The People Under the Stairs
Tags: comedy, grindhouse film, gothic, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity, satire, sadist

Plot synopsis:
Poindexter "Fool" Williams is a resident of a Los Angeles ghetto. He and his family are being evicted from their apartment by their landlords, the Robesons. The Robesons, who are believed to be a married couple, call themselves Mommy and Daddy. They have a daughter named Alice.
Leroy, his associate Spencer, and Fool break into the Robeson's household by using Spencer to pose as a municipal worker. The Robesons leave the home shortly but Spencer doesn't return. Fool and Leroy break into the house to look for Spencer, and they find his dead body and a large group of strange, pale children in a locked pen in a dungeon-like basement.
The Robesons return and Fool flees while Leroy is shot to death by Daddy. Fool runs into another section of the house, where he meets Alice. She tells him that the people under the stairs were children who broke the "see/hear/speak no evil" rules of the Robeson household. The children have degenerated into cannibalism to survive and Alice has avoided this fate by obeying the rules without question. A boy named Roach whose tongue was removed also evades the Robesons by hiding in the walls.
Fool is discovered by Daddy and is thrown to the cannibalistic children to die. However, Roach helps Fool escape, but is critically wounded. As he dies, he gives Fool a small bag of gold coins and a written plea to save Alice. Fool reunites with Alice and the two escape into the passageways between the walls. Daddy releases his dog Prince into the walls to kill them. Fool tricks Daddy into stabbing Prince and he and Alice reach the attic where they find an open window above a pond. Unfortunately, Alice is too afraid to jump and Fool is forced to go without her. He promises to return for Alice.
Fool finds out the gold he has is enough to pay his rent and for his mother's surgery. He also finds out that Mommy and Daddy are a brother and sister coming from a long line of crazy inbred family members. They started out as a family that ran a funeral home selling cheap coffins for expensive prices, then they got into real estate. After they made a lot of money, the family got greedy, and the greedier they got the crazier they got. Fool vows to help right the wrong. He reports the Robesons to child welfare and as the police are investigating the house, Fool sneaks back in and reveals to Alice that she is not their daughter; she was stolen from her birth parents, as were all the other children in the basement.
Mommy finds out that Alice knows the truth and believes that Fool has turned her against them, so she attempts to kill Alice. However, the cannibal children charge at Mommy. Daddy finds Fool at the vault, where Fool sets off explosives, which demolishes the house and causes the money to blow up through the crematorium chimney and into the crowd of people outside. Daddy is killed in the explosion and Alice and Fool reunite in the basement. Meanwhile, the people outside claim the money distributed by the blast, and the freed children venture into the night.

Review: The boy quickly learns the true nature of the house's homicidal inhabitants and the secret creatures hidden deep within the house.I love the story, the idea from richer vs poor, you have a lead that it is a kid Brandon Adams is the star and the hero of the film.
Now Wes Craven, creator of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" takes you inside.I love this movie to death: It is different than Home Alone.
A young boy breaks in to a house by the landlords to steal the golden coins to support his poor family including his dying sick mom with his partner/ sister boyfriend Leroy (Ving Rhames) unaware the house is full of booby traps and no one get's out, no one ever has.
- Wes Craven (1939 - 2015) I really miss you and thank you for all the Freddy movies, thank you for all horror franchise and movies like are: A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare, Scream, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker and The People Under the Stairs.
The People Under the Stairs is a 1991 American horror film written and directed by Wes Craven and starring Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, A.
"The People Under The Stairs" is a delightfully oddball horror flick that centers on a young boy nicknamed Fool, who lives in a dilapidating apartment in the inner-city ghetto with his family and dying mother.
In fact, at times this movie seems like more of a seriously twisted black comedy, but I'd say it's a cross between both of these genres.Brandon Adams leads the cast as a thirteen year old boy who is caught up in the battle with the psychotic landlords and is surprisingly good, especially considering his age.
