Horror Noire of the 1990s: The People Under the Stairs

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Director/Writer: Wes Craven

Starring: Brandon Adams, Ving Rhames, A.J. Langer, Wendy Robie, Everett McGill

Horror movies have long served as social commentary, reflecting the current human condition, and this film is no different. Set in early 90’s Los Angeles, The People Under the Stairs touches on the familiar evils of gentrification, race, class conflict, and capitalism.

The movie comes from the mind of the legendary Wes Craven, and is about three would-be burglars who pick the wrong house: Leroy, Spenser, and Poindexter, a young boy who goes by Fool. While executing their plan, they unexpectedly encounter the homeowners, the Robesons. Ruthless landlords, they are attempting to evict Fool and his family, including his cancer-stricken mother.

Furthermore, they are sadistic psychopaths who refer to each other as Mommy and Daddy. What occurs next is a protracted struggle for survival, as the intruders fight to escape the Robesons’ chamber of horrors, and in the process uncover a gruesome secret within the dark bowels of the home.