The 'Burbs 4K Ultra HD
4.8 | 5,998 ratings
Price: 44.98
Last update: 04-02-2026
Product details
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 1 x 1 x 1 inches; 3.2 ounces
- Director : Joe Dante
- Media Format : 4K, Collector's Edition, Subtitled
- Run time : 1 hour and 42 minutes
- Release date : June 9, 2026
- Actors : Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman, Rick Ducommun, Tom Hanks
- Producers : Larry Brezner, Michael Finnell
- Language : English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Studio : SHOUT! FACTORY
- ASIN : B0GSW8QWW1
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank:#3 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- Comedy (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:4.84.8 out of 5 stars(5,997)
Top reviews from the United States
- M.A. KleenThe ‘Burbs: An American Gothic TaleA cul-de-sac in an unassuming Midwestern suburb is the setting for this classic dark comedy from the ’80s. Though underappreciated, The ‘Burbs (1989) is one of my favorite movies and helped spark my interest in the unusual. It stars Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, and Rick Ducommun as three friends who suspect an eccentric and reclusive family is up to no good in their neighborhood. Though on the surface a lighthearted satire of ’80s horror, The ‘Burbs delves deep into the American gothic and the double-sided nature of modern American society, a society that consumes true crime, horror, and paranormal books, movies, and television behind picket fences and manicured lawns.
On Mayfield Place in the fictional suburban town of Hinkley Hills, Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) and retired Lieutenant Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) suspect a family named Klopek, who live in a dilapidated house next door to Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks), are really satanists responsible for the disappearance of the house’s previous occupants, and later, an old man named Walter Seznick. Ray Peterson is skeptical, simply wanting to enjoy a quiet weeklong vacation at home with his wife (Carrie Fisher) and son. Strange events gradually convince Ray his friends are right, and they break into the Klopeks’ home seeking evidence of their crimes.
In a fiery climax, Ray hits a gas line while digging for bones in the basement and the Klopeks’ house explodes. Walter, who they thought was ritually murdered, comes home from the hospital. For a moment, it seems Ray and his friends were wrong. Then Dr. Werner Klopek (Henry Gibson), who suspects Ray found a human skull in his basement, attempts to kill him in an ambulance. A neighborhood teen named Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman) then makes the final shocking discovery–old human bones filling the Klopeks’ car trunk.
Everything about this movie works, from the dialogue to the music, editing, and pacing, which is somewhat surprising because its writer, Dana Olsen, is responsible for turds like George of the Jungle (1997), Inspector Gadget (1999), and Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992). Childhood experiences in the suburbs inspired Olsen’s script. Recalling stories of a 1930s ax-murderer and reading headlines about household homocide in his ultra normal town, he described his concept as “Ozzy and Harriet Meet Charles Manson.”
The film’s strength comes from its cast and their director, Joe Dante. Dante also directed Gremlins (1984), Gremlins 2 (1990), and the TV series Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992), Witches of East End (2013-2014), and Salem (2015-2016). Incidentally, Eerie, Indiana was also about the strange and unusual underbelly of a quaint, unassuming town. Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Corey Feldman, and all the supporting cast play their roles perfectly. Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, and Courtney Gains slip naturally into character as the Hunnish Klopeks. A unique score, written by Jerry Goldsmith, also accompanies each character.
The ‘Burbs contains too many great scenes to mention in detail, so I’ll briefly discuss one of my favorites. In this nighttime scene, Ray Peterson leaves his wife at home to walk his dog and smoke a cigar. Along the way, he runs into Art Weingartner and Ricky Butler, who are hanging out on the porch. They talk about the eeriness of the night and the oppressive summer heat, and their suspicions about the Klopeks. Ricky asks Ray if he’s ever seen The Sentinal, a 1977 horror film about a woman who moves into an apartment in Brooklyn and discovers it contains a gateway to Hell.
Not to be outdone, Art tells the story of Skip, a “real” psycho from 1950s Hinkley Hills. Skip worked at a soda fountain and murdered his family with an ice pick, hiding their bodies in the basement. He didn’t count on the heatwave that summer, however, and the smell from their rotting corpses made everyone in the neighborhood suspicious. It wasn’t until his house caught fire that rescuers discovered the basement bodies. Later, Ray references this story when he says, “Remember what you were saying about people in the ‘burbs, Art, people like Skip, people who mow their lawn for the eight hundredth time, and then snap?”
