movie review summer of 84

Summer of 84 (2018)

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Review: ‘Summer of ’84’ is a Nostalgic Trip Capturing Youthful Discovery

At its height, Summer of ’84 sings like a sandy page-turner you end up finishing in the fall, with the wind swirling and mischief night just around the corner. Directing triad François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell ( Turbo Kid ) capture the sensations such wind would stir up within their first two reels; Summer of ’84 sports a mixture of youthful excitement and unease, where the hair standing up on the back of your neck signaled both. When high schooler Davey (Graham Verchere) suspects his neighbor (Rich Sommer) is a serial killer targeting young boys, he convinces his pack of buddies to engage in that most iconic summer treehouse activity: the stakeout. As the gang inches closer to the truth, the steely hands of maturity reach back to remind them that no matter how hard they try to be young forever, some events will force them to grow up.

Summer of ’84 recalls a blend of  Rear Window  (though it lands closer to  Disturbia ) and the  Recess: School’s Out movie with its evil scientists. It’s all filtered through suburban summer nights, mixed with warm and eerie nostalgia of sleepovers and neighborhood-wide games of manhunt, where the most important things in life happened after dinner. Yet grumbling under the vital nature of communal antics is the feeling of hope that tonight could be the night; it could be the time when you and your buddies stumble upon something worth investigating, or the night your heart could explode. And though you don’t really know it yet, it’s a representation of yearning for more from all this.

The film certainly captures that feeling of being on the edge of the cliff, and that the plummet or the landing could lead to something bigger, something that just splits the whole world open — and not broken bones and death. So it’s all the more saddening that sometimes the hunch doesn’t pan out, or if it does, it leads to the realization that finding a monster in your closet was only an ‘a-hah!’ moment until it shows its teeth and rears its head back to strike. Then it’s just terror left, something raw that you hadn’t yet realized life would throw your way. In the end, confirmation of something horrible isn’t exciting, only the hunt before. Like talking about something during the day with your friends, then thinking about those things alone at night. In these moments of rumination, Summer of ’84 shines its brightest by cutting its deepest.

To capture this balance of comfort and anxiety, cinematographer Jean-Philippe Bernier coats environments with warmth and wind, mist and shadows. The neighborhood is vibrant, but not wholly friendly. This is encapsulated at the kid’s homes, too, which represents safety and the culmination of a night well spent, but also domestic trouble and the kind of sadness they can’t escape. In some cases, zooms replace traditional cutting, often landing on foreboding images, and perhaps emphasizing the surge of a hot summer that ends on a cold plunge. Perpetuating the retro, synth-soaked depiction of childhood before cell phones, the score (co-composed by Bernier) encapsulates an effective if generic embodiment of youth.

The directing trio performs a tonal balancing act that occasionally sidesteps, teetering on the edge of disunity and threatening to break its spell. For some, it will plummet into the well of “tonally misguided,” and I won’t make the case that any failures to maintain a tone speak to the inherent erratic nature of its youthful leads. Instead, I’d say they’re chalked up to minor offenses, perhaps better left to a slap on the wrist, when the more serious crime would be running a bit too long.

Because where Summer of ’84 struggles is in its final third. After its momentum begins to chug, it sets in motion a series of story turns that aren’t unnatural, but feel forced and more frustratingly obvious. Here, Summer of ’84 ’s pacing issues, and the bind of requisite action, prohibit a trajectory less taken that would have perhaps been more satisfying. Nor do all its jokes land, but should they? They’re banter from the mouths of kids spurred on by hormones and idiotic fantasies, caught in an unquestioned urge to mess around and a half-understood need to misdirect the troubles they face at home.

In its close, Summer of ’84 recycles a voice-over which opened the film. But now it’s re-contextualized, just like those who are changed by a single summer, or a single night. Trauma can be the sting of circumstance caked over by the thin glaze of time, threatening to peel away at any moment. Youth might not mean your years here on Earth, but dictated instead by how much shit you’ve waded through. Enjoy summers while you can.

