The People Under the Stairs Reviews

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but since I have a weak spot for Wes Craven's work, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, first of all, even though it had some creepy elements, especially its poster, to be honest, it wasn't really scary but it was still fairly entertaining. Anyway, eventually, even though half of it was pretty decent, the other half didn't work really well, I'm afraid. First of all, I thought it was pretty neat that the main character was a black kid from the ghetto instead of the usual middle-class white teenagers. The concept itself of this weird house also had some potential but I'm not sure if they handled it properly. Indeed, this house seemed rather unbelievable with all its corridors, secrets passages and other booby traps and I think it would have worked better with something more realistic. The other thing was that they kept throwing some slapstick jokes which were not bad but, again, it would have worked better if they kept the tone  darker and creepier. Finally, since most of the duration took place in this hellish house, the whole thing was pretty much reduced to an endless and rather repetitive cat-and-mouse chase. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn't completely worked, I still think it is one of the better movies delivered by Wes Craven and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Initial Thought: I didn't watch a Wes Craven film in dedication to him yet. So I chose this one because it was in my queue. I've always been a little curious about it and it does have the awesome Ving Rhames. Anyways it has its mixed reviews, but I figured why not see for myself.

Characters/Acting: It doesn't have too many people I recognize other than by the films they are in. It does however have the extremely familiar Ving Rhames and Bill Cobbs. Sean Whalen even got his start with this film. Mommy and Daddy were a creepy as duo of villains. Whenever Daddy put on the weird bondage outfit I kept wondering what the hell these two got going on. It shares a little bit in my opinion with that of The Hills Have Eyes (also a feature from Craven). I really enjoyed Fool as the main character. Most of the time little kids in these kinds of films are just ordinary. He on the other hand gave it a little extra. I really liked Roach and Leroy. They were pleasant to watch.

Story: Two adults and a juvenile burglar break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children and can't escape. This was a truly interesting little watch. It had some jump scares, unexpected twists and turns, a decent amount of gore, and some crazy dark humor. I wish most of the action wasn't with guns and the death scenes were a little more creative. It doesn't take away from the fun of the movie though. The ending was pretty much what I expected to happen, but it was fun to see how it came to be.

Directing/Writing: It is written and directed by legendary horror icon Wes Craven. If you haven't heard of him or seen anything by him you must be living under a rock. He is usually a pretty awesome creator with the Scream series and starting off the Nightmare on Elm Street Saga. He has had his bumps like the awful Cursed film.

Final Thoughts: This was an exciting feature. I am surprised by how underrated it is. It definitely screams early Wes Craven. It's fun, funny, and has a decent body count. If you enjoy Wes Craven's work I think this is worth a watch.