Synopsis: On Fool’s 13th birthday, he learns that the apartment where he lives with his sick mother and his older sister has been sold, and the family is being evicted. In a desperate bid to be able to ensure the family continues to have a roof over their heads, Fool decides to accompany his sister’s friend Leroy and his friend Spencer when they rob the home of the building’s (and much of the town’s) owners. However, almost from the word ‘go’ the plan goes terribly wrong. Spencer does a reconnaissance mission inside the house, but when he fails to return, Leroy and Fool go in after him. What they find inside is suuuuuuper fucked up.
My Thoughts:
This is one of my favorites from Wes Craven (I didn’t care much for the Scream franchise – let’s just get that out of the way right off the bat). There’s a lot of weird, uncomfortable shit going on that I just can’t get enough of.
There are some totally unexplained mutations (like, I know that the people under the stairs have been through some shit, but…why are they green? And why are some of them weirdly deformed?) These mutations might have made some sense if the Man and the Woman (who refer to one another as Mommy and Daddy respectively, and yet are still listed in the credits as Man and Woman) were actually having children themselves, since they’re really brother and sister, but they aren’t – they are kidnapping infants, and then relegating them to the basement once they prove to be “failures.”
There are also weird religious overtones, in the way that the Man and the Woman are constantly talking about people burning in hell, which is fun. Cuz the Man also rolls around in a gimp suit trying to murder wall-children, so…that tracks, right? I think the gimp suit was a nice touch. Like, under normal circumstances, I don’t find fetish gear particularly strange, but… under this context – alone in a house with only your sister and some severely abused, mutilated, and mutated children/young adults, the presence of fetishwear becomes much more…sinister.
May they burn in hell.
Forever and ever in hell.
I love that this movie gave us a reunion of Everett McGill and Wendy Robie, who, if you are/were a Twin Peaks fan you may remember as Big Ed and Nadine Hurley – the weird couple (he was a trucker, she was an unhinged lady with an eye patch) with the speical-order drapes. They have great chemistry together, so reuniting them for this movie works really well. They work really well as a couple.
This movie had a $6 million budget, and it made back just under that opening weekend. It grossed $31.4 million overall, which is pretty damn good, I think. And I’d say it is (or should be) considered a cult classic. It is a cult classic, right? It’s gotta be.
The story in The People Under the Stairs deals heavily with issues related to social/economic inequity, the marginalization of minorities, and sexism. These are all themes that are equally as important today as they were in 1991. That probably has a lot to do with why this story doesn’t feel at all dated. Added to that, the way the film was shot – the set dressing, costuming, etc. is all relatively timeless, so the movie still feels pretty current in all aspects.
My Edition:
I watched The People Under the Stairs on Shudder – somehow I don’t own it, but I will be remedying that ASAP.
Available Editions of Note:
Shout! Factory Collector’s Edition – just under $16 USD, comes with all sorts of bonus features including commentary tracks, cast and crew interviews, behind the scenes footage and a ‘making of’ featurette. It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine. (They’re not giving me anything to say/link this, but I wouldn’t be mad if they wanted to. 😊)
Rating:
I love this movie, and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it. This is definitely one of my absolute favorite Wes Craven joints. It’s fun, it’s creepy, and the social commentary is just as fitting today as it was 29 years ago (omg, I remember when this came out. I’m vomiting in my mouth right now. TIIIIIIME! You cruel mistress!)
The People Under the Stairs Directed by: Wes Craven Released November 1, 1991 Alive Films Horror, Comedy Rated R 102 minutes
