Joe Dante’s The ’Burbs is the kind of suburban paranoia comedy that still plays like gangbusters. In this 1989 dark farce, Tom Hanks stars as Ray Peterson, a worn out everyman who has finally taken a week off and plans to do absolutely nothing. His staycation curdles the minute his motor-mouth neighbor Art, played with gleeful needling by Rick Ducommun, fixates on the new family next door, the reclusive Klopeks, who seem to appear only at night, haul suspiciously heavy trash to the curb, and dig holes in their yard during thunderstorms.
Curiosity curdles into obsession, and before long Ray is sending his wife Carol, a wonderfully exasperated Carrie Fisher, and their son out of town so he, Art, and Vietnam vet Mark Rumsfield, a deadpan lethal Bruce Dern, can poke around where they definitely should not.
What makes The ’Burbs sing is the balance Dante strikes between cartoon energy and creeping dread. The setups are pure sight-gag slapstick, then a creak or a cutaway lets you feel the horror gears turning. It links neatly to the director’s Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, sharing that manic yet cozy Amblin glow, while riffing on Rear Window in cul-de-sac form.
Jerry Goldsmith’s mischievous score gives every lawn, basement, and fuse box a pulse. The ensemble locks into one comic wavelength, with Corey Feldman as local teen Ricky providing a running commentary from his porch as if he is hosting his own midnight movie.
Hanks is terrific here, right in the pocket of his pre-Philadelphia comedy era. You can see the precision that would carry him into the 90s, yet he commits to every pratfall and double take. Fisher grounds the film with plain good sense, Dern weaponizes bravado, and Ducommun keeps the pot boiling. Even the Klopeks, once finally seen, are played with just enough deadpan to keep you guessing.
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The surprise with The ‘Burbs is how current its neighborhood satire still feels. Idle time, rumor mills, groupthink, everyone sure they are the hero of the block, it all lands. It is also a fun snapshot of Tom Hanks before the prestige run he’d have in the 1990s of Philadelphia, Apollo 13, and Saving Private Ryan. In rhythm with other Joe Dante or Tim Burton suburban goth comedies, this is essential cul-de-sac cinema, equal parts goofy and ghoulish.
Score: 8/10
The ‘Burbs (1989)
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Wendy Schaal, Corey Feldman, Courtney Gains, Henry Gibson
- Director: Joe Dante
- Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Rated: PG
- Release Date: February 17, 1989
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