The 'Burbs

"He's a man of peace in a savage land... Suburbia."

1989 1h 42m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 1,437

ComedyHorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When secretive new neighbors move in next door, suburbanite Ray Peterson and his friends let their paranoia get the best of them as they start to suspect the newcomers of evildoings and commence an investigation. But it's hardly how Ray, who much prefers drinking beer, reading his newspaper and watching a ball game on the tube expected to spend his vacation.

“He's a man of peace in a savage land... Suburbia.”

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Cast

Tom Hanks
Ray Peterson
Bruce Dern
Lt. Mark Rumsfield
Carrie Fisher
Carol Peterson
Rick Ducommun
Art Weingartner
Wendy Schaal
Bonnie Rumsfield
Corey Feldman
Ricky Butler
Courtney Gains
Hans Klopek
Henry Gibson
Dr. Werner Klopek

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joe Dante
Writers: Dana Olsen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joe Dante, shot by Robert M. Stevens. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marshall Harvey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tom Hanks and Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's a man of peace in a savage land... Suburbia.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096734 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joe Dante directs. Robert M. Stevens behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Marshall Harvey cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

137 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Joe Dante, shot by Robert M. Stevens. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Marshall Harvey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tom Hanks and Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "He's a man of peace in a savage land... Suburbia.".
7IMDB entry: tt0096734 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 22 themes, including "garbage", "psychopath", "paranoia", "dark comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert M. Stevens
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Marshall Harvey
Production design: James H. Spencer
Costume design: Rosanna Norton
Makeup / hair: Michael Germain
VFX supervisor: Michael Owens
Sound: Michael Minkler
Stunt coordinator: Jeff Smolek
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $18,000,000
Box office: $49,101,993
Return: 273% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The 'Burbs (1989)

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Joe Dante

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Community reviews

What people are saying

kevin20192025-08-01
★ 8/10
"The 'Burbs" develops in the most outrageously crazy ways imaginable as three overly curious neighbours band together and pool their limited resources to investigate their mysterious new neighbours and they inadvertently wreck all manner of assorted havoc upon their neighbourhood in the process. This film has been superbly directed by Joe Dante and he uses both visual comedy along with some gothic visuals to establish a genuine sense of macabre menace. He is invaluably aided throughout by the exemplary work of composer Jerry Goldsmith. He effortlessly manages to create all the various mood changes with an amusing and often magnificently subtle musical score that is well up to his marvellous Academy Award winning standard.
Wuchak2025-10-11
★ 6/10
Tom Hanks & neighbors vs. the new weirdo family on the block Shot in the summer of 1988, this capitalized on Tom Hanks’ popularity after hits like “Splash” and “Big.” He was in his youthful prime and people flocked to the theaters. It’s a fun flick about any average neighborhood in America, dealing with quirky neighbors and the adult males acting like kids. A new family has moved into the local rundown house, but they’re strangely aloof and “only come out at night.” The likable cast includes stalwarts Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Corey Feldman, Wendy Schaal and Henry Gibson. While there are elements of The Munsters and The Addams Family, don’t expect over-the-top bits, such as in the director’s “Gremlins,” at least not until the climax. It’s all about the journey and the amusing goings-on as the neighbors attempt to discover the truth about the eccentric (creepy) new family. Ricky’s girlfriend, played by blonde Heather Haase, is a minor peripheral highlight, but she’s underused. At the end of the day, it's enjoyable in an underwhelming way while playing, but there's no denying that it's forgettable throwaway entertainment (at least for me). It runs 1 hour, 41 minutes, and was shot at Universal Studios on the Colonial Street set of the back lot. GRADE: B-