The People Under the Stairs. Wes Craven, 1991.
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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2013. English language. Runtime approximately 102 minutes.
Summary: Killing of a dog.
Details:
1) A Rottweiler is electrocuted and whimpers to the floor, apparently dying, 33:58-34:10. He reappears soon, apparently fine.
2) Everett McGill stabs something through a wall at 1:02:35, and we see the Rottweiler collapse again through 1:02:58.
3) The truth of the stabbing is revealed as the dog collapses yet again and finally dies, 1:03:42-1:03:46.
There are some laudable aspects of this film. Most prominent, the plot condemns exploitation of impoverished tenants by greedy landowners, and generally mocks crazy white people and their abusive behavior. Beyond that, some people are into Sean Whalen and dig his performance as Roach, the lead Person Under the Stairs. Finally, we have Wendy Robie and Everett McGill (Nadine and Big Ed in Twin Peaks) as the insane antagonists, delivering funny, good performances at about the same time they are popular in Lynch’s TV drama.
In order for a viewer to consider this a passably “good” film, one of those three specific attributes must be appealing. If you aren’t interested in the social justice message or in one of the cult performers, The People Under the Stairs is 100 minutes of frantic people chasing each other through endless secret passages in a huge house, and you are wrong if you think, Oh that might be entertaining.