Stairs are one of many movie motifs. They are a symbol of inclination as well as decline. Potential and pitfalls are found in every step. A stairway to heaven sounds and looks promising. An escalator to hell is less promising. Life is a staircase. The small and big steps, the ups and downs, and the climb will always be there.
The stairs were there for the acrophobic detective John "Scottie" Ferguson in Vertigo as he ascended the bell tower. The stairs were there in Batman as he went up the cathedral to confront the Joker. The stairs were there for Andy heading to his room as his favorite playthings rushed back to their original positions in Toy Story. Stairs take the climber high and low, step by step.
10 Battleship Potemkin (1925)
The Odessa Steps in Battleship Potemkin are the site of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Rebels aboard the Imperial Russian Navy battleship stage a mutiny that bleeds over to the city of Odessa, Ukraine. Citizens support the sailors and the revolution, but the Cossack army retaliates and opens fire on unarmed civilians sprinting down the steps. The stairs serve as a symbol of Odessa, an entrance to the city from the sea, and a landmark of European cinema.
9 Inception (2010)
The Penrose Stairs from Inception are based on the optical illusion by Swedish graphic artist Oscar Reutersvärd. The impossible object is a continuous loop with the impression of climbing without getting any higher. In the dream world, coupled with corporate espionage, the Penrose Stairs represent the surreal nature of the mind mingling with matter.
Arthur infiltrates and implants false ideas while outrunning conscious guards in the minds of his victims. When he runs down the Penrose stairs, he is actually running up to subdue the imagined guard.
8 Joker (2019)
The infamous stair dance scene in Joker takes place at West 167th Street in the Bronx. The New York City step street is used by Arthur Fleck before becoming the Clown Prince of Crime. The heights and depths of Arthur's mental health are showcased through his routine climb. Filming was a challenge due to the paparazzi, but since then, the Joker Stairs have become a tourist destination.
7 Psycho (1960)
The hillside residence of Norman Bates from Psycho has the scariest set of stairs. The home is entered by Milton Arbogast, a private investigator in search of the missing Marion Crane. Her last known location is the Bates Motel, where he suspects Norman knows of Marion's whereabouts. When Arbogast goes to question Norman's mother, he gets a sharp answer at the top of the staircase.
6 Rocky (1976)
The Rocky Steps in Rocky belong to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky Balboa is a boxer and contender, working his way up to fighting heavyweight world champion Apollo Creed. To prepare for the title bout, Rocky uses frozen beef from a meat packing plant as a punching bag, chases chickens, and runs across the city. Rocky's training montage culminates with him climbing the 72 steps of the PMoA.
5 The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist follows the possession of the young girl, Regan MacNeil. Two Catholic priests attempt to remove the devil from her person as she performs evil acts. Their efforts are noble, but overpowered by Regan's demon. The first priest perishes, while the second goads the demon to possess him instead.
He struggles with the entity until both fall outside the girl's bedroom window and down the outdoor staircase. The Exorcist Steps are an official tourist site, located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
4 The Music Box (1932)
The Music Box is a comedy short film starring comedic legends Laurel and Hardy. They are the founders and movers of a transfer company that transports a player piano to a customer. They decide to bring the piano up a stairway, but pedestrians keep climbing down the steps, halting their progress. The Laurel and Hardy Steps are near Laurel and Hardy Park in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles.
3 The Shining (1980)
The Shining takes place in the haunted Overlook Hotel. Writer Jack Torrance agrees to be its temporary caretaker. His family stays with him as he works on his writing. Jack's wife, Wendy, notices his mental health deteriorating when she sees he has written the axiom "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", repeatedly.
Her worries only make Jack more unhinged and abusive. He climbs the foyer steps after her, but Wendy delays his advances with the swing of a bat.
2 The Truman Show (1998)
The Truman Show is a televised social experiment in which Truman Burbank is unknowingly recorded 24/7 inside a dome-sized TV studio. His family and friends are actors who are fed lines by the show creator to prevent Truman from knowing the truth.
Truman experiences staged events that only happen to him with no reaction from others. His suspicions lead him to the horizon, where he finds the dome's exit stairs and learns he doesn't have to play a character anymore.
1 The Untouchables (1987)
The Untouchables follows kingpin Al Capone and his gangsters eluding the Bureau of Prohibition, also known as the Untouchables. The federal agents have a shootout (a homage to the Odessa Steps in Battleship Potemkin) with the goons in the Chicago Union Station.
Elliot Ness, the leader of the bureau, is almost gunned down when helping a mother and child in a pram climb the stairs. Ness and his team successfully dispatch Capone's men while saving the woman and her baby.
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