Wes Craven's THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS

Wes Craven, director of many horror films, usually makes predictable and boring horror movies such as THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, SHOCKER, and THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW. Mind you, there are some good horror movies in this director's uneven career, such as SCREAM, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and this small movie made in 1991 with a very dark and disturbing subject. Craven explores the idea of child abuse and transports it to the tenth level of Hell. While the movie is a horror film, it also provides a commentary on parental problems of today. It is here that Craven tries to open up our eyes to what the world is really like. Craven also turns the theme of child abuse into a modern day fairy tale. In other words, the prince must save the princess from her evil parents while trying to save his own parents in the process. It is very touching and sad to see what these wicked parents do to children that they capture in order to turn them into the perfect child.

Director of photography, Sandi Sissel, was given the task of making the interiors of the parents' dark mansion very gothic and strange while at the same time giving the mansion exteriors a slightly odd feeling that you're never really sure of. Sissel pulls it off perfectly by making things outside the mansion slightly darker then they should be, while inside the house using bright light that really gives the viewer the feeling that things are never right. When she lights the basement she gives things just enough light so you can see what's going on but not enough to see what else is in the basement with our main character. This creates full suspense and dread in the heart of the viewer.

Wes Craven, who knows how to create atmosphere with his camera, uses it to full advantage. At times of weirdness, the camera goes on a slight tilt while at other moments it is placed in very weird spots such as the ceiling, a corner of the wall, and inside the wall to enhance the dark feeling of the evil mansion. Top points to Craven for pulling it off.

While watching the movie you can just tell that the actors love what they're doing. Every scene has very campy acting which enhances the feel of the movie to great effect. Brandon Adams, who plays our hero, is wonderful to watch, Everett McGill and Wendy Robie are perfect as the evil parents, combining just the right amount of comedy and horror into their performances to create the weirdness needed for the role.

One last thing that works very well for the film is a feeling of endless terror created by the length of time spent in the house. While in most cases this would cause the movie to drag in pace, in this case it helps achieve the feeling that also enhances the suspense and terror of the situation. To see how hard it is to get out of the house and how long it takes has the power to scare the total Hell out of you.

While the film has so many good things working for it, there are also the things working against it. First, there is a mix of comedy and horror that just doesn't work all the time. Such as the moment when our hero knocks out one of the parents. As he climbs back into a heating vent he says "Stay" to the fallen parent. While this is very funny, it takes the horror of the situation making you laugh instead of scream. This happens many times during the film and it does take away terror in all the wrong places. Another problem is that the ending is just too predictable to be a surprise. I won't give it away, but it gives you the feeling that you've been cheated because you've seen this type of ending a hundred times before in other horror films. That ends my commentary on the film, and I present the plot...

Fool, a 13 year old boy, has just found out that his mother has cancer. The tumor can be taken out at the hospital, but the family doesn't have enough money to pay for the operation. What's worse is that the landlords who own that part of the ghetto neighborhood demand that the family pay their rent by midnight of the next day or they'll be evicted from their home. Since the family doesn't have the money to pay the rent it seems certain that they will have to live on the street. Then, Leyroy, who is the boyfriend of one of the family members, explains to Fool that he found a kind of treasure map of the landlords' house. The map explains that there is gold and tons of money in the house. Fool agrees to help Leyroy and his friend Spencer break into the house and get the money. When Fool, Leyroy, and Spencer arrive they notice that the place is almost like a prison with bars and grates on all of the windows. Spencer dresses up like a gas man in order to gain entrance to the house. He meets the landlady of the house who invites him in after some resistance. Spencer goes in and doesn't come out. At this point, Leyroy and Spencer are getting nervous. Leyroy soon comes to believe that Spencer is trying to keep the money for himself and orders Fool to come into the house with him when he sees that the landlords are leaving. They enter the house and search. Leyroy orders Fool to stay on the ground floor while he looks upstairs. Fool, being curious, begins to look around and soon enters the basement where he finds the body of Spencer. Aside from Spencer, there are also some strange creatures behind cages down there who seem eager to eat Fool. Rushing back to the ground floor, he notices the the landlords have come back. Will Fool and Leyroy ever get out of the house?

This film is highly recommended to any horror fan looking for a scare. I can say that this is one of Craven's better films in the horror genre.