty tight and refreshing.
The titular "people", despite looking creepy and resembling zombies/Leatherface/Dave Mustaine, are actually kind of the heroes.
The villains, who were also Nadine & Ed in Twin Peaks, pop with so much lunacy but never fail to scare you when the scene calls for it.
There are so many layers and characters in this but it never loses it's grasp on the plot or the…
Wes Craven's angry political film about race and income inequity is pointedly aimed at Ron and Nancy Reagan, sent up here as a malicious pair of predatory homeowners who mutilate kids and stuff them in the basement, and kill and eat anyone else who approaches their house. It's not very clear as a political document, and not often that scary as a horror film, but it can be pretty artful — as in the opening Tarot-card-reading sequence, or the closing shot of a freed mutilated cannibal wandering through a crowd — and the hero's journey is pronounced and fairly sweet.
We'll talk about this film in connection with Jordan Peele's new movie Get Out on the Next Picture Show podcast, coming up soon.
The main reason that motivated me to write about this film is that, believe it or not, this film has a very special value for me since it is possibly one of the first (or maybe the first if I'm not mistaken) disturbing films I've seen in my life. I was about 10 years old when I saw it on TV and if I leave a mark on me, I consider it a film that remained tattooed in my mind. Perhaps it is thanks to this one that I was encouraged to create my list on Letterboxd called The Inside Side of Cinema.
The People Under the Stars brings us back to the insane Wes Craven we met in his…
Now I'm wondering if my landlord is also an incestuous racist in a gimp suit hoarding a pile of treasure and several anaemic prisoners in his basement ... honestly, probably
Honestly one of Craven’s best. When this movie gets going there’s no stopping it. The world building here is excellent, and there’s some killer social commentary baked into this part dark gothic horror part children’s adventure film. It has such an original tone that I was pretty shocked by how original this was. It’s very well written and edited. It’s extremely tight, and a lot of my favorite Craven traits make it into this in brilliant ways. All the stedicam shots that give them movie life, and an overall attention to camera motion to enhance each scene. The movie looked great. The score was also incredible I mean jeez Louise! This is a movie that sticks with you and I’m excited to see it more in the future.
Thoroughly entertaining. Basically the whole package with loads of unexpected but tastefully done sociopolitical commentary, v fun score, slapstick comedy, and two(2!!) twin peaks actors! Underrated!
JUST SHY OF A WES CRAVEN CLASSIC...VERY ENTERTAINING AND FREAKY FLICK ANYWAY...THIS MOVIE WAS MY INTRODUCTION TO VING RHAMES WHEN I WAS A KID...AND VING IS AWESOME...I LOVE MOVIES LIKE THIS...ROBBERY/KIDNAPPING/HOME INVASION /ETC WHERE THE TABLES ARE TURNED...GREAT POSTER TOO.
The personified psychoses of white America get their shit fucked up by one Kevin McAllister-ass kid with a huge talent for making crazy shit happen
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