Summer of ’84 opens on August 10.

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Summer of 84 Reviews

Unfortunately, spending any amount of time with Davey and his friends proves grating, and there's not enough time spent feeling terrified.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Mar 11, 2022

Summer of '84 does many things well. The suspense set pieces are well-staged. The young cast gives convincing performances.

Full Review | Jul 27, 2020

It does many things wrong, but the twist is so good, it redeems a large part of the film. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jul 5, 2020

It's a unsatisfying, hollow, and frankly dull attempt at nostalgic throwback horror that lacks any authenticity, earnestness, or energy.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jun 30, 2020

It's a good movie.

Full Review | May 14, 2020

I really think that the ending makes this movie great.

Fun in the moment but all too ugly up close in memory. The 80s, am I right? It excelled at that.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 4, 2020

There were moments when I was roused by myriads of sly wit, suspicion and even shock, and others when I felt sad for kids who might have endured better by leaving the searches to others.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 23, 2020

Despite the film's character flaws, a twisted ending that viewers won't see coming helps elevate it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5 | Aug 15, 2019

...meanders for most of its run time and by the time the film goes somewhere interesting, it's already too late

Full Review | Jun 21, 2019

Summer of '84 is an unexpected wonder. A nostalgic movie that, paradoxically, advocates with passion about the dangers of nostalgia. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Apr 2, 2019

While the kids-on-bicycles story may be a bit tired, the night drive-inspired synth score, the summer-break friendship dynamic, and the central story all add up to an irresistible and highly entertaining movie.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Mar 30, 2019

It definitely gets a little gory by the end but I thought it was a good little horror movie with some genuine scares.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Feb 25, 2019

An almost comedy in which the narrator warns that even in the most friendly homes there can be secrets. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 2, 2019

Perhaps with the intention of seducing a wider audience, Simardi and the Whissells have managed to make clear that there is a generational sensitivity that needs to grow as urgently as possible. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Feb 2, 2019

A remarkable exercise in suspense. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 1, 2019

The film shifts from reflecting the work of Steven Spielberg to that of Stephen King, bringing to light the pain and fear buried in the gardens of childhood. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 29, 2019

A season of Stranger Things without synthesizers. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 28, 2019

Summer of '84 plays clearly. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 7, 2019

Proof that skilled horror filmmakers can shock, scare, and surprise audiences even when working with the familiar.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 21, 2018

In Theaters and Digital

Summer of 84 (2018) - movie review.

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Having lived there before, the suburbs are where the craziest of the crazy hide. You already suspect this.  I do, too.   Summer of 84 , with a killer third act, is the confirmation we needed.  There’s a chance, after watching this flick, that you won’t be able to look at your neighbors in the same way. Effective and familiar, this nostalgic film, heavy with the 1980s vibes, is an enjoyable bike ride through the recent past as a group of sleuthing teens brush up on The Hardy Boys in the search for a serial killer.

There is something foul-smelling hidden within the smooth pockets of suburbia.  Everything looks normal and at peace there, with clean lawns and houses with snappy curb appeal as its gatekeepers, but the truth – as paperboy Davey Armstrong ( Graham Verchere ) suspects – is far darker.  If  The Goonies  went in search of a child killer instead of One-Eyed Willie ’s stolen treasure, the result would be this dark-themed flick of family and dysfunction.

Everything here is a façade, he narrates and, as he bicycles into a crisp neighborhood of cheery neighbors slinging papers with skill, he begins this movie with an ominous warning for us all to be careful where we go digging.  It is obvious that Davey has learned this the hard way and this movie,  Summer of 84 , is the result.  Turns out, we should ALL be aware of exactly where we go poking around. 

