Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- macabre
- paranoid
- lazy weekend
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an energetic but uneven dark comedy whose macabre suburban premise and cast are more successful than its inconsistent execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ray and his neighbors transform ordinary concerns about secretive newcomers into an obsessive investigation of their block.
Ray, Mark, and Art abandon ordinary vacation routines to pursue increasingly reckless neighborhood schemes.
The rundown neighboring house, nocturnal activity, and macabre menace give the otherwise familiar suburb gothic overtones.
The investigation progresses from quirky neighborly curiosity toward fears involving psychopaths, serial killing, and a chainsaw.
Films like The 'Burbs, and why
Arsenic and Old Lace
Both blend suburban comedy with escalating paranoia, eccentric neighbors, and macabre horror undertones.
Clue
Both use darkly comic mystery, grotesque suspicion, and an ordinary protagonist drawn into bizarre neighborhood danger.
Disturbia
Both turn familiar domestic spaces into sources of paranoia through comic investigation and escalating menace.
Gremlins
Both combine Joe Dante-style genre playfulness, suburban unease, and comedy built around apparently sinister neighbors.
Movie Details
- Director
- Joe Dante
- Release Date
- 1989-02-17
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1431)
Cast
- Tom Hanks
- Bruce Dern
- Carrie Fisher
- Rick Ducommun
- Wendy Schaal
- Corey Feldman
- Courtney Gains
- Henry Gibson
- Gale Gordon
- Dick Miller
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The 'Burbs about?
- A vacationing suburban everyman turns suspicious neighbors into the target of a chaotic, macabre amateur investigation.
- What is The 'Burbs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The 'Burbs as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The 'Burbs violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The 'Burbs as mild.
- What did critics think of The 'Burbs?
- Critics broadly found the film an energetic but uneven dark comedy whose macabre suburban premise and cast are more successful than its inconsistent execution.
- Which films are like The 'Burbs?
- Films with a similar feel include Arsenic and Old Lace, Clue, Disturbia, and Gremlins.
- How long is The 'Burbs?
- The 'Burbs runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch The 'Burbs?
- In United States, The 'Burbs is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
