The People Under the Stairs

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The People Under the Stairs

R

1991

1h 42m

Horror

Comedy

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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?

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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.

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Steve Murray

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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

Sep 23, 2025

Full Review

Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

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

Rated: 3/4

May 26, 2022

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

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.

Mar 26, 2009

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

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.

Rated: 6/10

Sep 23, 2025

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

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

Rated: 2/5

Sep 9, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 11, 2023

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Eric C

Good movie 👍👍👍👍👍👍

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/25

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Melissa L

Another Wes Craven classic! Loved the ending!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/19/25

Full Review

Ricardo d

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

Full Review

Stephen C

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

Full Review

Nick O

Wes Craven's best work since A Nightmare on Elm Street. Best not knowing too much about this unique masterpiece of 90's horror going in to it, except get ready to be totally creeped out!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

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Alexander T

Although I don’t remember much about this movie, I remember it was very enjoyable.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/04/25

Full Review

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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

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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)

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