Sophia Michaels
Jordan Peele has a solid track record thus far regarding horror, so if there’s word he’s circling a remake of a film made by one of the Masters Of Horror, people listen up. Not only that, but Peele is looking to do a remake of one of the most underrated Wes Craven horror films in his catalog, and I’m sold on the vision he may have for The People Under The Stairs.
The news right now is that Doom Patrol writer Ezra Claytan Daniels has signed on to pen the remake of The People Under The Stairs. Deadline reported Monkey Paw Productions will produce the film, and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld will be the producers. There aren’t many details beyond that, as the project is still in early development.
The original movie was written and directed by Wes Craven, and followed Poindexter “Fool” Williams as he tried to rob his greedy landlords to pay for his mother’s cancer treatments. Once inside the house, he’s shocked to find the landlords are hiding several pale children who have been confined for a long time and resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. CinemaBlend’s Rich Knight called it one of the best Black horror movies and noted it as an example against the trope of Black people dying in horror movies.
The director shared some understanding.
Now might be the perfect time for a movie like The People Under The Stairs, especially with the main story revolving around a family that’s fallen on hard times. With prices on the rise for goods, now might be the best time for the Wes Craven classic to find new life and an audience to resonate with in a way that perhaps it didn’t as much in the ’90s.
It shouldn’t take much looking into the body of horror work that Jordan Peele has contributed to as a writer, producer and director over the last handful of years to explain why he’s a great person to attach to this. Rewatching any of Peele’s scarier movies has me confident he’s the right person to be involved in this project. The amount of brilliant details he put in Us should be enough to give him whatever film he wants when it comes to horror.
It’s also worth noting that The People Under The Stairs wasn’t just celebrated as a horror movie either. The movie was meant to serve as a political statement that showcased an impoverished youth in opposition against a privileged and uncaring family. It definitely sounds like a movie that will find an audience in the 2020s, maybe even more than it found back in the early ’90s. I’ll be eager to follow its development and see what other actors are attached to the project as it develops.
Those with a Netflix subscription can watch a good deal of Jordan Peele’s best horror stories to date while we wait for more details on The People Under The Stairs. This is a project that I’m very excited for, so I hope it won’t take too long before we hear more news about it.
