USA, 1991
102m
35mm film, colour (“colour by DeLuxe”), 1.85:1
Dolby Stereo, English
An American horror film directed by Wes Craven.
Plot Summary
Young black Los Angelino Fool and his family are facing eviction from their white landlords the Robesons. Fool accompanies Leroy and Spencer on a mission to break into the Robesons’ house, believing that they’re hoarding a stash of gold coins. But the robbery goes awry when Spencer is killed and Fool stumbles across a large group of feral, pale-faced cannibal children locked up in the basement. Leroy is killed when the Robesons and Fool meets Alice, supposedly their daughter though as they learn later, she and the other children in the basement were all abducted by the Robesons. Along with Roach who has had his tongue cut out by the Robesons, they try to stay one step ahead of both the insane couple and their flesh-eating brood.
Credits
Crew
Directed by: Wes Craven
© 1991 Universal City Studios, Inc.
Alive Films presents a Wes Craven film
Executive Producers: Shep Gordon, Wes Craven
Produced by: Marianne Maddalena, Stuart M. Besser
Co-producer: Dixie Capp
Associate Producer: Peter Foster
Written by: Wes Craven
Director of Photography: Sandi Sissel
Edited by: James Coblentz
Music by: Don Peake
Sound Mixer: Donald Summer
Costume Designer: Ileane Meltzer
Makeup Artist: Michelle Buhler
Hairstylist: Barbara Olvera
Special Makeup Effects: KNB
Special Effects: Image Engineering, Inc.
Mechanical Dog Effects: Robert Clark, Roark Productions
Production Designer: Bryan Jones
Casting: Eileen Knight
Cast
Brandon Adams (Fool)
Everett McGill (man)
Wendy Robie (woman)
A.J. Langer (Alice)
Ving Rhames (Leroy)
Bill Cobbs (Grandpa Booker)
Kelly Jo Minter (Ruby)
Sean Whalen (Roach)
Jeremy Roberts (Spenser)
Conni Marie Brazelton (Mary)
Joshua Cox (young cop)
John Hostetter (veteran cop)
John Mahon (police sergeant)
Teresa Velarde (social worker)
George Parker (attic cop)
Yan Birch (stairmaster)
Wayne Daniels (stairperson 1)
Michael Kopelow (stairperson 2)
Brutus/Bubba/Schultz & Zeke (Prince)
Nick Cramer, Robert Michael, Earl Dax, David Robinson, Gregory Kavtzer, Daniel Windtree, Burton Pierce (people under the stairs)
Alternative Titles
Oi anthropoi kato apo tis skales – Greece
La casa nera – Italy
As Criaturas Atrás das Paredes – Brazil
La gente detrás de las paredes – Argentina, Mexico
Das Haus der Vergessenen – Germany
Källarfolket – Finland (Swedish)
Kellariväkeä – Finland
Lidé pod schody – Czech Republic
De mensen onder de trap – Netherlands
Merdiven Altındakiler – Turkey
Ondskans hus – Sweden
Os Prisioneiros da Cave – Portugal
Prisioneros del destino – Mexico
Rædslernes hus – Denmark
Rémségek háza – Hungary
El sótano del miedo – Spain
El sótano del terror – Venezuela
Le Sous-sol de la peur – Canada (French), France
W mroku pod schodami – Poland
Wes Craven’s the People Under the Stairs – USA
Žmonės po laiptais – Lithuania
Οι άνθρωποι κάτω από τις σκάλες – Greece
Люди під сходами – Ukraine
Люди под лестницей – Russia
Хора под стъпалата – Bulgaria
壁の中に誰かがいる – Japan
奪命凶宅(Cantonese) – Hong Kong
餓鬼之家 – Taiwan
Links
Extracts included in
Behind Closed Doors: A.J. Langer Remembers The People Under the Stairs (2013)
Fear, Freud and Class Warfare: Wes Craven Discusses The People Under the Stairs (2013)
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019)
Ida, Be Thy Name: The Frightful Females of Fear (2013)
The Making of The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)
Settling the Score: With Don Peake (2015)
Silent But Deadly: Sean Whalen Remembers Reach (2013)
Underneath the Floorboards: Jeffrey Reddick on the Lasting Impact of The People Under the Stairs (2013)
What Lies Beneath: The Effects of The People Under the Stairs (2015)
References
Periodicals
- Cinefantastique vol.22 no.3 (December 1991) p.30-31 – illustrated interview with Wes Craven (The People Under the Stairs by Steve Biodrowski)
- Cinefantastique vol.22 no.5 (April 1992) p.58 – illustrated interview with Wes Craven (Reviews: Director Wes Craven on the Politics of Horror by Steve Biodrowski)
- Cinefantastique vol.22 no.5 (April 1992) p.59 – illustrated credits, review
- Empire no.130 (April 2000) p.118 – video review
- Empire no.31 (January 1992) p.24 – illustrated review
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.317 no.14 (30 April 1991) p.60 – credits
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.317 no.20 (7 May 1991) p.21 – credits
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.317 no.4 (16 April 1991) p.26 – credits
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.319 no.48 (4 November 1991) p.5,17 – credits, review (by Jeff Menell)
- Screen International no.810 (7 June 1991) p.23 – credits
- Shivers no.83 October Bumper Issue pp.42-47 – illustrated article
- Sight and Sound vol.1 no.10 (February 1992) p.54-55 – illustrated credits, synopsis, review
- Sight and Sound vol.2 no.3 (July 1992) p.58 – video note
- Sight and Sound vol.4 no.1 (January 1994) p.62 – video note
- Soundtrack! The Collector’s Quarterly vol.11 no.41 (March 1992) p.21 – soundtrack review (Record Reviews by Guy M. Tucker)
- Variety 11 November 1991 p.55 – credits, review
Books
- The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.475-476
- The Films of the Nineties: A Complete, Qualitative Filmography of Over 3000 Feature-Length English Language Films, Theatrical and Video-Only, Released Between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999 by Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn L. Nowlan p.423
- Horror and Science Fiction Films IV by Donald C. Willis p.380
- Horror Films of the 1990s by John Kenneth Muir pp.166-170
