Where are they now? The Cast of The ‘Burbs

The ‘Burbs – now available on Virgin Movies – is the very definition of a cult classic: The oddball satire, starring Tom Hanks, told the story of strange new neighbours and the paranoia and nosiness they created.

Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins), The ‘Burbs topped the US box office when it opened in 1989, but got mixed reviews. History’s been kind to the film, though, and its fan base has grown over the years.

It truly is a unique animal, melding satire, farce and its very own gothic/cartoonish vibe. So what happened to its cast since they first started twitching the curtains of that sleepy cul de sac?

Tom Hanks
Tom who? Just kidding. As you probably noticed, Hanks went from popular 80s comedy actor to major leading man, winning Oscars for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia and starring in dozens of blockbuster films, from Cast Away to Toy Story and right up to this year’s hit, Sully.

Bruce Dern
The fabulously creepy Bruce Dern played the new neighbour in The ‘Burbs, and he’s had a colourful and varied career before and since. A recent highlight was his lead role in the moving and funny Nebraska (for which he was Oscar-nominated). He also wrote a memoir and played supporting roles in two Tarantino films: Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.

Carrie Fisher
The beloved actress and writer sadly passed away in recent months, but she was a force of nature right up until her final days. Fisher, of course, played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films (including in The Force Awakens), but she also wrote the novel Postcards from the Edge (and the script for the film version), worked as a script doctor on many movies (from Sister Act to The Wedding Singer) and appeared in TV’s 30 Rock and Catastrophe.

Corey Feldman
Feldman was a popular child and teen star in the 80s and 90s, appearing in the likes of The Lost Boys and Stand by Me. After The ‘Burbs, Feldman continued to work steadily, with music, reality TV and roles in Maverick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (both the 1990 film and the animated series) and the story version of the Minecraft videogame. Like his co-stars Dern and Fisher, Feldman has written a memoir. He also dabbled in music, but the less said about that the better…

Joe Dante
The ‘Burbs’ director has had a varied and often exciting career, including Gremlins and its wild sequel, the underrated Looney Toons: Back in Action, kids’ adventure Small Soldiers and the fabulous Innerspace. Over the past few years, Dante has brought his energetic style to TV, directing episodes of the rebooted MacGuyver and Hawaii Five-0, as well as horror series Splatter and Masters of Horror.