History YMMV / ThePeopleUnderTheStairs

* HilariousInHindsight: Surprisingly, this isn't the only time Creator/VingRhames has had to deal with a man who owns [[Film/PulpFiction a gimp suit.]]

* CompleteMonster: Mommy and Daddy Robeson are a pair of [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous siblings]] who are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice (and, from the looks that Daddy gives Alice sometimes, it might extend further from just physical abuse). When Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: He has less than fifteen minutes of screen time, but fans are especially fond of Roach for his HomeAloneAntics and BigBrotherInstinct towards Alice.

* CompleteMonster: Mommy and Daddy Robeson are a pair of [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous siblings]] who are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice (and, if the looks that Daddy gives Alice sometimes, it might extend further from just physical abuse). When Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

* CultClassic: While not the most well-known Creator/WesCraven's movie, it has grown more popular over time thanks to its BlackComedy and/or social commentary. In fact, it has become popular enough for Creator/JordanPeele to consider [[TheRemake remaking]] the movie.

* CultClassic

* Heartwarming: More than you would expect in a Wes Craven movie.
** Alice and Roach's relationship. It's shown that she gives him at least part of her food and, when the fork is missing and Mommy begins to get cross, Alice goes searching for it. Roach reaches out of the vent to give it back and she takes it, though she gives his hand an affectionate stroke before she does.
** Roach, in general, does everything to try to help Fool, giving him the antique coins after being injured and asks him to save Alice, even showing him the way, and tries to save Leroy early in the movie, though his shocking appearance only leads Leroy into running out and getting shot by Daddy.
** Fool goes into the house in the first place not simply out of greed, like Leroy and Spenser, but to help get money to get his sick mother into a hospital. And when Alice is trapped in the house, he willingly sneaks back inside to save her.
** Alice and Fool's friendship. Alice makes dolls in remembrance of every person(that she knows of)killed in the house and Fool, though barely knowing Alice, risks his life to try to save her.
** The people under the stairs, seeming to be monsters or zombies at first, end up helping Fool, saving him from Daddy and showing him where the secret vault is, while Fool tells them the way out. They pay him back by saving Alice from Mommy, and take their revenge in the process.

* CompleteMonster: Mommy and Daddy Robeson are a pair of [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous siblings]] who are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice(and, if the looks that Daddy gives Alice sometimes, it might extend further from just physical abuse). When Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

** If anyone is set up to be this, it's Alice. Alice is kidnapped from her parents and raised in an atmosphere of complete fear where the slightest step out of line could get her mutilated and locked in the basement for the rest of her life. She's beaten, forcibly bathed in steaming hot water, and possibly sexually abused. ** [[spoiler: Roach, when he gets shot, even before that]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: He has less than fifteen minutes of screen time, but fans are especially fond of Roach for his CrazyAwesome HomeALoneAntics and BigBrotherInstinct towards Alice.

** If anyone is set up to be this, it's Alice.
** [[spoiler: Roach, when he gets shot, even before that]].

* CompleteMonster: Mommy and Daddy Robeson are a pair of [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous siblings]] who are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice. When Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

* EnsembleDarkhorse : Roach

* {{Narm}}: The entire neighborhood showing up in the middle of the night to confront Mommy and Daddy definitely crosses into this.
** In fairness, it's outright stated that Mommy and Daddy have been gouging the rent and kidnapping and murdering children. Even before considering Fool's apparent popularity, the oddness is less that people step up than that they don't outright riot.

* TheWoobie: If anyone is set up to be this, it's Alice.
** [[spoiler: Roach, when he gets shot, even before that]].

** [[spoiler: Roach, when he gets shot, eveb before that]].

** [[spoiler: Roach, when he gets shot]].

* CompleteMonster: Mommy and Daddy are a pair of [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous siblings]] who are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice. When Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

* EnsembleDarkhorse : Roach

* CompleteMonster: Both the Woman and the Man, known as Mommy and Daddy, qualify. They are known as cutthroat landlords in a poor neighborhood, evicting tenants ruthlessly. In private, they're worse. Mommy and Daddy abduct children from poor families and abuse them hideously, cutting out 'the bad parts' from them and imprisoning them under the stairs while killing any intruders and feeding them to the imprisoned and starving kids. When the hero, Fool, is lost in their house, they spare no effort to try to find and kill him while abusing their abducted child Alice. when Alice discovers the truth and rejects Mommy as her mother, Mommy tries to kill her, screaming at her to burn in hell.

* CompleteMonster: Both the Woman and the Man qualify. The Woman kidnaps children while they're infants and indoctrinates them, those that 'fail' have their tongues burned out and they are set to the basement to starve. Those that don't, like Alice, are constantly abused by her and the Man (who molests her whenever he can get). She takes ''sadistic'' glee in sending either Prince or the Man after intruders or just utility works, even taking delight in [[WouldHurtAChild kid being killed]]. And the abuse the Woman heaps on Alice...tossing her in boiling water, making her clean up the blood of one of their murders and expecting the dress to be clean...

* CompleteMonster: Both the Woman and the Man qualify so much. The Woman kidnaps children while they're infants and indoctrinates them, those that 'fail' have their tongues burned out and they are set to the basement to starve. Those that don't, like Alice, are constantly abused by her and the Man (who molests her whenever he can get). She takes ''sadistic'' glee in sending either Prince or the Man after intruders or just utility works, even taking delight in [[WouldHurtAChild kid being killed]]. And the abuse the Woman heaps on Alice...tossing her in boiling water, making her clean up the blood of one of their murders and expecting the dress to be clean...

* FridgeHorror: Mommy told Alice in the middle of the movie "You kids will be the death of me." Later at the end of the film The kids under the stairs attack Mommy, Fool blows up the house that kills Daddy, and Alice stabs Mommy.
* FridgeLogic: When the police search the house, how did they not notice what must have been dozens of large bullet holes in the walls?

* CompleteMonster: Mommy. She kidnaps children to raise and locks them in a cage in the basement if they aren't good enough.
** One memorable scene has her getting angry at Alice for getting her dress dirty in a pool of blood she ordered her to clean. So she throws her in tub of scalding water and starts scrubbing her while she screams from the heat.
** Daddy also counts.