It isn't perfect and it is a little out there, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and enjoy a twisted, almost fairytale-like horror movie, this can be a fun experience.
fast paced fun and very stylish little horror flick is very well acted and is kinda creepy in spots i really liked the settings in this one and the dialog is intelligent and it is always interesting and quite stunning at times oh and ya get to see Ving Rhames that is always a pleasure there is lots of blood and a creepy looking basement with lots of weird images and other great delights the direction is awesome tons of stylish shots and it has a great happy ending the movie is at times horrifying and with Wes Craven directing that makes it even better so all in all a great little film that i highly highly recommend i give this movie a ***1/2 out of 5.
3 burglars (2 gangsters and a kid) from the slums break into the house of the landlords of a big apartment building, and become trapped inside and face the horrors that await them.The best performance was definitely Brandon Quintin Adams as Fool, the 13 year old boy who breaks into the house with the 2 other criminals, Leroy (an early but great performance by Ving Rhames) and Spenser (Jeremy Roberts).
And Sean Whalen was really good as Roach, the main child from the basement who lives in the walls.With a good mix of comedy, horror, and great characters, traps, atmosphere, People Under the Stairs should be part of any Horro lover's collection.9/10..
Directed by Wes Craven, "The People Under the Stairs" is a fun and energetic, if a bit dated, horror flick that stars Brandon Quintin Adams (of "The Mighty Ducks" fame) as a Fool, a street-smart and spunky 13 year-old kid living in the ghetto.
Unfortunately, Fool finds himself trapped in the house which turns out to be a fortress and uncovers a disturbing discovery about the inhabitants lurking in the basement.Full of stunning visuals, slapstick humor and colorful performances by its cast, "The People Under the Stairs" is perhaps the best 80's movie made in the 90's.
It helps, though, that Craven is in top form with delivering some truly nightmarish visuals, aided by one great big set-piece in the house that the film spends ninety-five percent of its run-time within.Adams is a rarity in that he is a kid in a horror movie that isn't annoying.
I honestly have no idea what Wes Craven was trying to achieve here, but it fails as a horror film (it isn't frightening or disturbing), black comedy (it isn't funny or clever) or as social comment (it is trite, and ultimately has nothing much to say).
Storywise, the film focuses too much on the homeowners and Fool's attempts to rescue their supposed daughter and not enough on the zombie-like title characters, who held enormous potential.Though it gets full marks for originality, "The People Under the Stairs" doesn't work as well as it could have.
The son attempts to steal a valuable coin collection from the landlord to pay the rent, but upon entering the house finds the inner workings to be beyond weird.While the film is usually advertised with the presence of Ving Rhames, who does a fine job a a burglar, the real character to watch here is Alice (A.J. Langer).
Her low-key part may go unnoticed, but she has within her a lot of potential, and anyone who is familiar with Langer's work knows she went on to bigger and better things.Mike Mayo sums up the film by saying, "Wes Craven addresses capitalism and the nuclear family in a subversive Grand Guignol horror." Mayo is spot on here -- the film obviously relies on race and class to make a point.
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.
It's unusual in having a black kid as hero (with the film playing almost like a demented version of HOME ALONE [1990]!); Ving Rhames also makes an impression as a smart-alec 'brother'.The script has things to say about poverty and parenthood but it all kind of gets sidetracked by the action and thrills.
There's even a touch of surrealism when McGill emerges dressed in leather and studs from head to toe and starts blowing holes in the house's walls with a shotgun because one of the 'creatures' has escaped from the cellar - and there are also a couple of good lines: "If you thought he was white, you should see the sucker now!" (in reference to a pal of Rhames who, apparently, has died of fright) and the boy telling A.J. Langer (the manic couple's cloistered teenage 'daughter') "Your father is one sick mother...actually, your mother is one sick mother, too!"Ultimately, the film can be seen perhaps as Craven's take on 'old dark house' chillers; incidentally, this viewing was preceded by THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944) - which also revolves, in part, around this same theme!.
People Under the Stairs, The (1991) Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, A.J. Langer, Ving Rhames, Sean Whalen, Bill Cobbs, Kelly Jo Minter, Jeremy Roberts, D: Wes Craven.
In desperate need of money to pay the rent, a teenager breaks into his landlord's home, only to discover it booby-trapped and full of 'prisoners' who live within the walls and under the floorboards in this darkly comic horror movie from the mind of Wes Craven.
