The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Two 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.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Wes Craven

Stars:

Brandon Quintin Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Josh Coxx	...	Young Cop (as Joshua Cox)
John Hostetter	...	Veteran Cop
John Mahon	...	Police Sergeant
Teresa Velarde	...	Social Worker
George R. Parker	...	Attic Cop

Storyline

The People Under the Stairs is the story of a young boy (Fool) from the ghetto and takes place on his 13th birthday. In an attempted burglary (along with two others) of the home of his family's evil landlords, he becomes trapped inside their large suburban house and discovers the secret of the "children" that the insane brother and sister have been "rearing" under the stairs.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | child abuse | house | cellar | incest | 

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Taglines:

In every neighborhood there is one house that adults whisper about and children cross the street to avoid.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for terror/violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,522,250, 3 November 1991

Gross USA:

$24,204,154

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,347,154

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alive Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 99 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was talk of doing a possible remake of this film at one point by Wes Craven.

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Goofs

When Fool is in the bathroom and the father pokes his head through the door (after firing a rifle at it) turns to Fool who smashes a concrete slab on his head. The blood mark in on the father's right temple, but he was clearly hit in the middle.

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Quotes

Ruby Williams: Now here's your card, Fool. See? That's where l got your nickname.
Fool: Don't remind me!
Ruby Williams: Here you go. Today. The golden-haired birthday boy is settin' off on life's big adventure.
Fool: I ain't no golden-haired nobody! All l'm goin' on to is seventh grade.
Ruby Williams: Well, you're the Fool, and you can't escape that. That ain't bad.
Fool: No?
Ruby Williams: No. Ain't the stupid kind of fool. The ignorant kind, cos you're just startin' out.
Fool: That's better, l guess.
Ruby Williams: Ah, but look here. Already he's got a problem, see? One step in front Fool:...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Guilty Pleasures - 1992 (1992)

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Soundtracks

DO THE RIGHT THING
Written by David 'Redhead' Guppy & Markell Riley (as Markell Riley)
Performed by Readhead Kingpin & The F.B.I.
Courtesy of Virgin Records, Ltd.

User Reviews

In the top 5 of Craven's movies!

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!