The ‘burbs

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
• Genre:Comedy / Horror
• Runtime:97 minutes

Cast

Tom Hanks : Ray Peterson
Bruce Dern : Mark Rumsfield
Carrie Fisher : Carol Peterson
Rick Ducommun : Art Weingartner
Corey Feldman : Ricky Butler

The movie opens at night, on Mayfield Place, a cul-de-sac in the fictional suburban town of Hinckley Hills, Iowa. Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) awakens to strange noises coming from his mysterious new neighbors’ house and goes outside to investigate. On his way back inside, he sees the cigar-smoking ex-soldier Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) watching the Klopeks’ house from his bedroom window. The following morning, Ray watches Queenie, Walter Seznik’s (Gale Gordon) dog, defecate on Rumsfield’s lawn. Moments later, Rumsfield comes out and accidentally steps on it, causing a scene with Walter. Later, Art (Rick Ducommun) almost kills Ray while attempting to shoot some crows, then invites himself into Ray’s home for breakfast. Ray and Art attempt to speak with their new neighbors, the Klopeks, but are thwarted by an attack of bees.

That evening, Art and Ray spy on the Klopeks. They, together with Rumsfield, watch Hans (Courtney Gains) drive his car from the garage to the curb, then pull a large, heavy garbage bag from the car, place it in a garbage can and bang it with a stick. During the night, Ray watches the Klopeks digging in their back yard with pick-axes in the middle of a rainstorm. The following morning, Art runs out to check the contents of the garbage truck as it is collecting the Klopek’s can from the previous night. He is soon joined by Rumsfield and Ray, but their search in the hope of finding human remains is futile.

Bonnie (Wendy Schaal), Rumsfield’s wife, finds Queenie running loose and wonders if Walter went away and forgot to feed her. Ray, Art, Bonnie and Ricky (Corey Feldman) go to Walter’s house and Rumsfield lets them in. Inside, they find Walter’s toupee. Noting that the television was left on and a chair was turned over, Art and Rumsfield begin to worry. Ray collects Queenie and leaves a note for Walter explaining that he has his dog. The following night, Ray and Art have a meeting in the Petersons’ basement and theorize about Walter’s disappearance. Read more

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