I love around Halloween time when you turn on the TV and you have a movie like People Under the Stairs on and you say to yourself: 'it's been years since I seen this'.
The People Under The Stairs is an excellent and entertaining Horror-Comedy that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,scary thrills,Black Comedy,a creepy,memorable score and fantastic special make-up effects making The People Under The Stairs one Wes Craven's best and most Underrated films.Set in Los Angeles,California,The People Under The Stairs tells the story of a young teen from the ghetto named Fool(Brandon Adams)who finds out that him,his sister and sick Mother are being evicted from their apartment building by their landlords(Everett McGill and Wendy Robie)who want to tear the apartment building down.
But when Fool break into the house he discovers that the landlords have a dark and disturbing secret and in the landlords house there is no way out and no escape.In Between the excellent A Nightmare On Elm Street(1984)and the Brilliant Scream(1996),Wes Craven did a few great Horror films that are often Underrated and overlooked,Horror films such as The Serpent And The Rainbow,Shocker,New Nightmare and the fantastic and very entertaining Horror Comedy The People Under The Stairs which is one of the best Horror films of the 1990s and over the years since it's 1991 release developed a Cult following.
The People Under The Stairs is a great Horror film that right from the opening pulls into a demented nightmare that is twisted and is a Horror movie that scares you with moments and scenes that are unpredictable and very surprising and you as the viewer never know what's going to happen next and you're on the edge of your seat.
What I also love about TPUTS is the dark Comedy and Humor that the film has where there is moments where you are laughing because the characters and some things like booby traps,the dialog or the use of S&M clothing(you'll see)in the movie that is so over the top you will feel uncomfortable laughing and at the same time you won't.
If the character Fool represents good then the landlords Man and Woman(whose names are never revealed and who call themselves Daddy and Mommy)represents evil in the sickest and most depraved way whether it's living off the Money of poor with vicious greed or abusing kids or with their house being a death trap where you can't get in or get out.
Fantastic job,K.N.B.In final word,if you love Wes Craven or Horror Films,I highly suggest you see The People Under The Stairs,an excellent,underrated,scary and funny Horror Comedy that is Wes Craven at his best.
After breaking into a strange house in the neighborhood, a young boy finds the couple who live there keep stolen children chained inside and tries to free them without being captured by the psychotic duo.This here turned out to be quite decent overall with some good stuff here and there.
the plot goes something like this - a boy along with a grown up burglar-duo break into a strange residence having heard of a fortune within, only to find themselves in the company of a ruthless and savage human/child abducting brother-sister couple who usually confine their abductees to a dark cellar if they misbehaved, which leaves our friends with no choice but escape.the film on the whole is a really worthy experience, although the direction and the plot could have used minor tweaks here and there.still, you'll be craving for more Wes Craven after you seen this one.
The house, which is a character itself, serves as a fantastic setting and it's one of the reasons why I like this movie so much.I like most of Wes Craven's work and while I think he did better direction in the Scream trilogy, this one might be my favorite film of his.
Not because I think it's a better film than Scream or A Nightmare On Elm Street quality-wise, but as far as the entertainment factor goes, this one wins.So, I don't know if I'd call this movie "great", but I love it for the reasons I said above.
The three of them set off for the mansion· Once they have finagled their way into the mansion, the plot gets very bizarre, as the rumors about the landlord turn out to be true· The trio must battle a guard dog named Prince, the shot gun wielding landlord, his violent sister, and the people under the stairs if they are going to come away with the one piece of the gold coin treasure · Wes Craven truly is a master of horror.
Altered states of consciousness are not necessary, but certainly won't get in the way of your enjoyment.Mind you, this is NOT "classic cinema," and those who like Wes Craven films for their shock value are likely to be disappointed -- but as "B" movies go, this one is a gem..
The main character is young, which adds more to the story, I wouldn't say the film is a horror movie, more like a thriller or something.The film has a few, very few jump scenes, but still, they are pretty good.
