10 Worst Neighbours In Horror Movies
1. The Robesons (The People Under The Stairs)
The Robesons (or Mummy and Daddy as they like to be known) are among the most twisted antagonists in horror history. Dreadfully uncaring landlords, the Robesons harshly throw out a family struggling to make ends meet. Hungry for revenge, a youngster nicknamed Fool teams up with a couple of burglars to rob the couple.
What follows is a sick and depraved journey into evil where it turns out the Robesons are keeping starved, mutilated children under their stairs. The couple live by a see/hear/speak no evil mantra, torturing and maiming the poor kids who purportedly broke the rules. It's profoundly dark, even by Wes Craven's notoriously cruel standards.
Actors Everett McGill and Wendy Robie appear to be having a little too much fun playing the twisted pair, giving the torturous villains an unsettlingly upbeat vibe at times. Many critics have cited the Robesons as a biting satire of both American conservatism and late-stage capitalism. Regardless of what Craven was going for with his raw, grisly script, he succeeded admirably in crafting the household from hell. 20 years later and the Robesons remain a 5-star neighbourhood nightmare.