The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer (WGA):

Wes Craven (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

In every neighbourhood there is one house that adults whisper about and children cross the street to avoid. Now Wes Craven, creator of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" takes you inside...

Plot:

Two adults and a juvenile burglar break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children and can't escape.

Plot Keywords:

House | Landlord | Ghetto | Birthday | Cellar

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Brandon Quintin Adams	...	Fool (as Brandon Adams)
Everett McGill	...	Man
Wendy Robie	...	Woman
A.J. Langer	...	Alice
Ving Rhames	...	Leroy
Sean Whalen	...	Roach
Bill Cobbs	...	Grandpa Booker
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Ruby Williams
Jeremy Roberts	...	Spenser
Conni Marie Brazelton	...	Mary
Joshua Cox	...	Young Cop
John Hostetter	...	Veteran Cop
John Mahon	...	Police Sergeant
Teresa Velarde	...	Social Worker
George R. Parker	...	Attic Cop
Yan Birch	...	Stairmaster
Wayne Daniels	...	Stairperson 1
Michael Kopelow	...	Stairperson 2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nic Cramer	...	Person Under the Stairs (uncredited)
Jon Kinney	...	Drug Addict #1 (uncredited)
Danny Kopel	...	Drive-by Biker (uncredited)
David Robinson	...	Person Under the Stairs (uncredited)

Directed by
Wes Craven

Writing credits (WGA)
Wes Craven		(written by)

Produced by
Stuart M. Besser	....	producer
Dixie J. Capp	....	co-producer (as Dixie Capp)
Wes Craven	....	executive producer
Peter Foster	....	associate producer
Shep Gordon	....	executive producer
Marianne Maddalena	....	producer

Original Music by
Don Peake

Cinematography by
Sandi Sissel

Film Editing by
James Coblentz

Casting by
Eileen Mack Knight

Production Design by
Bryan Jones

Art Direction by
Steven Lloyd Shroyer

Set Decoration by
Molly Flanegin

Costume Design by
Ileane Meltzer

Makeup Department
Jerry Baker	....	special makeup effects assistant
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Michelle Bühler	....	makeup artist
Denise Dellavalle	....	assistant makeup artist
Earl Ellis	....	key special makeup effects technician
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Rick Lalonde	....	special makeup effects assistant
Mark Maitre	....	key special makeup effects technician
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Barbara Olvera	....	hair stylist
David P. Barton	....	dental prosthetics (uncredited)
Wayne Toth	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Stuart M. Besser	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Chesney	....	second unit director
Rosemary C. Cremona	....	second assistant director
Melanie L. Knox	....	second second assistant director
Nicholas Mastandrea	....	assistant director (as Nick Mastrandrea)

Art Department
Will Blount	....	property master
Chester A. Hewett III	....	stand-by effects carpenter
Fernando Lau	....	construction foreman
Philip Mayor	....	storyboard artist
Lisa Thompson	....	assistant set decorator
Ernst van de Bovenkamp	....	set constructor
Helen Wilson	....	draper

