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.

---

Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | child abuse | house | cellar | incest | 

---

Taglines:

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...

---

Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$24,204,154

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

Hilary Swank auditioned for the role of Roach. Roach was originally written to be either a male or female.

---

Goofs

When Alice is in the scalding hot bath tub, the steam is clearly coming from beneath/around the tub.

---

Quotes

Grandpa Booker: Meanwhile, you be careful. That brother and sister act you mess with are evil, plain and simple.
Fool: Wait a minute, brother and sister?
Grandpa Booker: Brother and sister. Tailend of the craziest family you ever heard of. Every generation more insane than the one before it. Started out as a family running a funeral home, selling cheap coffins for expensive prices. Then they got their fingers into real estate, started making a lot of money taking over people's homes. The more money they got, the greedier they got. ...

---

Connections

Referenced in Midnight Movie Review: The People under the Stairs (2011)

---

Soundtracks

THRENODY TO THE VICTIMS OF HIROSHIMA FOR 52 STRING INSTRUMENTS
Written by Krzysztof Penderecki (as K. Penderecki)
Performed by Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra ( asThe National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw)
Conducted by Witold Rowicki
Courtesy of Polskie Nagrania

User Reviews

A Home Alone For Adults.

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