Many of our favorite genre directors - from Romero to Franco, Fulci and De Palma - was or is intellectual people, smart guys and often quite political, in a left-wing way. Which is nice. Well, Carpenter nowadays prefer to smoke weed and play video games, but his Bush-bashing in Escape from LA is still the best ever in an American exploitation movie. Wes Craven, a former teacher, is of course no exception. His work often includes very subtle and smart stories about working class vs the bourgois and in The People Under The Stairs his opinions comes out in full bloom. He first got inspired by the main storyline from a real even where children was found locked-up inside the house of some Christian conservatives, in a gated all-white community. He later dreamed the whole storyline, pretty detailed and wrote down the dream directly when he woke up - and this is a very dream, absurd movie. It might be one of the most orginal American horror movies made in many years. I still haven't seen anything similar until this day.
Fool (Brandon Quintin Adams), a small afro-american boy who lives with his family in a house soon to be torn down by the owners, are convinced by a friend to the family, Wing Rhames - more alive than ever - to join him to rob the landlord's home because he has proof they have some very valuable coins in there. What they don't know is that Mommy (Wendy Robie) and Daddy (Everett McGill) is two fucked up personalities, living in a strictly religious, incestious relationship, kidnapping children to make them their perfect offspring. They're also cannibals and hardcore capitalists, only thinking in way to earn more money - often to make poor people suffer. Fool, now trapped in their house, needs to fight back to survive - and to his help he has their "daughter" Alice (A.J. Langer) and the one kid who escaped and is now living inside the walls, Roach (Sean Whalen)!
The People Under The Stairs feels more like a dream than any of the Elm Street movies, it's twisted and dark, with a pitch-black humour and very radical characters. Craven strays away from the subtle politics here, he wants people to both be entertained and also understand the danger of how people behave. It might be told with wide, bold strokes, but it's also very effective storytelling - and foremost very honest. While I actually think the younger cast is very uneven, not bad, but not entierly convincing either, Wendy Robie and Everett McGill is fucked-up, so god damn mad, it's hard to actually see them as normal people. Like Laurence R. Harvey as Martin in the brilliant The Human Centipede II, Robie and McGill is really living their madness to the fullest. They are the characters and they're fantastic. Never seen anything quite like it.
But still, they're funny as hell. Like a macabre, sick Laurel & Hardy.
What I enjoy so much about this movie is how it feels like Home Alone mixed with The Hills Have Eyes mixed with social satire and a kick in the groin on the rich, white, conservatives out there. It makes me love Wes Craven even more, who's intelligent form of scary movies one day will be fully appreciated. I follow him on Instagram, where he sits in his country home, taking photos of birds and admiring the nature outside the window. That's a true horror director to me - it's their minds that count, but their looks or lifestyle.
And yeah, the new blu looks awesome. There's a couple of great interviews also, especially the long one with Craven. A much have for fans of intelligent horror-esque movies from the nineties.
"but his Bush-bashing in Escape from LA is still the best ever in an American exploitation movie."
Yeah, although I prefer They Live(1988), Escape from L.A. (1996)is a very sharp satire over the film industry, and life in LA.
"Wes Craven, a former teacher, is of course no exception. His work often includes very subtle and smart stories about working class vs the bourgois and in The People Under The Stairs his opinions comes out in full bloom."
Yep, he did something similiar with Deadly Friend(1986), a bit uneven but very entertaining.
"It might be one of the most orginal American horror movies made in many years. I still haven't seen anything similar until this day."
Give Teeth(2007) a chance, I think you will like it.
"The People Under The Stairs feels more like a dream than any of the Elm Street movies, it's twisted and dark, with a pitch-black humour and very radical characters. Craven strays away from the subtle politics here, he wants people to both be entertained and also understand the danger of how people behave."
An absurd, dark, comedy nightmare.....
"and Everett McGill is fucked-up, so god damn mad, it's hard to actually see them as normal people."
Everett McGill......but I think he was crazier in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).
"What I enjoy so much about this movie is how it feels like Home Alone mixed with The Hills Have Eyes mixed with social satire and a kick in the groin on the rich, white, conservatives out there."
Yeah, very nice description.
"And yeah, the new blu looks awesome. There's a couple of great interviews also, especially the long one with Craven. A much have for fans of intelligent horror-esque movies from the nineties."
Extras are always nice, great review, this film is way better than it´s reputation.
Posted by: Megatron | January 25, 2014 at 15:05
Believe it or not, I have never seen this movie. Don't ask me why, because I have always wanted to see it.
Better rectify that some day, since I think I would really like it.
Posted by: Fredrik | January 26, 2014 at 08:45