Plot

A quiet man's peaceful suburban lifestyle is threatened by the obnoxious new couple who moves in next next door.

One man's quiet suburban life takes a sickening lurch for the worse when a young couple moves into the deserted house next door. From the word go it is obvious these are not the quiet professional types who *should* be living on such a nice street. As more and more unbelievable events unfold, our hero starts to question his own sanity... and that of his family.—Brad Jackson

Earl Keese (John Belushi), a middle-aged suburbanite, watches television after arriving home from work. He notices a truck outside the other home on the cul-de-sac, and wonders who is moving in. He suggests to his wife, Enid (Kathryn Walker), that they invite the new neighbors over for a drink, but she is uninterested and starts cooking dinner.

The doorbell rings and Earl meets Ramona (Cathy Moriarty), his sexy new neighbor, and invites her inside to dinner. However, when Earl informs his wife, he discovers Enid did not have time to grocery shop and they only have frozen waffles for dinner. Earl returns to the living room, and Ramona is gone, but her husband, Vic (Dan Aykroyd), has arrived. Vic offers to get Italian take-out food if Earl pays for it. Earl agrees and gives Vic money. Next, Vic asks for Earl's car keys, claiming his truck's brakes are failing. Earl's suspicion heightens when Vic mentions getting the food from a new Italian restaurant that Earl does not believe exists. Earl goes to his bedroom upstairs to get car keys from his wife's purse, and discovers Ramona naked in bed, stating she needs to rest after the move.

After Vic leaves with the car keys, Earl sees Vic drive to the house next door and run inside. He sneaks to his neighbor's house to investigate, and watches Vic cook spaghetti and place it in take-out containers. As a joke, Earl decides to hide Vic's truck in his garage. However, Earl discovers the truck's brakes really do not work. He jumps out as the truck speeds into the nearby swamp and sinks.

As Earl returns home, Vic arrives with the "takeout" food and wine. Enid greets Vic warmly and admits they met earlier in the day. Enid flirts with Vic, and sends her husband to look for Ramona. When Earl finds Ramona on the front porch, she wants money to stay quiet about Earl's "joke" with Vic's truck. As they eat, Earl questions Vic about the takeout food, forcing Vic to admit he cooked it. Ramona suggests that Earl also confess. He thinks she is referring to their "arrangement" about the truck, but Ramona announces that Earl tried to have sex with her. Upset, Vic and Ramona leave, but Vic promises not to take Earl to court because they will be neighbors for a long time. Seconds later, Earl and Enid rush outside when Vic and Ramona's dog is zapped by a burst of power from the electric tower that stands between the two homes. The dog survives the shock, but a bird hits a power line and drops dead. Vic and Ramona admit they were joking about Earl wanting to have sex with Ramona.

As the women go inside for a drink, Earl confesses his own prank involving Vic's truck. Vic demands they go to the swamp so he can retrieve his truck and the model airplane inside. Earl falls into quicksand and Vic eventually pulls him out, but falls into the quicksand himself in the process. Earl tries to find Vic, but cannot. Believing Vic is dead, Earl staggers to his basement for a shower, and a mud-covered Vic jumps out at him. After showering, Earl locks his new neighbors in the cellar. However, the couple makes strange noises and Enid sends Earl to investigate. Vic and Ramona sneak upstairs and lock Earl in the cellar. Earl calls a local, Pa Greavey, asking for a locksmith and a tow truck. Greavey states that Vic already called, and Greavey does not think it is funny that Earl drove Vic's car into the swamp and locked the couple in the basement.

Through the basement window, Earl sees his own car being towed. He discovers the basement door is no longer locked, and goes outside to find Enid, Ramona and Vic talking to Elaine (Lauren-Marie Taylor), Earl and Enid's teenage daughter who was expelled from a boarding school and hitchhiked home. Elaine has a bottle of vodka and is ready to party with the new neighbors, but when she shows everyone her edible underwear, Vic makes a crass joke and Earl punches him. Ramona and Vic leave. Angry, Enid and Elaine go to bed. As Earl turns off the lights, Ramona propositions him through the mail slot. Earl asks her to wait and then runs upstairs to shave. When he returns, Ramona is not outside, but Pa Greavey has returned with Earl's car. The mechanic is furious that the car is fine and there was no reason to examine it during the night. Greavey punches Earl and smashes the front of Earl's car before speeding away. As Earl searches for Ramona, Vic mistakes him for a prowler and shoots. Earl claims he was looking for someone to talk to and Vic offers to talk over coffee. However, when Vic steers the discussion to Elaine's sex life, they fight and Earl leaves.

In the morning, as Earl returns home, he notices the words "pimp wagon" have been spray-painted on his car. Upstairs, his bedroom door is locked as Enid and Ramona chat inside. Outside, Vic polishes the graffiti off Earl's car and borrows it to pick up breakfast. A tow truck driver pulls Vic's truck from the swamp, but the vehicle will not start. Vic returns with a moving trailer attached to Earl's car, retrieves the model plane from his truck, and announces he is moving because the swamp attracts bugs and the power lines are too close. Earl wants Vic and Ramona to stay, admitting he does not have any friends. Vic claims Ramona is not his wife, but she is "paid for" and Earl can have her.

Earl finds Ramona alone in his bedroom and she offers sex. However, their tryst is interrupted when Vic crashes his radio controlled plane into his own house, which explodes into flames. Firemen arrive, but there is not enough water pressure to douse the flames. When Earl returns to his home after the excitement, Ramona tells him that Vic traded her for Enid and Elaine. Earl offers to take Ramona to the city for breakfast and changes his clothes. However, when he returns to the kitchen, Enid, Elaine and Vic have returned with breakfast. As they eat, Earl admits his life was tedious until Vic and Ramona arrived, and he wants to move out of the suburbs. He wants Vic to buy his house, claiming Vic destroyed his own home for the insurance money.

Vic and Ramona admit there is no insurance money and they did not own the house. Vic worked at the nursing home where Mrs. Warren, the Keese's previous neighbor, recently died. Her house was empty, so Vic and Ramona moved in. Now that the house is gone, they will move on. Earl gives Vic and Ramona his car and the couple leaves.

Later, Elaine returns to school, and Enid drives away with Mr. Thundersky to attend a Native American studies class. Earl is left alone to watch television, but Vic and Ramona return, announcing their travels will not be fun without Earl. He smashes the television set, igniting a fire, and the home bursts into flames as Earl, Vic and Ramona leave for the "great unknown."