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, La Gente Detras De Las Paredes (1991), Le sous-sol de la peur
Horror, the undead and monster classics Intense violence and sexual transgression horror, gory, scary, killing or slasher zombies, undead, horror, gory or flesh scary, horror, creepy, supernatural or frighten horror, creepy, eerie, blood or gothic horror, scientist, monster, doctor or experiment Show All…
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. 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.
“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.
Fingerhakeln unter Gleichgesinnten #1: The The People Under the Stairs (dt. Haus der Vergessenen)
( boxd.it/f4ZUy )
Der Handwerker, ein sonderbares Individuum diversester Charakteristiken, Farbschattierungen und Geschmacksorten. Sein bevorzugtes Habitat sind Baustellen, Baustellen an Straßen, Häusern, Fahrzeugen, Computern, am menschlichen Körper wie Baustellen an Film, Fernsehen und an der filmischen Art.
Ein Wesen des seltsamsten Gemüts, neigt es (zu) oft zu plötzlichen Wutausbrüchen, Sprunghaftigkeit, völligem Stillstand, Lethargie, Lustlosigkeit, Flatterhaftigkeit, Unkonzentriertheit und zumal mit dem Selbstbewusstsein eines Chihuahuas hinter der Umrandung seiner Burg behaftet samt der Verkennung wen der Zaun vor dem anderen beschützt.
Ferner tendiert der Handwerker sein Tun, vom Gang zur gerufenen Baustelle als sein Walk auf dem Catwalk unter dem Donner seiner ihn rufenden Fans und den losbrechenden…
Hooptober 8.0, pt.14- In which Ethan learns the dangers of founding an empire on silent-running drapes.
10/6 Countries (Australia, Belgium, UK, USA, Japan, Italy, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Austria, UAE) (COMPLETE)
6/8- Decades (1980s, 2010s, 1960s, 1990s, 1970s, 2000s)
2/3- Films with POC as director or lead (excluding Asian)
10th Wes Craven (after Scream, Scream 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream 3, My Soul To Take, Scream 4, The Hills Have Eyes, Wes Craven's New Nightmare and The Hills Have Eyes Part II)
Huzzah! A Wes Craven that actually works all the way through! A wonderfully grotesque piece of anti-monopoly horror comedy filled with perversions of every description and a righteous sense of anger that is utterly infectious. If you…
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…
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…
