The 'Burbs (1989)

An overstressed suburbanite and his paramilitaric neighbor struggle to prove their paranoid theory that the new family in town is a front for a cannibalistic cult.

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer:

Dana Olsen

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Ray Peterson
Bruce Dern	...	Lt. Mark Rumsfield
Carrie Fisher	...	Carol Peterson
Rick Ducommun	...	Art Weingartner
Corey Feldman	...	Ricky Butler
Wendy Schaal	...	Bonnie Rumsfield
Henry Gibson	...	Dr. Werner Klopek
Brother Theodore	...	Uncle Reuben Klopek
Courtney Gains	...	Hans Klopek
Gale Gordon	...	Walter Seznick
Dick Miller	...	Vic, Garbageman #1
Robert Picardo	...	Joe, Garbageman #2
Cory Danziger	...	Dave Peterson
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Detective #1
Rance Howard	...	Detective #2

Storyline

This story takes place in a typical American neighborhood, when some new neighbors come to live in the house next to Ray Peterson. These new people are really strange; nobody has ever seen them, their house is a real mess, and during the night you can hear weird noises from their basement. The only thing they know is their name: Klopeks. One day Walter (an old man of the neighborhood) suddenly disappears and everyone starts to suspect the Klopeks...

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | neighborhood | suburbanite | basement | new neighbor | 

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Taglines:

Life In The Burbs Will Never Be The Same Again!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les banlieusards

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$36,602,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The street was shot on location in the Universal Backlot. It's been used in many films and TV shows, including Desperate Housewives. Some of the buildings have changed over time, but Walter's house is the only building on the lot that hasn't changed at all.

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Goofs

During Ray's dream, Ruben Klopek yells 'Mind your own business' in his foreign accent. Ray has never even met him before so would therefore have no idea at all what his voice sounds like.

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Quotes

[Art and Ricky are sitting on the porch when Ray comes out]
Art: He comes over here to smoke cigars, his wife won't let him, he doesnt know i know that... Hiya Ray! How ya doing bud?

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the Universal logo, the camera zooms into Earth and to where the film takes place.

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Connections

Referenced in This Week in Horror: Trailers from Hell (2011)

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Soundtracks

"QUESTA O QUELLA"
From Verdi's Rigoletto
Performed by Enrico Caruso
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc. Special Markets Division

User Reviews

a hilarious movie

The first time I saw THE 'BURBS, it was a special unannounced sneak preview following another film. Having heard nothing about this film and not even knowing of its existence until the film started, I was immediately worried I was about to see a horror film. Hey, I was only ten at the time, when I was still scared of horror movies. But what I ended up seeing was one of the most hilarious movies ever made, a movie that had the entire theater laughing all the way through. We later bought the video, and more recently the DVD, and over the years since it's release I've watched it countless times (the exact number probably somewhere in the 50s or so) and have never grown tired of it.

While managing to be both suspenseful and funny at the same time, the film also does a great job after capturing the day-to-day life of a small suburban street, with a variety of characters so simple and life-like, it seems like they could actually live on your own street. The grumpy old guy down the street, the teenager who likes to throw parties while his parents are gown, the guy next door who comes over all the time and mooches food, and the average Everyday Joe who experiences it all at his own pace. The cast is an excellent combination, with everybody working great together, particularly Bruce Dern as the Vietnam vet who always has the right tool for the job and Tom Hanks as the average guy who's curious about his strange new neighbors, but not enough to really want to bother finding out more about them. If you've never seen it, I suggest giving it a look. It really is quite funny and has many quotable lines.