The People Under the Stairs [Blu-ray]

Director: Wes Craven Wes Craven

Overview

Wes Craven wrote and directed this surrealistic horror-comedy, which was inspired by a true story of parents keeping their children locked in a basement for years. Fool (Brandon Adams), an African-American teen, breaks into the home of the wealthy landlords who evicted his family from a ghetto tenement. A fortune in gold coins is rumored to exist inside, but Fool discovers that the mansion is a chamber of horrors presided over by a pair of incestuous, serial killer siblings (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie). The twisted couple has also tried to raise a succession of kidnapped boys. Each botched effort is handled the same way -- the victim's eyes, ears and tongues are removed, and he's sent to live in the sealed-off basement, where a colony of similarly deformed "brothers" resides. Fool is able to avoid the evil lovers as he moves through the house's maze of hidden passageways. He discovers that the occupants have a daughter, Alice (A.J. Langer), who has survived their abuse, so he rescues her and they attempt to free the "people under the stairs." Adams, who made his feature debut with in film, was familiar to viewers as the star of rock singer Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (1988).

Product Details

Release Date:	08/11/2015
UPC:	0826663159516
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	R
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	14,893

Special Features

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven; Audio Commentary with Stars Brandon Adams, A.J. Langer, Sean Whalen and Yan Birch; House Mother - An interview with star Wendy Robie; What Lies Beneath - Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects artists Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman; House of Horrors - An interview with Director of Photography Sandi Sissel; Setting the Score - An Interview with Composer Don Peake; Behind-The-Scenes Footage; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Brandon Adams	Fool
Everett McGill	Man
Wendy Robie	Woman
A.J. Langer	Alice
Ving Rhames	LeRoy
Sean Whalen	Roach
Bill Cobbs	Grandpa Booker
Kelly Jo Minter	Ruby
Jeremy Roberts	Spenser
Conni Marie Brazelton	Mary
Joshua Cox	Young Cop
John Hostetter	Veteran Cop
John Mahon	Police Sergeant
Theresa Velarde	Social Worker
George R. Parker	Attic Cop
Yan Birch	Stairmaster
Wayne Daniels	1st Stairperson
Michael Kopelow	2nd Stairperson
Eileen Knight	Actor
George Parker	Attic cop
Don Peake	Composer

Technical Credits

Wes Craven

Wes Craven	Director,Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Stuart M. Besser	Producer
Shep Gordon	Executive Producer
Marianne Maddalena	Producer
Robert Kurtzman	Special Effects
Tony Cecere	Stunts
Gregory Nicotero	Special Effects
Howard Berger	Special Effects
Peter Chesney	Special Effects
Eileen Knight	Casting
William Perry	Stunts
Donald Summer	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Of all the films Wes Craven made between the commercial peaks of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, this blackly comedic exercise ranks up there with The Serpent And The Rainbow as the best. Craven's clever script mixes fairy tale elements (wicked parents, lost children, a hidden fortune, etc.) with a storyline that touches on serious subjects like racism and child abuse to create an intelligent, socially conscious backdrop for the gruesome goings-on. The People Under the Stairs also benefits from solid performances that give dimension to its archetypal characters: Brandon Adams and A.J. Langer are sympathetic and believable in roles that are especially demanding for young actors and Everett McGill and Wendy Robie are deliciously over-the-top as the ultimate "bad parents." Craven's direction gives these performances a strong framework, striking an effective balance between stomach-churning shocks and quieter but no less chilling moments where the background of the house and its twisted family are explored. On the downside, The People Under The Stairs occasionally lets its ambition get out of hand: some attempts to lighten the grim story with humor fall flat and the last act incorporates some rather implausible twists to direct the storyline in an uplifting direction. Despite these occasional missteps, the film's frequent chills and startling imagination make it worth sticking with. It's a smart viewing choice for anyone interested in going beyond the hits in Wes Craven's filmography.

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