The People Under the Stairs

1991 | Comedy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Synopsis

When Fool breaks into the home of his family's landlords, he discovers that they have mutilated several boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs. As Fool attempts to flee, he meets their daughter, Alice. Can Fool and Alice escape?

Scores

Overall Score
76.0
Popularity Percentile (Year)
81.4%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
75.6%
Review Aggregate
64.5

Critic Consensus

65.5% Fresh • 29 critic reviews

Critic reception is mixed, with 66% of 29 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize dark, funny, suspenseful. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.

darkfunnysuspensefulcharacter-drivenscarysatiricalaction-packedmacabrepolitical

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Brandon Adams1991$391,000$900,000(est)
Everett McGill1991$240,000$554,000(est)
Wendy Robie1991$181,000$417,000(est)
A. J. Langer1991$148,000$341,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score68.0
RT critic review count34
Rotten Tomatoes audience score61.0
RT audience rating count25,000
IMDb rating6.4
IMDb votes42,440

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1991$24,204,154$55,747,748
International1991N/AN/A
Worldwide1991$24,204,154$55,747,748

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1991$12,102,077$27,873,874
Digital Rentals ?1991N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1991N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1991$39,129,000$90,123,110
Physical Purchases ?1991$23,863,000$54,961,992
TV & Streaming Revenue1991$6,051,038$13,936,937
Total Revenues1991$81,145,116$186,895,913
Expenses
Budget ?1991$6,000,000$13,819,384
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1991$7,500,000 (est)$17,274,229 (est)
Participations1991$6,492,000$14,952,573
Residuals ?1991$4,943,000$11,384,869
Interest & Overhead1991$1,200,000$2,763,877
Total Expenses1991$26,135,000$60,194,932
Movie Net Profit or Loss1991$55,010,116$126,700,981

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