ultimate_reaver posted... Movie 7- The People Under the Stairs
I saw this movie for the first time a couple years ago and I've made time for it for the past two because I love it. When people talk about Wes Craven you hear a lot of love for Elm Street or Last House on the Left, but never this movie. That's criminal because it's one of his best in my opinion.
Don't Breathe brought back the idea of a home invasion gone wrong when it turns out the owners are psychos, but this one does it vastly better. The actors that play Big Ed and Norma from Twin Peaks play as a psychotic couple just called "Mommy" and "Daddy" who murder intruders and feed them to the lobotomized abduction victims they keep in their cellar. There's a combination of genuine creepiness on their part as they screech and dance and love on each other like insane cartoon characters, but also of really fun physical comedy in spots. It's got a really wry sense of humor that is balanced unusually well with the horror, and the result is almost like a reverse home alone where the main kid is dodging traps and trying to get one over on the adults while he tries to rob them. This all builds up to a fantastic ending sequence that feels incredibly satisfying after the journey to get there.
There's a nice amount of social commentary here as well that feels surprisingly relevant today that I don't want to spoil too deeply. The film has no love for exploitative landlords and is very up front about that. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll find this is a pretty progressive piece for a movie released in the 90s. But it's never the forefront of things and it manages to stay a really fun thrill ride above all else.
The only real thing I can hold against the movie is there a sort of awkward disruptive middle part that doesn't really feel nessicary. It does let things cool down a bit, and it does give you an excuse to not set the entire thing in the main house, but it feels kind of superfluous. Even then, though, I am reaching for things to nitpick about. This is a top tier horror comedy that keeps itself well balanced between lightness and darkness, and I absolutely suggest giving it a watch if you've never seen it. 9/10
I'm glad someone is taking these seriously. Great write up.