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 Detrás De Las Paredes, Le sous-sol de la peur, 壁の中に誰かがいる, Prisioneros del destino, Lidé pod schody, Rædselernes hus, Das Haus der Vergessenen, Οι Άνθρωποι Κάτω από τις Σκάλες, El sótano del miedo, Le Sous-sol de la peur, Rémségek háza, La casa nera, 공포의 계단, W mroku pod schodami, As Criaturas Atrás das Paredes, Oamenii de sub scări, Люди под лестницей, Ondskans hus, Merdiven Altındakiler, Люди під сходами, 阶梯下的恶魔
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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…
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. It's an obvious message picture but with a real campy attitude about its satirical elements (Ed and Nadine from Twin Peaks playing their incestuous, hoarding landlord 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.
Stay at the ready. Breaking the law is not ideal. Desperate times often do call for desperate measures. So long as you don't hurt anyone or don't go into the wrong house. Otherwise the world of trouble gets much worse.
We've all seen this before. Not the film. Just the scenario. When you enter the wrong place and everything goes to hell. But it is that repetitive form that works best in horror; especially when done by the late great Craven.
Wes Craven brought so many wonderful creations to life. Plenty of them have almost been forgotten about though. At least when you compare to the most notable works of his career. And this would just…
“Burn in hell for getting’ free, and burn in hell for showin’ the way!”
Ranging from fairly creepy to bizarrely funny, Wes Craven’s class division satire The People Under the Stairs takes its concepts to ridiculously silly extremes as a malicious couple (played by Big Ed and Nadine from Twin Peaks) house a dark secret in their decaying mansion. The spooky labyrinthine location lends itself to an array of Home Alone-esque gags as our young protagonist spends the majority of the film evading the deranged pair; sometimes causing tonal clashes as Craven’s eerie atmospheres are interrupted by the over-the-top narrative, as well as occasionally stumbling with some clumsy writing and annoying tropes. Despite the flaws it’s still ultimately a pretty fun horror-comedy; delivering on both genres even if they don’t always feel effectively balanced.
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.
It's become clichéd hack shit to write, "wow, crazy to think a studio would let this fly now, let alone [x] years ago", but seriously, it's crazy to think Universal let Wes Craven cast Ed & Nadine Hurley from TWIN PEAKS as incestuous psycho greed-monger landlords (but really...is there any other kind?) who scream racist obscenities before getting dressed up in bondage gear to hunt our underage black protagonist through their suburban labyrinth estate with a shotgun. And that's BEFORE the mutant cannibals emerge from the basement of their last mansion on the left. Just an absolutely deranged studio relic that no doubt was at least one foundational blueprint for BARBARIAN (not to mention DON'T BREATHE).
Believe it or not, today's viewing of The People Under the Stairs was actually my first.
I really had an excellent time watching this with Michelle. It's such a wild ride. That's mostly because the antics of the movie's unhinged antagonists (played wonderfully by Everett McGill and Wendy Robie), but also because the kid protagonist, Fool. He might be the most resourceful kid since Kevin McCallister. It was a lot of fun seeing him handle these dire situations. What a little badass!
A witty horror gem laced with social commentary.
Hooptober X(-Rated)
Film 17/31 - Films from De Palma, Wes Craven, Ken Russell, Hitchcock and/or Morehead & Benson 2 of 5
Tagged as a horror-mystery but honestly, this is one of the funniest and most wholesome films I've seen in ages. A young boy with his sights on a career in medicine is dragged by his poverty into the treacherous world of burglary, only his gormless adult accomplices picked the wrong house to break and enter.
This little house on the prairie has people hiding in its walls, and under the covers of a padlocked shell is inhabited by a nasty old crone, her violent man and an imprisoned daughter. This is a creepy setup alright, but the combination of Wes…
Another film I watched while sick, and since I am starting to feel like a sizzling pile of battery acid again, I will make this short and sweet. This movie was really cute, and it definitely gave me a Goosebumps vibe. I kept imagining how delightful it would be to discover a tranquil nook in that decaying old home to snuggle up in with a book. I thought the little boy and the burglar were great and had excellent screen presence together.
Since this review is short and kind of lacking in substance, here are some notable tidbits about The People Under the Stairs:
- Director Jordan Peele will be producing the upcoming remake, set to release in the winter…
