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Hidden Gem
The People Under the Stairs (1991) delivers beautifully terrible laughs
4:00 am Jan 15 - by Matt Carey – buzz Writer
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Director Wes Craven is widely praised for his contributions to the horror genre, such as Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream, and The Hills Have Eyes. But Wes has also made some bad horror films, including his 1991 effort The People Under the Stairs, a terrible but loveable movie that is filled with laughs.
The film is about a young boy named Fool (no, I’m not kidding), who lives in the ghetto and finds out that his family is getting evicted from their apartment. He also learns that his mother is dying of cancer. In order to raise money for both causes, Fool teams up with his sister’s boyfriend to rob the landlord of Fool’s building. Unbeknownst to them, the house is filled with traps and the landlord and his wife have a young daughter who is covered in bruises and scars. As Fool explores the house he also comes across a group of mutant young boys who are kept in the cellar by the homeowners and are cannibals. Fool decides that he will stop at nothing to save the girl and kill the landlord.
For a movie with an extremely twisted premise, it’s actually played extremely silly. For example, the homeowner spends the majority of the film chasing Fool around in a gimp suit for no apparent reason. The movie also has poor production quality, like in the scene where Fool hits the landlord with what is supposed to be an iron poker, but instead the poker breaks in half and is clearly made of wood. Why would you not just do another take?
The People Under The Stairs is by no means a good movie, but it is extremely enjoyable to watch, especially if you’re with a group of friends looking for a good laugh.
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Last post: Jan. 16, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Matt DeMarco (unregistered user) said on Jan. 16, 2009 at 1:15 pm:
Saw this movie two summers ago. Papa's leather suit sure is reminiscent of the gimp outfit from Pulp Fiction. Also, gotta love the throbbing dance music with all the little tongueless mutants dancing in raining money at the end of the movie!
I think the parents were in the surreal David Lynch series Twin Peaks. This movie sure ranks right up there in terms of bizarre!
Andy Herren (Andy Herren) said on Jan. 16, 2009 at 3:13 pm:
I am so happy that you picked this for a hidden gem. I saw it when I was young, and even then thought it was horrendous. I just watched it last year with my roommates, and we laughed our asses off. The landlord's wife is out of control. I love her.
Jeff Brandt (Jeff Brandt) said on Jan. 15, 2009 at 2:29 pm:
Movies like this are definitely fun to watch from time to time.