Sound Department
Rick Bozeat	....	sound editor
Paul B. Clay	....	supervising sound editor
Rich Coleman	....	sound recordist
Roberta Doheny	....	sound re-recording mixer
Walter Gorey	....	boom operator
Susan Kurtz	....	sound editor
Susan Kurtz	....	sound effects editor
Greg W. Lowe	....	adr recordist
Diane Marshall	....	foley artist (as Diana Marshall)
Ernesto Mas	....	adr editor
Peter Reale	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Carin Rogers	....	sound editor
Karin Roulo	....	foley mixer
Jeffrey L. Sandler	....	sound editor
Tanya Sharp David	....	adr mixer
Steve F.B. Smith	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Pat Somerset	....	adr editor
Don Summer	....	sound mixer
Mike Szakmeister	....	sound editor
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
Howard Wilmarth	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Peter Chesney	....	special effects supervisor
Robert Clark	....	mechanical dog effects
Mark Goldberg	....	dog effects crew
Mark Goodell	....	dog effects crew
Camilla Henneman	....	dog effects crew
Kent Jones	....	dog effects crew
Rikelle Kerr	....	dog effects crew
Jim McLoughlin	....	dog effects crew (as Jim McLaughlin)
Dean W. Miller	....	key effects coordinator (as Dean Miller)
Kate Steinberg	....	special effects projects coordinator
Sandra Stewart	....	effects technician (as Sandy Stewart)
J.D. Streett	....	effects technician
Tom Chesney	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Stunts
Linda Arvidson	....	stunts
John Branagan	....	stunts
Anthony Cecere	....	stunt coordinator
Anthony Cecere	....	stunts
Dane Farwell	....	stunts
Sandra Lee Gimpel	....	stunts
Marian Green	....	stunts
Jeff Habberstad	....	stunts
Melvin Jones	....	stunts
Kelsee King-Devoreaux	....	stunt double
Kelsee King-Devoreaux	....	stunts
Kent W. Luttrell	....	stunts
Eric Mansker	....	stunts
Paula Marie Moody	....	stunts
Beth Nufer	....	stunts
William R. Perry	....	stunts
Lori Lynn Ross	....	stunts
Dan Rycerz	....	stunts
Lynn Salvatori	....	stunts
Birgit K. Schier	....	stunts
Lee Waddell	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Douglas L. Adam Jr.	....	assistant camera
Dana Altomare	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Huston Beaumont	....	rigging gaffer
George Billinger III	....	camera operator
Joe Celeste	....	key grip
George M. Chappell	....	gaffer: second unit
Ted Chu	....	Steadicam assistant
Craig Cockerill	....	second assistant camera
Tony Cutrono	....	director of photography: second unit
Jeffrey De La Rosa	....	lighting technician
Ronnie Dennis	....	first assistant camera
Lex DuPont	....	Steadicam assistant
Linda Field	....	grip
Jerry Gorman	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Chris Hayes	....	additional camera operator
Dan Kneece	....	Steadicam operator
Jules Labarthe	....	gaffer: second unit
Jerry L. Mandley	....	electrician
Jeff Mart	....	Steadicam operator
Bruce McCleery	....	gaffer
Ned Nedrow	....	rigging grip
Terry Pfrang	....	first assistant camera
Felix Rivera	....	gaffer: second unit
Brian Robertson	....	best boy grip
Dave Robey	....	best boy electric
Brenda Ryan	....	camera loader
Wendi Van Dyke	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Carol Westwood	....	still photographer
Gary A. Williams	....	grip
Jamie Young	....	dolly grip

Casting Department
Andria Mack	....	casting assistant
Rick Montgomery	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tim Wegman	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Sondra Davis	....	first assistant editor
Brian Leon	....	telecine colorist
Tim O'Neil	....	second assistant editor
David Orr	....	color timer
William Pine	....	color timer (as Bill Pine)
Angela Robinson	....	second assistant editor
Yvonne Valdez	....	post-production coordinator
Tom Walls	....	additional editor

Music Department
Dick Bernstein	....	music editor
Laurie Higgins Tobias	....	supervising music editor
Graeme Revell	....	composer: additional music

Transportation Department
Jimmy Jones	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Joi Andreoli	....	script supervisor
Henri Bollinger	....	unit publicist
Kathie Broyles	....	title designer
James Dew	....	animal trainer
Fabio Golombek	....	set production assistant
Sarah James	....	production coordinator
Van Johnson	....	stand-in
Sean Lemar	....	stand-in
Roxanne 'Rocky' Meyers	....	stand-in: A.J. Langer
Julie Mondin	....	stand-in
Jeffrey A. Okun	....	title designer
Tom Prince	....	production executive
David Riggons	....	stand-in
Angelo Rivers	....	animal trainer
Roger Schumacher	....	head animal trainer
Judson Schwartz	....	location manager (as Judson Neil Schwartz)
Crystal Weaver	....	production assistant
Wanda Welch	....	stand-in
Sharon 'Mae' West	....	script supervisor
Richard Wicklund	....	studio teacher
Michael Haro	....	additional production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Alive Films
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• United International Pictures (UIP) (1992) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1992) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• CIC Video (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nelonen (2003) (Finland) (TV)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (Argentina)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures

