Movie possibly from the 80's with people suspended in a giant cage

I only saw a short clip of this movie and it was a long time ago. There were several people (maybe a family) who were locked in a giant cage that was suspended over a deep pit. There was a stairway that wrapped around the ins ide of the pit and there was a kid who was going down it. The kid was either a friend or a relative of the people in the cage. I think the people in the cage may have been locked in there by monsters or aliens. I think the movie may have been from the 80's.