The People Under the Stairs

Pretty decent perverted fun overall, but the child protagonist was insufferable. In any case, Craven has better stuff under his belt. 60% (13/11/2008)

Absolutely warped movie with a “Burn-in-Hell" Mom and Dad who lock kids up in their home, and like a model family they have a doggie too... Definitely don’t expect any horror, suspense or even any serious moments, but if you are fine with untaxing entertainment full of great lines and madcap fun, this is a movie for you. The movie isn’t spoiled even by the child main protagonist with a deprived social background, or rather not until the last third. And Craven really could have spared us the very ending. (15/08/2005)

I'm a bit torn apart about this film... Even though I consider The People Under the Stairs to be first-rate nonsense that doesn't hold up under strict logical analysis, I was still satisfied with it, and I can even say that I enjoyed it better than objectively much higher quality films. Wes Craven is simply not only a good craftsman but also a connoisseur of genre rules and his audience. He knows very well that a fan of low-budget horror films doesn't watch them to elevate themselves intellectually but to evoke emotions. Craven knows the structure of horror, all its genre topics, props, and especially the desired clichés, both in theory and in practice. His film dabbles on the edge of horror, splatterpunk, parody, and comedy. None of it works perfectly and it doesn't come close to the quality of Scream. Of course, the horror atmosphere prevails, where Craven feels at home, but at the same time the director goes a bit into a parody exaggeration, which may not provoke bursts of laughter but does manage to make the corners of your mouth twitch – moreover, it leads to the fact that the viewer generously waves away the plot holes bigger than the damage to the Titanic caused by the iceberg... A completely undemanding, but functional affair. Overall impression 60%. (28/01/2008)