Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall find death haunting their suburb in The ‘Burbs.
Remember The ‘Burbs? Starring Tom Hanks and an absolute murderers’ row of character actors (and Corey Feldman before he went completely off the rails), the 1989 satire from Gremlins and The Howling director Joe Dante is a low key classic, digging deep into the paranoia and xenophobia that underpins the American Dream – but, you know, for laughs.
Well regardless of whether that rings a bell or not, a new version of the old VHS classic is headed our way, in the form of an eight episode streaming series.
The ‘Burbs Trailer
What’s the plot?
In the original, bored suburbanite Tom Hanks and his friends get a bee in their bonnet when a creepy, secretive family move into their world of manicured lawns and backyard barbecues, and things inexorably spiral out of control. In this new take on the material, as the official synopsis helpfully tells us:
Set in present-day suburbia, The ‘Burbs follows a young couple returning to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when new neighbors move in next door, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.
Now, the conceit of the original film is that Hanks gradually realises that he and all his friends are the real weirdoes, but it looks like this new take is leading with that – hence Mark Proksch talking about moonbathing in the trailer.
Who’s in it?
- Keke Palmer as Samira.
- Jack Whitehall as Rob.
- Julia Duffy as Lynn.
- Paula Pell as Dana.
- Mark Proksch as Tod.
- Kapil Talwalkar as Naveen.
- Justin Kirk as Gary.
- Kyrie McAlpin as Rory.
Plus Haley Joel Osment, RJ Cyler, Randy Oglesby, Danielle Kennedy, Max Carver, Erica Dasher, Georgia Leva, and Kathleen Kenny in various roles.
When’s it out?
All eight episodes of The ‘Burbs hit Peacock on February 8 in the US, so expect a local drop around the same time.
What’s the vibe?
Yeah, it’s looking pretty good to me. I’m an avowed fan of the blisteringly funny original, but I’m also an avowed fan of Keke Palmer, so there’s a decent chance this is gonna be worth our collective time.
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