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.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.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.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 8 nominations
Brandon Quintin Adams
- Fool
- (as Brandon Adams)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWes Craven was inspired to write this film after reading a real-life news story about burglars breaking into a house. When authorities arrived, the burglars had disappeared but they discovered locked doors with noises coming from behind. Children had been locked up inside the rooms by their parents, never allowed to go outside.
- GoofsWhen Fool hits Daddy with the "iron" poker, it snaps in half and is obviously made of thin wood. Fool stops briefly, and looks off set in surprise, before continuing with the scene.
- SoundtracksDo the Right Thing
Written by David 'Redhead' Guppy & Markell Riley
Performed by Redhead Kingpin (as Readhead Kingpin) & The F.B.I.
Courtesy of Virgin Records Ltd.
Featured review
horror as social commentary
"The People Under the Stairs" is usually listed as a horror movie, but I view it more as a social commentary. Basically, it shows how the landlords, far from the wholesome image that they project, are two of the vilest individuals imaginable. I've liked every Wes Craven movie that I've seen, and "TPUTS" is no exception. I think that part of the thing is that I saw it around the same time that I saw Woody Allen's repulsive "Everyone Says I Love You", which constituted excessive focus on neurotic rich New Yorkers. Wes Craven's movie presents a very negative image of rich people. Mom (Wendy Robie) and Dad (Everett McGill) make Ebenezer Scrooge look like Mother Teresa. Not even the landlady in "Gremlins" was as nasty as these two.
All in all, this is a horror movie in the sense that it's horrific not only what the landlords are doing, but what those in power have degenerated into overall. Worth seeing.
Also starring Brandon Adams, A.J. Langer, Ving Rhames, Bill Cobbs, Kelly Jo Minter, Sean Whalen and Jeremy Roberts.
All in all, this is a horror movie in the sense that it's horrific not only what the landlords are doing, but what those in power have degenerated into overall. Worth seeing.
Also starring Brandon Adams, A.J. Langer, Ving Rhames, Bill Cobbs, Kelly Jo Minter, Sean Whalen and Jeremy Roberts.
helpful•144
- lee_eisenberg
- May 15, 2010
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Wes Craven's the People Under the Stairs
- Filming locations
- Thomas W. Phillips Residence - 2215 S. Harvard Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA(Robeson Funeral Home)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $24,204,154
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,522,250
- Nov 3, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $31,347,154
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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