The 'Burbs Premiere Recap: Keke Palmer Investigates A Creepy Neighborhood Cold Case — Plus, Tom Hanks Alert!

Joe Dante's 1989 cult black comedy lives on in Peacock's latest TV adaptation, "The 'Burbs." 

Keke Palmer leads the new series as Samira, a woman who moves into a quaint neighborhood with her husband and newborn, only there just so happens to be a "murder house" across the street. What's a nosey new mom to do when she learns about a mystery surrounding a missing girl and a potential murderer living just across the way? Crack the case, that's what!

Jack Whitehall also stars as Samira's husband Rob, and the house they move into is actually his childhood home, gifted to them for the time being by Rob's parents. Samira soon meets Lynn (Julia Duffy), a nice enough lady who invites her to wine night to meet the rest of the cul-de-sac crew. The gang also includes Dana (Paula Pell), a retired Marine, and Tod (Mark Proksch), a "man of few syllables," who offers Samira the weirdest of... hand rubs? OK, then! Some other details? Lynn's husband Marty died of a heart attack about six months ago, Dana's wife may or may not also be in the service, and Tod is, well, a weirdo. But in a good way! (Maybe.) 

Samira asks the group about the creepy Victorian across the street. Dana says "it's haunted as s—t," while Tod says it probably just has faulty wiring. According to Lynn who's lived in the neighborhood the longest, a family once lived there and their daughter may have died, or even have been murdered! The parents moved away and never sold the house, so there it stands "pissing off the HOA," adds Dana. As they glance across the street, a gray car races up and plops a For Sale sign in the creepy home's yard. 

Rob says Alison, the girl who went missing, wasn't murdered. He chalks that up to small-town gossip. He says he knew her, but not very well, and has nothing else to report. 

In a black and white video that Samira watches at the library, we learn that the creepy house across the street was built in 1902 by H. Horace Hinkley — look, it's Tom Hanks! — a mining magnate and philanthropist who originally purchased the land that would become the town of Hinkley Hills. (Hanks, of course, was the star of the original film.) Samira asks the librarian if they have microfiche or a collection of old newspapers clippings, but once she mentions the particular date she's looking for, librarian lady Judy gets shifty. It's been checked out, she says, but it's due back in a week. Hmm, that's a little sus. 

Later, Dana knocks on Samira's door — the Victorian is having an Open House! They grab Lynn and head on over, but when no one's around to let them in, they enter anyway. The home is filled with stained glass windows and odd lighting fixtures. The women think it looks like a museum and a mausoleum. Once inside, they find the realtor who tells them to show themselves around. They find "the ugliest kitchen" Samira has ever seen, and as she climbs the stairs, she sees Tod is already fast at work snapping pics. The bedrooms look like like they've been poorly kept, with paint chipping off the walls and lights exploding from their sockets. Before she flees, Samira sees a set of hearts painted in the back of a closet with the name "Alison" in the middle. That night, a SOLD! sign appears in the yard. Tod says a doctor purchased the place and has already installed a security system. Does the guy have something to hide? Even weirder: The new owner decides to move into the house at 2 a.m. Strange, indeed.

The next morning, Samira brings over a plate of brownies, but after seeing a moving security camera, she gets creeped out and leaves the plate on the porch. When night falls, the plate is still there, untouched. She decides to reclaim her plate, so she storms across the street, but her confidence is shaken by an indescribable feeling. Later, the police show up to Samira and Rob's doorstep. The new owner called the cops reporting that a Black person had trespassed on the property twice. Rob luckily knows one of the officers, and he agrees to drop the case. 

Despite all the weirdness happening around them, Samira refuses to be driven off by a "racist, brownie-hating prick." But as the episode ends, she realizes she's being watched by the new owner from across the street. Who is he, and what might he be hiding?! 

So what did you think of the "'Burbs" premiere? Did the Tom Hanks bit catch you by surprise? Sound off in the comments.