The People Under the Stairs
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Movie Details
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Videos & Photos
- Official Home Video Trailer (01:09)
- (00:30)
Movie Info & Cast
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
102.8K
44.5K
29.3K
- 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…
Josh LewisNov 24, 2025these landlords wouldn’t last a minute in Zohran’s new york !!!!!!
sarah squirmFeb 1, 2024Horror 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.
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”
Jamelle BouieJul 23, 2020A lovely couple must defend their home and teenage daughter when intruders break in determined to steal her and their hidden treasure.
GriffinSep 11, 2024imagine you’re able to hide your crimes for so many years & you get outsmarted by a 13 year old boy named poindexter
𖦹 aurora 𖦹 - Oct 1, 2020
people who say uncut gems is the most stressful movie ever clearly haven’t watched this
🎃benton tarantella🎃Oct 29, 2023We 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…
Matt!Apr 5, 2018American urban nightmare.
Filipe Furtado
Queue Community Reviews
88%
Community 1,116
Top Reviews
- Emir lovedThe People Under the Stairs
9/10
Aidan White likedThe People Under the Stairs6.8/10 One thing that I dont think many people know is that the zombie genre originated from black culture, in fact the idea of the zombies came from over-worked slaves being seen as “walking dead” from the amount of labor they endured, this film highlights this genre in a really interesting way…
brielle lovedThe People Under the Stairsi 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!!
- Haley Mastronardi likedThe 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.
Tamia King lovedThe People Under the StairsThis 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
V likedThe People Under the StairsI 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.🤷🏻♀️
- kendra jo likedThe 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.
Morgan likedThe People Under the Stairsincredibly bizarre but full of wes craven's signature charm not at all what i was expecting but the story is pretty unique and you can’t help but root for the protagonists against the cartoonishly evil villains great child acting as well!
Angie Lankford lovedThe People Under the StairsWhat 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!👍🏻👍🏻
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
USER SCORE (45)
Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Reviews
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.
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
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.
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
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.
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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