The People Under the Stairs

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Videos & Photos

  • Official Home Video Trailer

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Wes Craven

Producer:

Stuart M. Besser, Marianne Maddalena

Release Date:

Nov 1, 1991

Runtime:

1hr 42m

Synopsis

When Fool breaks into the home of his family's landlords, he discovers that they have mutilated several boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs. As Fool attempts to flee, he meets their daughter, Alice. Can Fool and Alice escape?

Cast

  • Brandon Quintin Adams
  • Everett McGill
  • Wendy Robie
  • A.J. Langer
  • Ving Rhames
  • Sean Whalen
  • Bill Cobbs
  • Kelly Jo Minter
  • Jeremy Roberts
  • Conni Marie Brazelton

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.5
101.0K
43.9K
28.6K
RATINGS 348 FANS
3.5
  • Jun 12, 2020

    This is one of the most tonally insane movies I've ever seen lol. A heightened children's fairy tale rendition of capitalism, gentrification, and class/racial tensions in LA but also just a plain nasty little gothic horror with all of Craven's interests in American horrors…

    1.3K Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Nov 24, 2025

    these landlords wouldn’t last a minute in Zohran’s new york !!!!!!

    852 Likes
    sarah squirm
    sarah squirm
    Feb 1, 2024

    Horror has a long and storied history of great images. Everett McGill in a gimp suit screaming and firing a shotgun into his own walls is one of them.

    660 Likes
    Branson Reese
    Branson Reese
  •
    Oct 22, 2025

    trying to explain how THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS is an interesting exploration of class, racism and inequality in the reagan era to my wife.   “so it’s not about cannibals?”   “oh no, to be clear there ARE cannibals in this film”

    513 Likes
    Jamelle Bouie
    Jamelle Bouie
    Jul 23, 2020

    A lovely couple must defend their home and teenage daughter when intruders break in determined to steal her and their hidden treasure.

    392 Likes
    Griffin
    Griffin
    Sep 11, 2024

    imagine you’re able to hide your crimes for so many years & you get outsmarted by a 13 year old boy named poindexter

    337 Likes
    𖦹 aurora 𖦹
    𖦹 aurora 𖦹
  •
    Oct 1, 2020

    people who say uncut gems is the most stressful movie ever clearly haven’t watched this

    333 Likes
    🎃benton tarantella🎃
    🎃benton tarantella🎃
    Oct 29, 2023

    We don’t talk about Roach! Oh-no-noooo!   If anyone gets that, forgive me—my life is a weird hybrid right now of watching Disney musicals with my daughter and then watching horror movies at odd hours of the night. The wires get crossed sometimes.   For some reason I never…

    316 Likes
    Matt!
    Matt!
    Apr 5, 2018

    American urban nightmare.

    282 Likes
    Filipe Furtado
    Filipe Furtado

Queue Community Reviews

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👎 DISLIKE
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Top Reviews
  • Emir
    Emir loved
    The People Under the Stairs

    9/10

    3 2Y
    brielle
    brielle loved
    The People Under the Stairs

    i knew i was going to love this before i even watched it so i purchased a DVD and watched it that way. mom and dad's comedic level of evilness made them easy to hate. they are a good example of characters that are just evil for the sake of being evil. loved the happy ending!!

    1Y
    Haley Mastronardi
    Haley Mastronardi liked
    The People Under the Stairs

    Very entertaining and a very unique story. I really don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. I guess Don’t Breathe is the closest thing I can think of. This falls more into horror comedy than Scream does. They could’ve killed the captors sooner multiple times.

    2Y
  • Tamia King
    Tamia King loved
    The People Under the Stairs

    This movie is pure 90s chaos. It's equal parts hilarious, horrifying, and surprisingly smart. A kid-hero, a fortress of a house, and villains you'll love to hate. If you want a horror movie with a pulse and a political bite, this is it. Don't look under the stairs

    6M
    V
    V liked
    The People Under the Stairs

    I saw this in the movie theaters I was 19 & after all this time all I retained was lots of arms thru slats. That haunted me. I didn’t remember anything else. I also didn’t know it was supposed to be satire. I didn’t think it was funny enough to be satire.🤷🏻‍♀️

    27D
    kendra jo
    kendra jo liked
    The People Under the Stairs

    very “eat the rich before they eat you” & i enjoyed it. it’s plenty scary & fun. i liked the setting of the house & all the secret passageways. the gore was alright, i noticed a couple little special effects imperfections but overall it wasn’t too bad.

    3Y
  • Angie Lankford
    Angie Lankford loved
    The People Under the Stairs

    What an underrated gem! Given how PC the world is in 2022, this movie was ahead of its time, probably being more relevant now than it was when it was originally released. Definitely worth a rewatch!👍🏻👍🏻

    4Y
    Orlando Ramone
    Orlando Ramone liked
    The People Under the Stairs

    This was Wes Craven’s favorite movie that he ever directed. I think it’s really fun to see two cast members from Twin Peaks play another married couple but wildly different characters!

    3Y
    MovieDaddy
    MovieDaddy liked
    The People Under the Stairs

    More comedy than horror, this one gets mid-hyped frequently. Lower your expectations and you’ll be fine, but some horror enthusiasts tend to give this more credit than it deserves.

    3Y

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

57
metacritic
Based on 15 Critics
7.6

USER SCORE (45)

Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Reviews
67

While The People Under the Stairs may leave some horror fans unsatisfied and other horror detractors repulsed, it ought to satisfy those viewers who appreciate a thoughtful and visceral movie entertainment.

Metacritic review by Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
25

If there were truth in advertising, The People Under the Stairs would be called The Not Very Scary Movie Set Inside a Grungy, Badly Lit House.

Metacritic review by Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
30

Craven also wrote the script here, based on a news story about California parents who kept their children locked in the basement for many years. That's scary -- and so is how far Craven has fallen.

Metacritic review by Richard Harrington
Richard Harrington
Washington Post

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The People Under the Stairs (1991) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is The People Under the Stairs (1991)?
The movie is 1hr 42min long.
What's The People Under the Stairs (1991) about?
When Fool breaks into the home of his family's landlords, he discovers that they have mutilated several boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs. As Fool attempts to flee, he meets their daughter, Alice. Can Fool and Alice escape?
Who's the cast of The People Under the Stairs (1991)?
  • Brandon Quintin Adams as Fool
  • Everett McGill as Man
  • Wendy Robie as Woman
  • A.J. Langer as Alice
  • Ving Rhames as Leroy
  • Sean Whalen as Roach
  • Bill Cobbs as Grandpa Booker
  • Kelly Jo Minter as Ruby Williams
  • Jeremy Roberts as Spenser
  • Conni Marie Brazelton as Mary
Who's the director behind The People Under the Stairs (1991)?
Wes Craven directed The People Under the Stairs (1991).
Who produced The People Under the Stairs (1991)?
Stuart M. Besser and Marianne Maddalena produced The People Under the Stairs (1991).
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