The People Under the Stairs

Play trailer

The People Under the Stairs

R

1991

1h 42m

Horror

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When young Fool (Brandon Adams) breaks into the home of his family's greedy and uncaring landlords, he discovers a disturbing scenario where incestuous adult siblings have mutilated a number of boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs in their large, creepy house. As Fool attempts to flee before the psychopaths can catch him, he meets their daughter, Alice (A.J. Langer), who has been spared any extreme discipline by her deranged parents. Can Fool and Alice escape before it's too late?

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Held aloft by gonzo black comedy and socially conscious subtext, The People Under The Stairs marks a unique -- though wildly uneven -- change of pace for director Wes Craven.

Read Critics Reviews

Steve Murray

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sep 23

Wes Craven strikes out in this mix of horror flick and Joseph Campbell mythos.

Go to Full Review

Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

05/26/2022

3/4

The People Under the Stairs may be as misshapen as the people who live in this basement, but it might be as subversive too.

Go to Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

A pretense of social responsibility and most of the necessary tension get lost in a combination of excessive gore and over-the-top perfs in The People Under the Stairs.

Go to Full Review

David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

6/10

This is a dark comedy and horror movie with a decent amount of disturbing ideas and themes. It’s executed in such a way that dates it tremendously, but leaves you with that waxy film of early 90’s charm coating your mouth.

Go to Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 9

2/5

Some of the elements work superficially and some work as cultural metaphors, but it's largely a scattershot mess of ideas.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

06/11/2023

1.5/4

As with most Craven images, this one suffers from lackluster performances, a clumsy screenplay, a campy tone, and a noticeable lack of suspense.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Calvin P

@beans555 Nov 5

Good good should watch unless your a monk then maybe not

See more

Ry N

@RyGuy Oct 21

A group tries to rob a house that has children living in the walls. I was terrified of this movie as a kid but now it just feels like a mature but tacky version of Goosebumps.

See more

Eric C

Oct 17

Good movie 👍👍👍👍👍👍

See more

Melissa L

@Agent99 Sep 19

Another Wes Craven classic! Loved the ending!

See more

Ricardo d

Aug 9

Um filme que passou muito no SBT a tarde. Era assustador na época, mas hoje é um filme bem ameno. Maquiagem e efeitos simples. Roteiro raso, mas divertido.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 14

Funny horror movie in 1 hour and 42 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 17 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Wes Craven

Director

Brandon Quintin Adams

Fool

Everett McGill

Man

Wendy Robie

Woman

A.J. Langer

Alice

Ving Rhames

Leroy

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - I Busted This House's Cherry

2:57

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - You're Not My Mother

2:54

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Total Spring Cleaning

2:15

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - The House That Keeps You In

2:14

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Dead Meat

2:16

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Run, Fool!

2:04

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Don't Go in the Basement

2:56

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - A Dog and a Roach

3:09

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Get Away From the Walls

2:51

The People Under the Stairs: Official Clip - Kiss Your Ass Goodbye

3:08

View more videos

Dead Alive

89%

86%

Dead Alive

Watchlist

Man's Best Friend

21%

43%

Man's Best Friend

Watchlist

Leprechaun

35%

33%

Leprechaun

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Leprechaun

Tales From the Hood

60%

69%

Tales From the Hood

Watchlist

Tales From the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood

14%

31%

Tales From the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

When young Fool (Brandon Adams) breaks into the home of his family's greedy and uncaring landlords, he discovers a disturbing scenario where incestuous adult siblings have mutilated a number of boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs in their large, creepy house. As Fool attempts to flee before the psychopaths can catch him, he meets their daughter, Alice (A.J. Langer), who has been spared any extreme discipline by her deranged parents. Can Fool and Alice escape before it's too late?

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Stuart M. Besser, Marianne Maddalena
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.9M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now