Special Effects

• Image Engineering (special effects)
• Roark Productions (mechanical dog effects)
• K.N.B. Effects Group (special make-up effects) (as KNB)

Other Companies

• Birds & Animals Unlimited  animals provided by
• Design Setters  set construction
• Howard Anderson Company, The  opticals (as Howard Anderson)
• In Frame Inc.  negative cutting
• Inter Video  video playback services
• L.A. Loopsters  loop group
• Make Believe Productions Inc.  fiberglass molds
• Mobile Star Catering  catering
• Offbeat Systems  scoring synchronization
• The Casting Group  extras casting
• Transamerica Insurance Group  insurance
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  re-recorded at (as Universal Studios Sound Department)
• Wayne's Leatherack  leather outfit

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence

Runtime:

102 min | Germany:99 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1993) | Portugal:M/18 | Italy:VM14 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1992) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1992) (2002) | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R (certificate #31396) | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1992) (uncut) | Norway:(Banned) (1991-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alive Films

Trivia:

Wes Craven was inspired to write this film after seeing a real-life news story about parents who locked their children up inside their house, never allowing them outside.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Leroy barricades the metal door, her uses a mop. He puts the mop inside a drawer, and the mop head hangs out of the drawer. Later on when the Woman and Man come back, we can now see the mop head is tucked inside the drawer.

Quotes:

Woman:You didn't lick this, did you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Girl Fever (2002)

Soundtrack:

THRENODY TO THE VICTIMS OF HIROSHIMA FOR 52 STRING INSTRUMENTS

An entertaining horror movie is plenty of amusing black humour.

A young boy by the name of Fool (Brandon Quintin Adams) is living in the ghetto with his sick mother (Conni Marie Brazelton) and his older sister (Kelly Jo Minter). Fool finds out that his family are getting evicted soon. When a mysterious rich couple (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie) are the landlords of that building that Fool lives in. Once people, they can't paid rent. The landlords turns old apartment building into new office building. A slick thief named Leroy (Ving Rhames) and his partner Spenser (Jeremy Roberts) are planning to rob from where the landlords live with the help of Fool. But once they enter the house (Which it looks harmless by the outside). It turns out that house is a high-security place with plenty of doors, alarms and one mean dog. Fool knows that, there's something very odd about the house. He discovers that there's strange people under the stairs, wild kid named Roach (Sean Whalen) and the daughter of the bizarre couple Alice (A.J. Langer). Which Roach and Alice are trying to warned Fool to get out of the house before it's too late. Now Fool is all alone, since Leroy and Spenser are killed by the couple. Fool will do anything to get out before he gets kill himself.

Written and Directed by Wes Craven (Deadly Friend, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Red Eye) made an enjoyable horror/thriller with plenty of fun black comedy. The cast seems to be having a great time in one of Craven's most satisfying films. Especially McGill and Robie are total hoots in their roles. There's good make-up work by KNB Effects Group (Army of Darkness, Hostel, Wishmaster) and an decent music score by Don Peake. Which Peake did an wonderful score on Craven's previous movie "The Hills Have Eyes". For sure, the picture has its share of flaws and it is occasionally clumsy at times.

DVD has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an fine Dolby 2.0 Surround Sound. Sadly, the DVD has no special features. "The People Under the Stairs" was certainly one of Craven's most successful movies at the box office until he reached the $100 million mark at the box office with "Scream 1 & 2". This film certainly has an cult following and there's rumours of a remake or even a sequel at the works. This is certainly one of the delight movies from Craven's work. Don't miss it. (****/*****).