The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Years ago I went to see this movie with my friend, think I was 15... Well, liked it then, like it now! A mystery to me is that how can this horror gem be so underrated - at the time it's practically forgotten! C'mon! Let's see what we got here!

1) Originality. It's mostly day time, we're up against no Jason or Michael, but two HUMAN baddies, and the setting is just a normal (well, then again maybe not so normal) HOUSE in the middle of a suburb! In between the lines this pays homeage to Halloween by shoving that inhabited areas can be just as deserted and unsafe as, say, a foggy forest...

2) Humour. This must be the most coal-black-humour-ridden splatter flick in history! And believe it or not, it all works! You'll be either frightened and laughing your ass off in every twisted turn, I promise you that. A school- book example of a roller-coaster-ride- kind of a movie! Most of this thanks to the nutcased "parents", especially the father (Everett McGill)!

Also instead of a caucasian College kid Johnny Football Hero in the lead for goodies, we this time have a 13-year old black kid everyone calls "Fool".

Was Craven ahead of his time back then? I think "Scream" owes at least a bit to this one in what comes to taking the splatter genre not too seriously... Any which way, go rent this one right away!

Fmovies: Once again director/writer Wes Craven delivers the thrills and chills. A young boy(Brandon Adams)is persuaded by a hapless crook(Ving Rhames) to break into his landlord's house to steal a gold coin collection. The house turns out to be an overly secured mansion that was formerly a funeral home. The demented landlord(Everett McGill)and his wife(Wendy Robie) and daughter(A.J. Langer)are not the only weirdness to be found. There is the mangled denizens under the stairs...in the basement...between the walls. The husband and wife are actually brother and sister. This tale of horror turns into a campy riot and easy to gain a cult following.

Many people dislike this movie but it's good enough for watching, if maybe not several times then at least once. "Don't damage the face", says Mother and leaves Father to punish Alice for being a bad girl. That's it, I'm hooked to the screen. First time I saw this movie I missed the beginning but it works well without it. Actually you can skip the background story with the financial problems and society issues and stick to the horror - and it's comical side. I specially liked the kid called Roach, who had his tongue cut out for bad words. Alice was also great, a shy little girl that tries to be nice for Mommy and not soil her pretty dress, though she feeds the basement people and guides Fool around when the time comes. When you watch a doll being pulled away from you on a string, you must follow it... Find a candle in the darkness. You know you must get out but the door is locked. The only way out is upwards.

There is a lot of nice visual stuff like the old bathroom or running inside the walls and the light drifting in from bullet holes. Mother and Father live in a fantasy where children are supposed to be pretty and behave. Now a few decades ago that was reality, but they are pulling it over the edge by mutilating their children and locking them in the basement if they're naughty. I recall that the kids weren't really theirs but kidnapped from around the area. Many people writing down the plot have misunderstood it somehow. It is quite poor but in this case it's not supposed to be a main attraction. I bet the writer came up with the idea of a sick mother and burglary in order to get money for medical treatment only after inventing the main idea about the house and the brother and sister living together as a couple, herding a bunch of insane children. Well they must have some reason to get Fool into the house, so why not...

The People Under the Stairs fmovies. "The People Under The Stairs" is a delightfully oddball horror flick that centers on a young boy nicknamed Fool, who lives in a dilapidating apartment in the inner-city ghetto with his family and dying mother. The greedy landlords of the apartment complex plan on kicking Fool and his family out, so he and a family friend, Leroy (Ving Rhames) hatch a plan to break into the landlords' spooky large house (which was formerly a funeral home) to steal a coin collection supposedly hidden somewhere in there. But they get more than they bargained for when they discover the man and woman living there kidnap young children and lock them inside the cellar. What ensues is a bizarre battle between Fool and the landlords as he tries to save all of the abused, deformed people who have been locked inside all their life.

"The People Under The Stairs" is one wild trip, and I say that because it really truly is. Written and directed by horror legend Wes Craven, I'd have to say that this his strangest film, and I think most would agree. The entire script is quite off-the-wall and very strange, but I admire that quality about it. The story is actually pretty unique, I can confidently say I've never seen a film like this before. While the storyline may be a little hard to sink your teeth into, if you set aside logic and just watch the movie for what it is, it is quite a neat little horror movie. For one, it has a surreal atmosphere that adds to its overall quirkiness, and it has a certain effect that I've never really experienced before. It's a bizarre movie to say the least, but I think that might be why I enjoyed it so much. The characters are twisted, and the dark, musky setting in the old house is a perfect place for the story to unfold. Plus there is also some dark comedy to be found here as well. In fact, at times this movie seems like more of a seriously twisted black comedy, but I'd say it's a cross between both of these genres.

Brandon Adams leads the cast as a thirteen year old boy who is caught up in the battle with the psychotic landlords and is surprisingly good, especially considering his age. A.J. Langer plays Alice, the only child in the house that isn't neglected and locked away, and is also good. The actors playing the mother/woman and dad/man are excellent in their bizarre and over-the-top roles, and Ving Rhames is decent with what screen time he has. There are some excellent sequences in this movie as well, mostly the chase scenes within the walls and labyrinth of passageways and whatnot inside the house. I'd like to point out the special effects as well which were very well done, as was the makeup on the deformed, former-"children" of the landlords, who looked very disgusting. As for the ending, it is also over-the-top and a bit silly, but the entire movie is, really, so this goes along with the flow of the movie well. The film itself as a whole seems to have some sort of deeper meaning behind all of the psychotic and twisted elements - as for me, I have my ideas of what it may be trying to say, but I think it can be interpreted different ways. But it does seem to be trying to send some sort of message, whatever that may be.

Overall, "The People Under The Stairs" is an immensely entertaining but very bizarre and offbeat little horror flick. It isn't perfect and it is a little out there, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and enjoy a twisted, almost fairytale-like horror movie, this can be a fun experience.

I found The People Under The Stairs very entertaining as it combines comedy with suspense. The Mum and Dad character were really creepy but provided the most laughs in the movie which is kind of odd in a way. The kid (who is kind of annoying) is similar to Macauley Culkin's character in Home Alone and the Ma and Pa characters are similar to the burglars from Home Alone too but instead of the bad guys invading the good guys house the good guys are invading the bad guys house. The house is cool as heck with loads of secret passages and gizmos, it's a child's dream play house! It has thrills, suspense, laughs and gore! There is not much bad to say against it but don't go in to this thinking it's a horror movie because it isn't. A darned good flick! 9/10

Now Wes Craven may not talk about this one too much, but you know what? I bet he's more proud of this film than most of his films. You know why? He went back to his original roots of storytelling as such how he made "Last House On The Left". The film is an exploitation film, but you would never guess it by the stylish way he fits it into the urban setting, and the wretched display of the villains. You know what? This film tops the last few films he's ever done. I think so, because he uses the old school style of scares, and yes, this film delivers some real moments. It has a very light sense of adventure and humor, but it's all for not without the scares. What would you do if you were a 13 year old boy, tapped in a big, strange house, which is a death trap for all burglars and juveniles? Not only that, but the owners who live their are not only your landlords, but also total psychotics! Well, with a few paths within the house, walkways in the walls, and trap doors in the oven and heater, you might have a chance at living. Brandon Adams, A.J. Langer, Wendie Robie, and Everett McGill are great, and work well together. I hope Universal releases a special edition DVD of this one soon. We need it.