The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."The People Under the Stairs" (R - 1991 - US)Sub-Genre: Slasher/Comedy My Score: 6.7Cast=6 Acting=7 Plot=8 Ending=8 Story=6 Scare=5 Jump=7 F/X=6 Blood=7 Funny=7Two adults and a juvenile break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children. There, they must fight for their lives. "Put the gun down...I don't wanna kill you, but I will 'cuz I don't like you much anyway." If you ever want to see some original Craven love, then this is one to checkout! I remember seeing this in theater when it came out and I really liked the twist at the end. There was a little bit of silliness...reminded me a bit of ANOES. Back when you could write a horror movie that was politically incorrect and get away with it. If you get a chance to see this, don't pass it up.

Get ready to love this even more I am a huge fan and I even missed this all these years damn. I THINK THIS MOVIE IS PERFECT too play a drinking game with here is what you do get a bunch of friends some liquor and in every scene see who can call out which fairy tale reference is being reenacted. Now that you are aware this movie is an amalgamation of fairy tales you may want to stop reading and go figure them out yourself. If not and your curious or think what is he talking about here it goes. Fool wears a cub scout uniform clue fool and the other two guys are the three bears. Boys under the stairs the lost boys.Young Girl in house Alice in wonderland and Cinderella. Actor who plays protagonist played a werewolf in silver bullet big bad wolf. Roach boy who cried wolf. Woman protagonist wicked stepmother queen of hearts. Alice and fool jump in furnace Hansel and Gretel. You could probably find a lot more this is just off the top of my head but literally every scene is a nod to fairy tales and also the taro cards and moving up through the different levels. Also you will notice the house has two sides one beautiful and rich normal appearing and another decrepit poor and twisted. More of a reason to love this film even more I'm really interested to hear what other fairy tales people find hidden in this fun creative Wes Craven masterpiece. Have fun.

This was first watch, I never seen it before, I saw for £1 in shop, so I said what the hell it's £1, you go wrong with that. I heard a lot people saying this was really good horror movie, I was really looking forward to it. At the end of the movie , My words were, whoa that was one hell of a ride, one hell of crazy movie. I was on edge of seat the whole time of the movie, I don't even think I took eyes of screen for second. The movie flowed great nothing drag for to long, action scene didn't to long end and really enjoyed the movie came to end. I found the movie really tense at times but one think that did annoy me, is the last scene of the movie.All those people out side that house, never notice those strange looking people coming out the house. , That the only think that annoyed me in this movie. The great was great, that boy sure could Fight! I give this move 8 out of 10

Out of thousands of movies I've seen in the theatre, I've walked out of the theatre in disgust prior to the climax only three times. (Actually, one movie I actually walked out on TWICE, because after I initially walked out on the movie, Cadillac Man, my friends dragged me back to that movie at a later date. 20-minutes in, they agreed with me, and we all walked out.) The People Under the Stairs was one of the other two I walked out on and get this, it was literally 10-minutes before the end of the movie!I remember this movie vividly. Picture it: Phoenix, Arizona, 1991. I've always loved horror and since I loved Freddy so much, Wes Craven was high on my list. For a new and "original" film, this was a must see. Unfortunately, half way through, I thoroughly disliked this movie and by the time the movie got to almost the ending, I couldn't care any less on how it ended and I bolted. This has never happened to me before or since and of those three movies I exited early, I never made it this far and left early.Nowadays, I write a ton of film reviews, but I would never on a movie I didn't complete. It's unfair to the movie by not allowing it to fully explain itself. Rarely will a movie redeem itself in the last ten minutes, but it has happened, I recall.Fast forward, 22 years, and during October/Horroween time, I decided to *finally* give this movie another shot. I mean, why not? It's not like it's another 3-vested-hours of goofiness I have to endure; it's only 102 minutes and 10 of which I hadn't seen before.To be honest, I didn't hate on the movie that much this time. Sure, it's still bad, and though Craven was trying hard to be original, though failing some, it was so convoluted with way too much going on to enjoy. The basics of this movie was a creepy house and a trapped-inside boy trying to escape and eventually does, but *has* to go back for a captive girl living there.Literally, that's the core of this movie. There's roughly 23 other plots going on – and yeah, I know, I'm exaggerating, but not too far off, but breaking it down, the movie's somewhat focus is on the boy, a dog and the escape plan.One of the things I had a problem back in 1991 was Plot #17, the sadomasochism (S&M) "father" in leather. In my defense, I was in High School, living in a pre-internet age and was brought up in a very sheltered, Christian household, so I had no clue what S&M was or why this man decided it would be a good idea to disguise himself in full leather in his own home to continue to chase the boy.Today, knowing exactly what it is, and why…it still makes zero sense for him to do this. Previously, it's stated that "every generation more insane than the one before it" in this household. But, being crazy does not equate the desire to participate – in this case, unexplainably – in S&M.Now, here's the million dollar question, but mostly for myself: Should I have stayed for the final 10-minutes in 1991? And the answer is: No. I would've hated it all the more. The finale, and sorry – spoiler for the 22-year-old movie, involves blowing up a room full of cash and despite the grand explosion, the cash survives and intact and is distributed to the poor.The movie gets a little too out of whack, too many times. Reminded me a lot of The Evil Dead original, but for no solid reasons for it to mimic that movie. Also, the "message" felt like a Lethal Weapon unneeded addition to the already overloaded script. Totally: Not recommended to meet the people under the stairs.* * * Final thoughts: I was right. Back up, I was right to walk out on the movie, but I would've been more right not to see it in the first place.