The Klopeks??

DGpeterson

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Oct 10, 2010
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If this has already been discussed and resolved, my apologies. If not...

One of the great things about this movie is that it leaves you guessing. What was the deal with the Klopeks? Okay, obviously, as Werner tells Ray, they murdered the Knapps BUT...

When Hans beats the hell out of his garbage, WHAT was in the bag?

When Ray sees the three digging in their backyard, what were they doing?

When Ray and Art go over the fence and start digging up the yard, they find nothing. So I'm assuming that when the "guestss" say their goodbyes, Rube and Werner exchange that LOOK with each other, so did they dig up what they previously buried and put it into their trunk, and thus that's the bones we see at the end?

I've been trying to connect these pieces for years now. Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, I just want to figure this out once and for all.

Lastly, RayPeterson, I have an idea for a fun project... once my above questions are explained, maybe some of us could take a stab at writing those very scenes? You know, writing the Klopeks discussing their plan?


You've got a lawsuit on your hands, Mister.
 
The question is not only WHAT was in the bag but also one has to wonder, where did it go since on the next morning in the scene with the garbagemen they can't find anything suspicious. So maybe it was as Art thought, the Klopeks have seen Art, Ray and Mark snooping around, went back to the garbage can and removed the bag.

On the other hand: who would really dispose body parts in a common garbage can? Since obviously the Klopeks were indeed serial killers shouldn't they know better ways to get rid off a corpse instead of placing it in a garbage can?

Concerning the digging in the backyard: my first thought was that since Ray obviously has some bad nightmares regarding the Klopeks, he might have just dreamed this as well. But then I remembered Dave saying he saw them diggin in the backyard when he was up on the roof with his telescope. So they might indeed have been digging.

Next time I watch the movie I have to pay attention to the Klopek's backyard when Ray and Art start diggin up the yard. As far as I remember the yard was in good condition. Shouldn't there be some signs if the Klopeks indeed dug up the bones? Is it really possible to have a comprehensive green lawn if you dug up something only a few days earlier?

We could indeed write something about the Klopeks discussing their plans. I suggest that all active board members participate. So will we write a dialogue? Maybe we can have one starting the dialogue, then the other one continues it and so on?

But I'm no native English speaker so I hope my English is good enough for that.
 
RayPeterson, your English is perfect. :) Btw, guten tag. I have a ton of German in my family tree. :)

I think all of us contributing to this is a great idea. Watching it with wifey the other night, suddenly another question hit me.... when they invite themselves into the Klopeks, at the dinner table scene with the candles (which Courtney told me was his favorite scene to film), Rumsfield mentions "Walter, the old man next door. We don't know where the hell he is."

Okay, here's my question... Rueben is very dodgy about Rumsfield saying that, he acts like he's constipated. Since the Klopeks WERE INDEED picking up Walter's mail AND knew he was rushed to the hospital, WHY THE HECK didn't Rueben just tell them what happened to Walter? I guess maybe because he figured they wouldn't believe him BUT if they calmly explained "your neighbor was rushed to the hospital, cardiac arrrrest", Hans adds: "We're picking up his mail for him..." the rest of the sequence - and movie - might've played out differently.

Then again, while the Klopeks ARE guilty of what everyone suspects, they're trying to LOOK innocent. So by allowing the neighbors to be suspicious and paranoid and hop the fence, break in and cause trouble, the Klopeks end up looking like totally innocent victims.

Okay, sorry for the rambling. Back to point. Hans garbage bag -- that bag was FULL of something. Clearly, it wasn't bones. As I type this, here's what I think.... the Klopeks burned the Knapps' bodies one at a time, so as to only have the furnace on for as brief as possible. Here's my halfcocked theory -- in Hans' garbage bag was EITHER a bleeding, oozing body (or two) OR... nevermind. It had to be that. When Art rips open the bag the next morning is DEFINITELY NOT the Klopeks' garbage. They probably had Hans grab Walter's garbage and stick it in front of their house. The Klopeks are murderers who snack on sardines and pretzels. There's no way they have normal trash.

As for digging in the backyard that night in the rain, maybe that's just something the Klopeks just do.... Hans garbage bag was FULL. If they had dumped that bag in their backyard it would've made a noticeable mess.

Clearly I can't figure this out all by myself. And I'm sorry everybody for my long post!! Please just hop on board with this and let's see what we can come up with, yes?

Thank you for reading!



No tan lines this morning. (drools) Looks nice.
 
Oh, you speak a little bit of German as well? That's good to hear. We once had another board member who also understood a little bit of German (I believe it was "Mayfield 669").