That night, most of the horror movies were all checked out, except for this one, which judging by the cover looked kind of stupid, but since it was a Wes Craven flick, I decided to check it out.While watching the first 30 minutes or so, with a black kid named 'Fool' helping two local thugs (one played by Ving Rhames) rob the strange, quiet people who live in the weird mansion down the street, there was a lot of groans from us all, it seemed like this was a pathetic made for tv movie, with a bratty little kid as the star.
Craven wanted  a horror movie with a social comment (the ghetto) and maybe an attempt at a fairy tale (the little black boy is some kind of Tom Thumb with the ogre and the witch).He fails everywhere:his film is a Punch and Judy show:a repetitive screenplay,laughable special effects,mediocre performances by a weak cast -the worst being the wicked couple and the boy-and couldn't-care-less directing.In "the serpent and the rainbow" Craven had tried to blend voodoo horror with politics (Duvallier's fall in Haiti):it was a failure too.All in all ,Craven is at his best when he does pure horror without any pretension ("scream",particularly the first one).
The best horror movie from Wes Craven - Million times better than "Home Alone", The People Under the Stairs is Home Alone for adults.
I am wondering if youths today teenagers know who Wes Craven is or watching his movies he directed?The story is about a poor Afro-American family who lives in an abandon building and they have 1 day till they go evacuated from landlords because they couldn't pay the rent.
2 men's Leroy (Ving Rhames), Spencer (Jeremy Roberts) and a boy name Fool (Brandon Adams) decide to break in to Landlords house to find the golden coins and sold them so that they could get the money and Fool's family would be set for life.
The movie is very creative you have monsters in the house and you try to find out what lives under the house.Wes Craven set fantastic the story, he create the film very interesting, inventive it does have a little humor.
Leroy (Ving Rhames) who is a family friend wants to help Fool break into the wealthy greedy landlords (Everett McGille and Wendy Robie) where a fortune of gold coins is rumored to be inside the house.
Fool must find a way to get out of the house with the help of the adopted daughter of the couple named Alice (AJ Linder).Very entertaining, unsual and well made horror comedy thriller from Wes Craven is one of his finest films.
Once inside, they find themselves facing angry dogs and a bunch of cannibalistic freaks in the basement.Although packaged and labelled as a horror and helmed by genre legend Wes Craven, The People Under the Stairs feels more akin to a boy's adventure movie, specifically those that emerged in the 1980's with children as their protagonists.
A young boy nicknamed Fool (Brandon Adams) attempts to rob the house of two creepy landlords (Everett McGill, Wendy Robie).
Wes Craven's career as a director has experienced more highs and lows than a bipolar roller-coaster fan; The People Under The Stairs sees him on a particularly unpredictable part of the ride, travelling up a slight incline towards New Nightmare after the rapid drop that was Shocker.The film is something like a fairground attraction in itself, taking place as it does inside a warped 'funhouse'—a labyrinthine, booby-trapped mansion owned by a pair of rich, perverted, sibling landlords who are gradually turning their ghetto tenants onto the streets in order to redevelop the land.
With the boy going through the house like a maze with trap doors and walkways in the walls while the crazy couple is trying to hunt him down and kill him for the most part of the movie.
Take Fool, for example, a 13-year-old black ghetto kid in Wes Craven's 1991 effort "The People Under the Stairs." To prevent his family's imminent eviction and to raise money for his mom's cancer operation, Fool accompanies two local toughs in a robbery attempt on their landlord-from-hell's house.
Filled with oddball characters, a house full of booby traps, and a delicious black sense of humor, the film plays more like a comedy, which does help get across the point Craven is making - a flat out social commentary about child abuse and slum lords and the wealthy in general.
But Wes Craven has once again pulled yet another great horror movie.
i'm not usually a person that watches horror films, but i like this one!very unusual idea, well scripted, but not at all good on special effects when you could have a field coming up with fantastic effects on the 'people'.
The overly cheap score doesn't really help either.If you're looking to get into horror films, stay hell the away from Wes Craven and stick to someone who knows what they're doing, like George A.
The People Under the Stairs isn't even one of those Wes Craven films that's weak because it was a popular or critical disaster, like some of his best films were (such as The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes), this movie was just goofy camp.
This movie felt pretty much like Craven wasn't sure if he wanted to make a horror-movie or a comedy.The result is a film that's neither scary nor funny.