matt_zimmer | "The 'Burbs" (1989) Review (Spoilers)

The 'Burbs (1989)

I just finished the first season of the TV remake and decided to revisit the film. It's been over 30 years since I've seen it. I recall my impression back when I saw it was that it was solid, but that the resolution was wrong. Normally, when it comes to films I saw as a kid, my impression entirely changes as an adult. On a rare film that is magical like Who Framed Roger Rabbit or The Princess Bride, I'm delighted I can keep my childhood memories intact, however fleetingly. When it comes to movies I simply LIKED, or even only had a couple of problems with, years or decades later I have huge problems.

I think my judgment as a kid about this movie was sound.

First off all, despite this being made in 1989, and directed by Joe Dante, who has made some good films, but also made some seriously hacky ones, this screenplay is shockingly solid. It would never win an Oscar, but for the era, and this pedigree, it could have been MUCH worse.

But my impression back in the day, and this stands, is the film should have ended after Ray flips out and screams that they were the bad neighbors who snapped, not them. It's The Monsters On Maple Street. And making that family murderers after all feels wrong after that level of self-realization and catharsis. Because no matter if that creep family DID murder people or not, Ray, Art, and his crazy neighbors were doing far more openly illegal and disreputable things.

It never occurs to Ray to call the cops? Check in with Walter's family to see if they've heard from him? What Ray and Art and Rumsfeld was doing was absolutely despicable and crazy. And frankly, I'm less upset Ray is right and more upset that Art is. After the house is blown up that asshole doesn't feel the slightest tinge of regret for what he was a part of and doubles down. This is such a contemptible loudmouth asshole it's obscene that the movie has him turn out to be on the side of angels after all. It's sick, really.

It's turns out back in the day American Dad's Wendy Schaal was quite the babe. (Johnny Carson): "I did not know that."

I mentioned in my review of the show that I seemed to recall there was some class warfare subtext to the film too, but I misremembered that. I think because Hans seemed like a huge negative representation of hill folk, I thought they must have been doing this variation of "There goes the neighborhood". Truth is, in hindsight, folks like Art and Rumsfeld are every bit as low-class as any shot at rural people Hans could be taken as. This is not class warfare. This is perfectly symmetrical warfare.

Do I do comparisons to the TV show? Yes, I think that's appropriate. It turns out the show did a lot of callbacks to the film. The dog with the human bone (totally bleached and fake-looking in the movie), the sardines and pretzels (lined up exactly the same way, even), the notion that the picture of the unknown family came with the frame, the dig in the basement hitting a sewer pipe (sans explosion on the TV show), and the phrase 9 on the tension scale.

How do I compare both projects? I think as either a remake or a spiritual successor the TV show fails on every level. Regardless of the fact that the film ends wrong, with the wrong moral, the reason the show doesn't channel it properly is because it bought back almost all of the sinister bloodthirstiness. And not just the murdery stuff. Samira and the neighbors there are quite reasonable and abashed at certain points, and I don't think ever ONCE cross the moral line. Which is completely outside of the point of the film. Yes, the film actually fucks up its own damn point, but the fact of the matter is it actually is willing to take this horrible shit to its horrible conclusions. The 'Burbs on Peacock is looking to last a few seasons, and thus cannot afford to blow up the premise of the show. But the fact that it always needs to play it safe is a reason it's a poor reinterpretation of this specific film. To be brutally honest, I think almost all serialized horror TV shows suck ass. American Horror Story made it work for a bit because they change casts and settings each year. But shit like Scream: The TV Series and The Following got old real fast. The reason Peacock's The 'Burbs doesn't channel this film is that it's not actually a horror series.

I liked most of it except the ending. What kills me is that they actually HAD a good ending but couldn't stick to it. It's weird I noticed that as a kid too. Maybe I wasn't as shitty a critic back then as I always thought I was. ***1/2.