The People Under the Stairs (1991) Review

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

The People Under the Stairs (1991) Review

 

Wes Craven made some pretty original horror films, with one of the most notable being A Nightmare on Elm Street. The slasher villain who kills teens in their sleep was a concept inspired by an article Craven read, and it was such a creative idea, the chances that he could ever outdo it were unlikely. Well, another news story inspired him to write and direct The People Under the Stairs, and while it’s definitely not as great or as original as Nightmare on Elm Street, it’s still darkly imaginative, and an underrated entry in his filmography.

A kid named Poindexter who goes by the nickname “Fool” lives in an L.A. ghetto with his ill mother and Tarot-reading sister, and they are in trouble because their landlords, the Robeson’s (a married couple who call themselves “Mommy” and “Daddy”) are evicting them so they can demolish the building. A family friend, Leroy, played by Ving Rhames, and his associate Spencer are joined by Fool in trying to infiltrate the Robeson’s fortress-like house and steal valuable coins from them, but what they discover when they break in is Mommy and Daddy are two of the most psychotic parents of all-time. Their abused daughter, Alice, has never been outside before, and lives in constant fear. Mommy and Daddy also have a deadly Rottweiler named Prince who defends the house, and Fool has to figure out a way to escape, while evading the dog, plus Mommy and Daddy, and trying to help Alice, as well as solve the mystery of the demented horde of children living in the walls.

The People Under the Stairs starts out as a horror film played-straight, but as it goes on, it gets quite over-the-top and purposefully funny at points. I don’t think it’s quite at the classification of horror-comedy, but it almost gets too serious with its premise for its own good, so I think Craven felt like it needed to be given some levity for audiences to buy it. Some of the humour is enjoyable, but other times it takes away from the fright factor, and leaves me feeling uncertain how I’m supposed to take it. The material is often quite dark and extreme, so the dichotomy doesn’t always work. What does work, and needed to work in order for the movie to not be a total disaster, is Brandon Adams as Fool. I didn’t realize for the longest time he went on to play Kenny DeNunez in one of my favourite films of all-time: The Sandlot. Here, he does a pretty good job in the leading role, and even holds his own against the likes of Ving Rhames and Everett McGill, who does a great job playing the unhinged “Daddy”.

Having nearly the whole thing take place in the house works pretty well in the first half, and the house itself is super creepy, with just enough variety and surprisingly good production value considering the relatively low budget. However, it gets a little repetitive after a while with Fool running from the dog or running from Daddy, and he escapes long before the ending, but the reason he returns to the house for the ending is justifiable enough, and leads to a tense finale. Still, I can’t help but feel the movie never reaches its full potential, and doesn’t have any distinctly memorable scares.

The People Under the Stairs is a bit of a mixed bag, but has enough going for it that it earns a recommendation from me. A more contemporary film that it’s comparable to is Don’t Breathe, which is also about characters trapped in a house with someone trying to kill them, and (maybe not so coincidentally) features a vicious Rottweiler. For the record, Don’t Breathe is a much better movie, but I think it owes something to this one.