The People Under the Stairs: How it Broke the Horror Movie Archetype

The People Under the Stairs broke the horror archetype on many different levels. The film had a child as the lead actor, the cast was predominantly black, and achieved a perfect blend of horror and comedy-all a rare thing in the horror genre. In addition to the villains being rich and White, it was scary how detached they were from real life, but then again, they won the natural lottery. As the story progresses, one can’t help but to bond with the lead character through a series of difficult choices. “[…] Daddy cut out the bad parts, and put the boys in the cellar, […]. They get flashlights and food of some kind. I suppose they're happy in their own way.” This dark tale tells the story of insane siblings who’ve stolen children, thrown some away in the cellar, and fed the rest to the people under the stairs. 

 

Real life problems are presented to this barely thirteen year old in the first act. Fool, our lead character, has a mother dying of cancer, his family’s about to be evicted, and they have nowhere to go. It’s interesting how the person that lost the natural lottery is the hero of this film, and the winners are placed as the villains. 

An opportunity to earn money to save his family arises; it goes against his moral standing, but what good are morals when your family’s starving? Finding yourself rooting for Fool is inevitable, which leaves the window open for fear to sneak in, making it impossible to fear for our young hero. 

 

The film itself managed to stand out when released for many reasons. It’s become a custom in scary movies to have barely any, if not, no Black people included in their production. Wes Craven noticed the unleveled playing field within the horror genre and reacted. This movie featured a mostly Black cast, and not only that, but the lead actor was Black. To quote one of the greatest sequels, “the horror genre is historically known for excluding the African American element.” – Which happens to be another Wes Craven film. While some scenes do seem farfetched, it works with the movie, even adding some humor to the story.  

 

            The People Under the Stairs comments on unfair housing policies. The children-stealing landlords charge tenants double the rent when late a day, and triple when late two days, and evicted on the third. The sole purpose of those rental claws is to get as much money as possible from low-income families, then push them out, making the building available for  “different” type of tenants. These morally depraved brother and sister aren’t so detached from modern days landlords in parts of cities labeled the “ghetto” part of town. If anything, this movie amplifies on the need for fair housing policies all over the country. Authority may be a dangerous thing when in the hands of certain people. 

The People Under the Stairs is a must watch! And like the song over the ending credits says, “Do the right thing!”