The People Under the Stairs
Release date: 1991-11-01
Votes: 683
Genres: Horror, Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Trapped inside a fortified home owned by a mysterious couple, a young boy quickly learns the true nature of the homicidal inhabitants, and secret creatures hidden deep within the walls.
Reviews
tmdb28039023
The plot follows a boy and two adult thieves who, after breaking in to steal a collection of rare coins, become trapped in a house belonging to a strange couple. These thieves are so inept they leave their van parked next to the house, in full view of a couple of policemen who are even more inept; “This truck was used to rob a liquor store last night,” they inform the homeowners, whereupon they just drive off, leaving the getaway vehicle right where it is (but then cops are always incompetent in a Wes Craven film; cf. The Last House on the Left). The inside of the house, which appears to have been designed by serial killer H.H. Holmes, is full of booby traps, including a door whose knob has been rigged to deliver electric shocks – in one hilarious scene, young Fool (Brandon Quintin Adams) grabs the doorknob with one hand while holding Leroy's (Ving Rhames) hand with the other; Leroy’s other hand is currently between a Rottweiler’s fangs, and the electrical charge travels through the two intruders and knocks out the dog. The People Under the Stairs is like a Scooby Doo episode with a lot more blood in it; it’s indeed so ludicrous that the stolen coins are meant to pay for “mom's operation.” Having said that, there’s no question it was Craven’s intention all along to make a comedy. Moreover, it's impossible not to have a soft spot for a movie that includes a kid punching a Rottweiler in the face, an homage to The Shining, and the aforementioned dog going on an unexpected ride down a homemade slide, all in the space of just over three minutes.
Movie Recommendation
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death1968-08-14After a stagecoach is robbed and the passengers murdered, a long and tangled series of surprise attacks and murderous double-crosses, leaves the coach's strongbox in the hands of the killer Lasky. It is up to the legendary hero Sartana to track down the missing money and determine just who is ultimately behind the grisly robberies and killings.More...
Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons2018-08-04A documentary that explores the history & stories behind the art that helped create the world's most popular role playing game. The movie profiles artists - both past & present - & features former company insiders, game designers, authors, & fans.More...
Piedra Roja2017-12-31There is no descriptionMore...
The Man from Hong Kong1975-07-31Australian authorities arrest a man believed to be connected to the Sydney criminal underworld and send for Inspector Fang Sing Leng from Hong Kong to question him. After the alleged criminal is assassinated, Inspector Leng and the Sydney police try to hunt down those responsible and hope to solve their case along the way.More...
Alien Autopsy: (fact or fiction?)1995-08-28This provacative FOX Network "prime time" television special investigates the purported "Alien Autopsy" footage that was allegedly filmed by the United States military after the legendary UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.More...
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait1988-01-01A documentary about the classic 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' film, including interviews with Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, John Dugan and Jim Siedow.More...
Mad Buddies2012-06-22Two sworn enemies, Boetie (Leon Schuster) and Beast (Kenneth Nkosi) are forced to do a road trip together on foot, only to discover that they have been conned into being part of a TV reality show.More...
A Brief History of Time1991-10-01This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.More...
Doll Cemetery2019-08-23Brendan Cobbs, a famous novelist, is sent to a remote cottage in rural England to find inspiration for his next novel. He believes he found his next subject when he encounters Alfred, a child size doll who can come to life.More...
Continental Split2024-06-22As the New Madrid Fault threatens to tear the U.S. in half, a desperate team of seismologists and government agents race to prevent disaster while the clock ticks down.More...
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering1996-10-08A bright young medical student must solve the frightening mystery that plagues the children of a small Midwestern town.More...
House of Dracula1945-12-07A scientist working on cures for rare afflictions, such as a bone softening agent made from molds to allow him to correct the spinal deformity of his nurse, finds the physical causes of lycanthropy in wolf-man Larry Talbot and of vampirism in Count Dracula, but himself becomes afflicted with homicidal madness while exchanging blood with Dracula.More...
Final Exam1981-06-05In a small college in North Carolina, only a select few students are left to take mid terms. But, when a killer strikes, it could be everyone's final exam.More...
The Prophecy1995-08-05The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which will end the stalemated war in Heaven, and only a former priest and a little girl can stop him.More...
Extremity2018-09-17A young woman with a severely troubled past signs up for an extreme haunt called Perdition. She believes that putting herself through Perdition's nightmarish trials will help her exorcise her internal traumas, but has no way of knowing just how shocking her ordeal will be-or what dark secrets buried in her psyche will emerge.More...
