Month: October 2020

Thoughts on The people under the stairs

I finally faced my childhood trauma by watching The people under the stairs in full. I saw sections of it as a child and remember only the image of children running from something in the wall cavities of a old creepy house.

It was an absolute surprise and joy to see Everett McGill and Wendy Robie as an on-screen couple again after their iconic partnership in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks as Ed and Nadine Hurley.

Credited as simply ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’ respectively, the pair live in a large fortified house just outside of a Los Angeles Ghetto. That Ghetto is pretty much owned in full by the couple — land and property bought and passed on through the years to subsequent generations of the family.

The couple are Land lords to many in the neighbourhood, but specifically a family struggling to pay the bills due to abject poverty and family illness. The story kicks off when the poor family’s young son, nicknamed ‘Fool’, is used by a criminal friend of the family to help break into the rich couple’s house. They do this to try and find a rumoured collection of gold coins that have been hoarded there.

What follows is them all trapped in the house with no escape, running and hiding from the sadistic couple armed to the teeth and commanding a large, vicious dog. Not only that, but they must also content with the people under the stairs.

The things I found most scary this time around were not necessarily the chases through the walls or the basement encounters, although they were often tense. What I found myself finding most horrific was how these crazed parents treated their daughter Alice.

Alice lives under a constant cloud of threatened, and often enacted, abuse. Later we even see her slammed on to the floor to clean the blood-drenched wooden flooring of the house. And then soon after being force-cleaned by her mother in a visibly-scolding deep bath of water.

How this film went from comedic moments of joy to horrific moments of torture and mutilation was all but expertly done. Despite having so much to offer in terms of tone, it never felt jarring. It was a roller coaster that just kept throwing in loop-da-loops and sharp left turns.

Mcgill and Robie were incredible as the crazed couple hunting for the blood of the intruders whilst trying to keep their current captives under control. And then there is the illusive thing living in their walls.

Oh, and their dog is bloody terrifying.

I loved them both in Twin Peaks. The people under the stairs made me love them even more.

Equally as impressive was the actor playing Fool — Brandon Adams. He had great charisma on screen and his character really kicked ass and held his own against the lunatics.

Fool would often fight back against his pursuers and never made any dumb decisions to merely serve the plot.

He sure is one smart cookie.

I’m actually proud of myself for clocking the satirical take on the nature of capitalism throughout the film too. Maybe all of this writing and thinking a bit more about the films I watch is having an affect on me?

I enjoyed this film so much, and for many different reasons. I really can’t recommend it enough.

Watching The people under the stairs

An image from an old film haunted me for some years in my childhood. Only recently did I discover somehow, without watching it, that the image was from The people under the stairs.

Now I’m going back in to a film I may have seen as a child and possibly blocked out, out of trauma.

The people under the stairs poster

Afterward

This film was amazing. I need to write up some thoughts on it soon.

Thoughts on Friday the 13th part 2

Apart from being an entertaining and very 80’s killing spree around the cursed area surrounding Camp Crystal Lake, I thought this was a really well made, and clever horror film.

The second film in the Friday the 13th series and first appearance of Jason.

I absolutely loved this film.

I found myself constantly second guessing what was going to happen next.

Apart from being an entertaining and very 80’s killing spree around the cursed area surrounding Camp Crystal Lake, I thought this was a really well made, and clever horror film.

The opening scene was, for the lack of a better word, perfect. The sustained tension through the entire five to ten minute opening with the first film’s lone survivor almost gave me a stomach muscle ache i think.

The camera direction was incredible in pointing my attention to places I was certain someone would appear from. Even the shower room POV shot — done Psycho style — ending in the lady all but winking to the camera to say to the audience “I know what you were thinking”, had me smiling to myself.

Smiling and nerve-wracked all the way to the opening scene’s superb climax.

One of the best opening scenes in a horror film I can remember seeing.

The rest of the film was great from beginning to end too, with some great moments of tension throughout.

There was even one particular death that I found myself second guessing again too. I wont say which, but after what I’d consider clever uses of misdirection up until now, I found myself assuming that a certain scene was going to be more drawn out and elaborate than it was.

When in fact it couldn’t have been more straight forward and to the point. #BladeToTheFace

As far as the killings go, this wasn’t as gory as I was expecting it to be. I think that maybe as this series is one of the bedrocks of slasher films, it has a level of infamy that can easily hype it up in the minds of those that haven’t yet seen it. Despite my saying that, I think that the level of violence in general will keep any horror fan salivating.

One thing that did surprise me was that Jason felt much more human than I was expecting. In all of the references I had seen to him up till now, he is portrayed almost like a machine that can not be killed. Although saying that, there was an awesome scene as he is revealed in full for the first time — where he stands up from under a cover, towering over his next victim.

A really imposing figure and one of my favourite scenes of the film.

His ability to get back up after certain injuries seemed almost plausible here too. However, I am fully expecting his recoveries to get less and less plausible as I delve deeper into this series.

I had to smile and grimace at times when either a couple would have sex or someone would say “I’ll be right back” — I was immediately reminded of a key scene from Wes Craven’s Scream, where a horror film nerd would describe these dangers and things to not do in a horror film. It seems that he was right.

I had already enjoyed the first Friday the 13th film some time ago. And now that I have enjoyed this one even more, I am really looking forward to getting further into Jason’s world.

Despite my expecting them to start degrading with originality over time, from what I’ve heard at least, I am really excited to be going on the ride for the first time.

31 Films of Halloween 2020

I think I’m going to try and do the 31 days of Halloween by watching 1 new horror film each day in October. (Or just 31 new horror films by the month’s end is more likely for my timetable)

I may alter the order as I go.

  • 1 — Suspiria (2018 remake) — watched 1st October
  • 2 — Friday the 13th part 2 — watched 5th October
  • 3 — The People under the Stairs — watched 6th October
  • 4 — Friday the 13th part 3
  • 5 — Night of the Living Dead
  • 6 — Jacob’s Ladder
  • 7 — Hereditary
  • 8 — The Blair Witch Project
  • 9 — Sisters
  • 10 — Blood and Black Lace
  • 11 — Bay of Blood
  • 12 — Don’t torture a duckling
  • 13 — Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
  • 14 — What Have You Done to Solange?
  • 15 — The Burning
  • 16 — Inferno
  • 17 — I Trapped the Devil
  • 18 — Phantasm
  • 19 — The Brood
  • 20 — Carnival of Souls
  • 21 — The Tenant
  • 22 — An American Werewolf in London
  • 23 — The Fall of the House of Usher
  • 24 — The Wicker Man
  • 25 — Re-animator
  • 26 — Train to Busan
  • 27 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers
  • 28 — Mandy
  • 29 — Repulsion
  • 30 — Drag me to Hell
  • 31 — Midsommer

Other Possibles:

  • Raw