After the successes of films such as Get Out (2017) and Nope (2022), Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions will be partnering with Universal Pictures to remake Wes Craven’s horror-comedy The People Under the Stairs. Though it did not do exceptionally well in its time, the film has since influenced modern horror and has become a cult classic for Wes Craven fans. Fans of Jordan Peele’s work will want to keep up with this next project.

The 1991 Original 

The original film, with a runtime of one hour and forty-two minutes, provides satirical comedy on harsh subjects such as gentrification and classism in Los Angeles, California. Written and directed by Nightmare on Elm Street’s Wes Craven, The People Under the Stairs follows Poindexter “Fool” Williams (Brandon Adams), a young boy who attempts to burgle his landlords, the Robesons, before realizing they are abusing and holding children hostage.

Fool initially begins his burglary of the wealthy Robesons to help pay his mother’s medical bills before they are evicted; however, it leads to his colleagues being murdered and an unraveling of realizations as cannibalistic children quite literally come out of the woodwork to escape the house of plenty. It’s a sad tale filled with classic Wes Craven comedic timing that had average success in its time but has since influenced modern films like Zach Cregger’s 2022 horror hit Barbarian.