Review of The 'Burbs (1989) by Corey S — 30 Oct 2017

The 'Burbs, directed by Joe Dante, was awesome. Typically, I don't watch a lot of films in the horror/ suspense genre, however, this one was distinctly wonderful. I especially enjoyed the comedic approach that Joe Dante utilized with the film.

It made me feel intrigued, as we have become accustomed to films of that nature being more of a slow build versus having a slow build combined with the appropriately timed comedic relief throughout. The editing to me was fascinating.

There were specific moments where we stayed on the characters and their reactions, rather than have those moments be intercut with other things that might be going on. This is evidenced when Ray and Art think that their neighbors skull is found in the yard, there was a choice to stay on the men and their drawn out scream reaction to the skull, rather than to stay on the skull or intercut between the two.

To me, these decisions continuously bring the film back into a comedic place when it might otherwise stray farther into the suspense/ horror genre. Despite the film developing the supporting cast and their stories, it still was always redirected back into the point of the film and the perspective of the film - being that of Ray.

An example of this would be when Ray's wife Carol, played by Carrie Fisher, seemed like he was being taken off the case to investigate the neighbors. Carol's concern for her husband's sanity seemed to potentially threaten the mission of Ray, Art, and Mark when she tries to get him to stay home and rest rather than figure out what has happened to their neighbor.

This detour, however, ends up being a minor setback when Ray, Art, and Mark are back on their mission - this time with Carol in tow.