10 More Horror Movie Characters You Couldn't Wait To See Die

8. Mommy & Daddy - The People Under The Stairs

Friday the 13th
Universal Pictures

While many people think of A Nightmare on Elm Street or Scream when hearing the name Wes Craven, one of the iconic director's very best efforts is the oft-overlooked People Under the Stairs.

A hidden gem, this 1991 offering centres on Fool, a young boy roped into burgling the house of the wealthy landlords who are looking to evict his family. These landlords are the Robesons, a supposed married couple who are in actuality a brother and sister duo who refer to themselves as Mommy and Daddy.

It's one thing to see how abusive the Robesons are to their "daughter" - shy, timid Alice - it's another thing altogether to discover that the duo have a basement full of deformed cannibalistic teenagers. As Alice explains to Fool, those who reside under the stairs were put their because they broke Mommy and Daddy's rule of see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.

Having spent a large chunk of The People Under the Stairs' second half chasing Fool and Roach - one of said cannibals - around their vast house and through its walls, it's hugely satisfying to see Mommy and Daddy get their comeuppance as the picture rolls to a close.

That comeuppance sees Mommy stabbed by Alice and taken by those beings who lurk in the basement, whereas Daddy dies in an explosion which causes this creepy couple's fortune to flow up through the chimney and out onto the streets.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.