Music of the Heart1999-10-29Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids.More...
Dolly Dearest1991-09-01An American family moves to Mexico to fabricate dolls, but their toy factory happens to be next to a Sanzian grave and the toys come into possession of an old, malicious spirit.More...
Ladybugs1992-03-27To climb the corporate ladder to success, a businessman agrees to coach his company's all-girl soccer team with the help of his secret weapon: his fiancee's son.More...
Stromboli1950-02-15After the end of WWII, a young Lithuanian woman and a young Italian man from Stromboli impulsively marry, but married life on the island is more demanding than she can accept.More...
The Serpent and the Rainbow1988-02-05A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.More...
Similar Movies
The Hitchhiker's Guid...
2005-04-28Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."Feathers
2021-06-23A passive mother who dedicates her life to her husband and children. Stuck in daily, repetitive, mundane chores, she has made herself as little as she possibly could. When a magic trick goes wrong at her 4-year-old son's birthday party, an avalanche of coincidental absurdities befalls the family. The magician turns her husband, the authoritarian father, into a chicken. The mother is now forced to come to the fore and take care of the family while moving heaven and earth to bring her husband back. As she tries to survive, she goes through a rough and absurd transformation.Offseason
2022-03-11Upon receiving a mysterious letter that her mother's grave has been vandalized, Marie travels to the desolate island town where she's buried. Just as she arrives, the island closes for the season, leaving Marie trapped in a nightmare.Sleeping with the Ene...
1991-01-13A young woman fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her nightmarish marriage, but discovers it is impossible to elude her controlling husband.Chicken Run
2000-06-23The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.Girl at the Window
2022-08-18A troubled teenage girl who’s struggling to cope with the accidental death of her father suspects that the mysterious killer stalking her hometown is not only her neighbour but her mother’s new romantic interest.Funny Birds
2024-02-21Thrown together under tragic circumstances, three generations of women from the same family are forced to learn to live together on a small rural chicken farm in New Jersey, which generates moving and amusing situations.The Countess
2009-03-13Kingdom of Hungary, 17th century. As she gets older, powerful Countess Erzsébet Báthory (1560-1614), blinded by the passion that she feels for a younger man, succumbs to the mad delusion that blood will keep her young and beautiful forever.Antibodies
2005-04-24When a notorious German serial killer is captured after committing some of the most heinous acts against humanity ever imaginable, a farmer and police officer from a sleepy rural community on the outskirts of Berlin is drawn into the case as he searches for the answers to a murder that has shaken his tight-knit community.Train of Life
1998-09-16In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.Alien³
1992-05-22After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.Alien Resurrection
1997-11-12Two hundred years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises … as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers to keep the creatures from reaching Earth.Suspect Zero
2004-08-27A killer is on the loose, and an FBI agent sifts through clues and learns that the bloodthirsty felon's victims of choice are other serial killers.Today You Die
2005-09-13A former thief who is trying to go straight seeks vengeance on those who framed him.Escape
2024-03-15Ten sex trafficked young women are taken from an island resort by a violent criminal gang for shipping to an overseas client. A young nurse and feisty dancer hatch an escape-plan, finding themselves in the desert fighting for survival against ruthless traffickers.The Hitcher
2007-01-19While driving through the New Mexico Desert during a rainy night, college students Jim Halsey and his girlfriend Grace Andrews give a ride to a hitchhiker. While in their car, the stranger proves to be a psychopath threatening the young couple with a knife, but Jim successfully throws him out of the car. This sets off a chain of events that will change all of their lives forever.Meet the Feebles
1989-08-12Heidi, star of the "Meet The Feebles Variety Hour" discovers her lover Bletch the Walrus is cheating on her. And with all the world waiting for the show, the assorted co-stars must contend with drug addiction, extortion, robbery, disease, drug dealing, and murder.Labyrinth of Passion
1982-09-29An array of outrageous people, including a desperate nymphomaniac and a terrorist with an acute sense of smell, seek love and happiness in Madrid.Untraceable
2008-01-22Special Agent Jennifer Marsh works in an elite division of the FBI dedicated to fighting cybercrime. She thinks she has seen it all, until a particularly sadistic criminal arises on the Internet. This tech-savvy killer posts live feeds of his crimes on his website; the more hits the site gets, the faster the victim dies. Marsh and her team must find the elusive killer before time runs out.You Kill Me
2007-02-09While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hit man befriends a tart-tongued woman who might just come in handy when it's time for him to return to Buffalo and settle some old scores.