The People Under The Stairs: Remake Or Sequel

Time to talk remake again, and landing in my cross-hair today is the 1991 Wes Craven movie The People Under The Stairs.  It has been 23 years, almost 24 years that the original film was released, but it is time that someone pick up the film, dust it off, and either remake it, or give us a sequel (yes that is possible).

The People Under The Stairs Plot

Now, you can be sure that when we refer to The People Under The Stairs on this site, we are in no way referencing Harry Potter and his living arrangements.

Instead we are talking about children who don’t like to follow the rules that mommy and daddy outline for them, and they are forced to live in a locked dungeon on the property.

What is more sadistic about locking your children in the basement permanently for not listening?  Well the fact that your children are inbred off-spring of a sadistic brother and sister couple.

When mom and dad Robeson decide to evict tenants out of their rental property, things get real as they uncover the true horrific conditions that exist in the Robeson household.  One of the wood-be robbers is killed, and the other makes it his mission to get Alice out of the house.  Alice is the only child that hasn’t been locked in the basement, as she has dutifully tried to follow all the rules.

Things get stranger for all parties involved, when the house is finally blown up, spewing the Robeson riches among the neighborhood, and releasing the in inbred children who have degenerated to cannibalism to survive into the night.

The Remake Option

Wes Craven himself reportedly wanted to remake the film, but after the 2009 remake of his other film, The Last House on the Left, talk of remaking The People Under The Stairs trailed off.

Could Craven be convinced at this point to remake the film, or allow someone else to remake it, with him as an executive producer?

The film in 1991 was decently made, and scary enough.  Add to it the technology of the last 20 years or so, and so much more could be done.  The original movie was rated R by the MPAA, but with the relaxing of movie ratings since hits first release, so much more could be done as well, instead of a little bit of scary violence.

The Sequel Option

What comes next for The People Under The Stairs?  It doesn’t have to be a remake, but a sequel.  The end of the movie shows our deranged little children disappearing into the night.

We could easily see a sequel of what happened to the towns people as the cannibalistic search for food out in the open, terrorizing neighbors, towns, and livestock – in a not so undead, but live zombie type flick.  It could work.

IMBD has The People Under The Stairs listed as a horror comedy.  Much like the first two movies I looked at needing a remake, this story could be done a lot better if you looked at more of the darker side of the film and eliminated some of the comedy portions of it.  In 1991 it wasn’t so far fetched that an inbreeding couple could exist, in 2014 – society says the gloves are off.  I have seen weirder things on the news lately.