Cult Clip: Suburbia (1983)

Suburbia (1983) was one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager in the 1980s growing up in California. While lots of other kids my age were watching the latest John Hughes comedy, I was enjoying films like this.

Suburbia was directed by Penelope Spheeris and she made the movie right after finishing her legendary music documentary The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) which chronicled the early Los Angeles punk scene. Suburbia follows the lives of a group of angry young runaways and misfits until an unexpected tragedy rips them apart.

The movie features real kids from the area which gives the film an authenticity that similar movies often lack. One of these untrained young actors is Flea, better known now as the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It also features lots of live performances from popular west coast bands at the time like DI, T.S.O.L. and The Vandals.

Suburbia is available on NTSC Region-1 DVD from Amazon and it's well worth a look if you're interested in what life was like in Southern California during the early 80s. Enjoy the original trailer for the film below:

- Kimberly Lindbergs