So your wife (IS HOME!?) likes watching The Burbs, too? That's great, over.

That's another good point: Why didn't they just reply something like: "Yes, we have an eye on Walter's mail since he has been rushed to the hospital." Everything would have been fine.

BUT: At the end of the movie the cop only says that the Klopeks took care of Walter's mail, we don't know if it was Walter or the Klopeks who told the cop this story. If it were the Klopeks, it could have been the final Klopek's attempt to try to look innocent by just making this statement. They were simply lying to the cops.

So back to the bag: First the Klopeks saw the three neighbours snooping around while Hans was beating the bag. It must have been something heavy since Hans had trouble with carrying the bag. We can see that at least one of the Klopeks saw them since for a short time the light is turned on when Ray goes back into his house and Art wishes him nice dreams. So in the same night they took the bag out of the garbage can and buried whatever was in it in their backyard. Afterwards they find Art's note with the words "We know what you did" on it, assuming it was Ray who wrote the note. Furthermore Ray and Art find a human bone (one of the Knapps?). That's when they decide to dig up what they buried before and place it somwhere else (either they burned it in their furnace or directly in their trunk). Still that does not answer my question why the first attempt was to get rid off the corpse by placing it in the garbage can? The garbagemen could not have lifted the garbage can because of it's heavy content and might just suspiciously take a short glimpse in that mysterious bag. Especially if you're intelligent enought to become a pathologist, you would not try this.

I also have to correct my statement of the green lawn, I just noticed that there is no lawn at all at the location where the Klopeks were diggin holes at night. It is simply dry earth. So it is possible that they dug some bones out and that's why Art and Ray don't find any when they dig in the backyard.

While I was watching The Burbs another thing just came to mind: The Klopeks come home and see that someone is in their cellar / house. Now they drive back in order to call the police. But is that something you would do as a serial killer who hasn't totally covered the tracks yet (as Werner Klopek tells Ray in the ambulance: "You took a look in my furnace, you must have seen one of my skulls!")? So if he already guesses that they discovered skulls in the furnace, why is he coming back with the cops? Usually it would have been something like "Officer, I know I should not have entered their house, but look, we found skulls in their furnace!" "Uhm, Mr. Klopek, is there any explanation for that?" It would have been the same situation like discovering bones in the trunk. Or am I missing something?
 
My friend, German is EASY! I'm not fluent, but it's English's brother. And sadly, wifey doesn't really like the 'burbs but she tolerates it for my sake. I tolerate anime for her.

Okay, I thought about this all day and I'm happy to say that I'm 95% sure I've solved this mystery. The key to all this has been right under my nose all these years -- the dogs, Vince and Landru.

As you pointed out, Vince digs the femur out from under the fence AFTER Ray sees the three digging that night, the night when Hans beat the hell out of the garbage. Let's put 2 and 2 together -- the Klopeks were burying the contents of Hans' bag. The normal gargabe that they spill on the street, my money says that's Walter's trash.

That takes care of Vince, now on to Landru. He's the last clue to all this. First, Werner tells the group they're going to the University to discuss another transfer. Ergo, they'll be gone all day tomorrow. As the car pulls out that morning, who's in the car with the Klopeks? LANDRU. Landru is a fierce guard dog, but THEY TOOK HIM WITH THEM.... the Klopeks are basically telling their suspicious neighbors, "we're gonna be gone all day and we're taking our fierce guard dog with us. Please, feel free to hop the fence. Break in, snoop all you like, the only evidcence against us, the Knapps' bones, is in our trunk. If you do blow up the place, mission accomplished! We look 100% innocent and you're all going to jail."

Now, why dispose of human remains in your garbage like that? I could be wrong, but here's my theory -- sometimes the best place to hide something is in plain sight. Yes, the bag was heavy, but it was bundled up pretty dang good. Even if it came open in the truck, by that time there'd be no telling WHERE it came from.

You bring up another point I missed -- Werner tells Ray "you saw one of my skulls, didn't you?" Well here's my opinion - we didn't see it. We know Ray didn't see it. I think Werner is just blowing hot air. I don't think ANYTHING was in the furnace. I think he was using that as excuse to tell Ray "guess what? You were right about us all along. We killed your neighbors" and then as we all know he intends to kill Ray. But seriously, I don't think anything was in the furnace.

What do you think, neighbors?
 
These Klopeks are strange!
 
I mean, we don't even know how many of them they are.
 
Maybe they just want to keep to themselves.
Remember when the Knapps lived here?
How many conversations did you have with them?
 
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