The story of “Skip” is the kind of real-life story that inspired writer Dana Olsen to create The ‘Burbs, and Tom Hanks recognized that this reality is what makes the film so compelling. He later said in an interview, “What’s so bizarrely interesting about this black psychocomedy is that the stuff that goes on in real life in a regular neighborhood will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck.”
The ‘Burbs was filmed on the Colonial Street set on the backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood. Colonial Street was home many iconic locations, including the Leave it to Beaver house and The Munsters house. Most recently, it served as Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives, a show about mysterious occurrences in a quaint suburban neighborhood. Like The ‘Burbs, a real-life crime (Andrea Yates) inspired Desperate Housewives. Both The ‘Burbs and Desperate Housewives tap into American Gothic aesthetic and the suspicion that dark human impulses lurk behind the facade of an idyllic community.
Because Tom Hanks went on to star in blockbuster roles, The ‘Burbs is not often remembered among his pantheon of films. However, The ‘Burbs is an intelligent, quirky, and most of all, funny dark comedy that explores the undercurrent of American culture. It is as relevant today as it was in 1989, as these themes continue to ruminate and find expression in popular culture. - GoughyA fantastic movie for a summer nightThe 'Burbs is a summertime gem that blends comedy and horror elements for a perfect mix of fun. It wasn't initially a movie I loved nonetheless. I saw it during its original theatrical release while on my family's annual summer vacation. One of the traditions of this particular vacation trip was going to the cinema. My entire family went to The 'Burbs and since this was a time before the internet we knew very little of what the movie was about except from what was shown during the television spots. Tom Hanks was primarily a comedic actor at that time so I'm remembering we assumed it would be funny. Well, to my embarrassment, I found the horror elements a little too overwhelming as a child so, this being before I could appreciate being terrorized by a movie, I resented The 'Burbs for giving me the "willies". Obviously a couple of years behind being mature enough to grasp the totality of this slightly odd film, I missed out on all the fun that it contains. Joe Dante had already achieved a certain success for blending comedy and horror, most notably in Gremlins. The 'Burbs is kind of complimentary to Gremlins in this way, although The 'Burbs is much more entertaining today to me as an adult. It was thanks to television airings of The 'Burbs while I was in High School that I began to completely enjoy the film and all its warped nuance. The horror elements are often the creation of delusional paranoia created by boredom and shaped by external influence. Urban legends and midnight television scary movies seep into the psyche of mild-mannered family man Ray Peterson played to perfection by Tom Hanks. He is spurred on by his neighbor Art whose wife is out of town and who takes to hanging out at his neighbors' for entertainment, working them up into hysterics with his crackpot theories. Their antics snowball to include the rest of the neighborhood including Lt. Mark Rumsfeld, a retired military commander. The source of their paranoia are the new neighbors, the Klopeks. The movie keeps you guessing to whether the Klopeks are deserving of all this suspicion or not. Are they just misunderstood weirdos or are they maniacal murdering fiends? This is what propels the movie to its climax which answers that question in a satisfying way but leaves the audience to wonder what it actually means. I've found the ending and its implications to be one of the greatest achievements of the film. Perhaps it is all very tongue-in-cheek but it nevertheless provokes consideration on the effects of boredom, paranoia, prejudice, influence of media and neighborhoods or community. But these ideas are buried and perhaps unintended. The plot is simple and the antics are fun. It just lets the characters get nuts in the confines of one location over the course of several days and doesn't overload the audience with backstories and unnecessary elements of story. It is also very much of its time so their is a nostalgia aspect that is worth mentioning. The acting is above par. In addition to the awesomeness of Tom Hanks there is also his wife played by Carrie Fisher, a sensational performance by Bruce Dern as the Lt., a charismatic smaller role for Corey Feldman and of course the Klopeks and all their wonderful creepiness played by Brother Theodore, Henry Gibson and Courtney Gains. But, for me, the real highlight, scene-stealing, stand-out performance goes to Rick Ducommun as Ray Peterson's sidekick Ray. I had not known of Rick Ducommun before I originally saw The 'Burbs in the theater but he is what I remembered most about the movie. Every time I have seen the movie since he always stands out and I like to think of this as his movie rather than Tom Hanks' all due respect. Every second of his portrayal of Art is absolutely and purely enjoyable and funny. I would see Rick Ducommun once in a while after The 'Burbs and recognize him specifically because of his work in it but I would have imagined him winding up in a lot more considering how good he is in this movie. He seemed to be a real talent that did not get the recognition he deserved while he was alive but I will always love his role in The 'Burbs. A fantastic movie for a summer night.
- ChristopherGood movieGood movie