Directors Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell return with another throwback film that echoes through the 1980s underground output of cinematic adventures.  We have a group of similar teenagers - think  Neon Demons  - involved in a large scale mystery in their neighborhood - like in  The Burbs  - and it goes dark with its coming-of-age attitudes - like in  Stand By Me .  The team’s last effort,  Turbo Kid , was absolutely LIT with gonzo swagger as kid's adventures got special treatment but here, with more of a straight-laced approach to the teenaged adventures, they point their blasters toward our own remembrances. {googleads}

Summer of 84  is the dark nephew of  Stranger Things .  It is nostalgic and fun and Le Matos absolutely delivers a memorable electronic score but it is also familiar as its characters (all with domestic issues which need a bit more addressing to resonate) aren't allowed the kind of on-screen growth we actually need and want.  To separate itself from the other nostalgic nods stands the fact that it is willing to kill off some of its characters.  I doubt  Stranger Things  would EVER do that.  For that reason, this film earns some bonus points from me.

Had  Summer of 84   appeared three or four years ago, it might be the victor in the battle between it and Stranger Things , but this film’s fate as a follower is solidified.  Even if the film secured its funding due to the success of the Netflix show, the differences are saved until the final arc of the picture.  It is damn unsettling. It should also be noted that its clone status doesn’t stop it from being clever with its nods to other slasher flicks from the same era.

And their obsession turns to envy as Nikki and Davey start spending time together.  Soon, she’s involved in the hunt for the serial killer.  Even if she disagrees with Davey’s suspicions that it is a prominent member of the neighborhood, she joins the rest of the boys in bucking logic on midnight walk-talkie runs.  With  Mad Men ’s Rich Sommer also in the cast, this Reagan-era slice of horror is far from the wholesome image its President is remembered for.  This movie is actually a grisly wakeup call for American history. 

Things were not okay back in the  Summer of 84   and, no, the kids, as a result, are not alright.  Summer of 84  is now available on certain VOD platforms and in a current limited run in theaters .

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MPAA Rating: Unrated. Runtime: 105 mins Director : François Simard, Anouk Whissell Writer: Matt Leslie, Stephen J. Smith Cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery Genre : Drama | Mystery Tagline: A film by RKSS Memorable Movie Quote: " Huh, a better view of my room than I thought. " Theatrical Distributor: Gunpowder & Sky Official Site: www.facebook.com/summerof84movie/ Release Date: August 10, 2018 DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:   Synopsis : Every serial killer is somebody’s neighbor. For 15-year-old Davey, the thought of having a serial killer in his suburban town is a scary yet exciting prospect at the start of a lazy summer. In hormonal overdrive, Davey and his friends dream of sexual conquests until the news reports of the Cape May killer. Davey convinces his friends that they must investigate, and they uncover that his next-door neighbor, an unassuming, single police officer, could be the prime suspect. Could Davey possibly be right, or is it his overactive imagination?

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Flickering Myth

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Movie Review – Summer of 84 (2018)

August 7, 2018 by Matt Donato

Summer of 84 , 2018.

Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Starring Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, and Rich Sommer.

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

With Summer of 84 , filmmaking collective RKSS ( Turbo Kid ) peek behind suburbia’s white picket fences and fake cul-de-sac smiles in hopes of finding something wicked. “Even serial killers live next door to someone.” It’s Stranger Things meets Gacy . An ode to lazy small-town summers and creative odysseys of the restless adolescent mind. RKSS venture into ever-popular nostalgia territories amidst familiarity and darkness, telling a kiddie-snatching tale intended at the least to manipulate “home before dark” innocence. It’s relatively predictable and scant on mystery, but when not obsessing over masturbation or boobz, Summer of 84 is a nasty true-crime thriller that could occur in anyone’s backyard. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” don’t mean a thing.

Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) is your average 12-to-16-year-old boy obsessed with late-night conspiracies. His latest “inclination” suggests that local cop Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer) is actually the Cape May Killer – a monster who preys on helpless boys in Davey’s age demographic. His crew – “Eats” (Judah Lewis), “Woody” (Caleb Emery) and Curtis (Cory Gruter-Andrew) – are skeptical at first, but begin to agree after joining Davey throughout his investigation. Could the upstanding gentleman who hands popsicles out to underage kiddos while he watches them play sports from a lawn chair in his front yard actually be a murderous maniac? Davey’s going to find out, whether he’s grounded or not.

Creators François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell evoke my Jersey-bubble childhood within the boundaries of Ipswich, Oregon. It’s the life many of us lived. No one wants to believe their middle-America town could fall victim to unspeakable dangers, and as children, we ruled the streets and yards like they were our personal playground. All-black manhunt games, unspoken codes between homeowners, “it can never happen here” pacification. RKSS return to the All-American dream and morph it into a red, white and blue nightmare. Both a commentary on how drastically times have changed (no cell phones, adolescent freedoms) and the unassuming scaliness of demons hiding in plain sight.

Enter Summer of 84 ’s growing cast, who sneak mischievously and play junior detectives with vivid imaginations. Banter is typical of pre-teen stereotypes – pornography commentaries, mom jokes, words like “jizz” or “spank” utter over and over – while each child carves their niche. Davey the “heroic leader” who steps into unlocked houses first, “Eats” the leather-jacket rebel suppressing conflict, Woody the nervous but loyal brickhouse, Curtis the non-believer. Dialogue feels a little lesser than Stranger Things given how the boys will always devolve into explicit obscenities when in doubt, but evidence collections against Mackey bring out their best chemistry. When on the case, characters scamper and shout walkie-talkie commands with amble shakiness – balance just isn’t always in place.

This brings us to babysitter-turned-love-interest Nikki (Tiera Skovbye), who – inexplicably – walks over to Davey’s house one day and fulfills his wettest fantasies. This is after she catches him peeping through window blinds to snag a glimpse of her topless. There’s zero explanation for romantic intent, as she begins luring Davey out to reminisce about goofy pictures they might have taken together (still with an age gap). Davey’s wildest dreams are coming true, but, we must beg “why.” It’s such an odd, unannounced arc that never finds place or meaning in Summer of 84 . Written almost like self-fulfillment; shoe-horned because a movie needs “sexual tension,” right?

During cat-and-mouse scampering, Rich Sommer as Wayne Mackey leads audiences on just as much as unconvinced Davey. We want to believe Davey, except Wayne is the adult in the situation. He’s in control, but also sympathetic to Davey’s fears. A killer has been snatching children and Davey is trying to rationalize a way of ending such atrocities. Clues can either be damning or coincidental, which Summer of 84 plays close to vest. Sommer is the reason for every ounce of tension – a pillar of community who understands advantage, steps cautiously and is too goddamn nice for comfort. If, you know, he even IS the killer.

RKSS returns with an ode to childhood that’s a little more streamlined than Turbo Kid , and a little less creatively ambitious as well. Summer of 84 decks the halls with 80s pop-culture, endangers the helpless, but isn’t sneakily inclined to shock viewers once credits have rolled. Malicious, sick and specific to a bygone era? Absolutely. It’s just sometimes better as a time capsule than serial killer hunt when it comes to open-ended thriller chills. A very “fine” film that’ll kill any time you may have laying around – which, coming from the RKSS camp, leaves us wanting a bit more.

Flickering Myth Rating –  Film: ★★★ / Movie: ★★★

Matt spends his after-work hours posting nonsense on the internet instead of sleeping like a normal human. He seems like a pretty cool guy, but don’t feed him after midnight just to be safe (beers are allowed/encouraged).   Follow him on Twitter/Instagram ( @ DoNatoBomb ).

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Summer of ‘84 is the grisly little brother of Stranger Things

Another trip down memory lane mashes up the ’burbs and monster squad.

By Bryan Bishop

Share this story

Welcome to Cheat Sheet, our brief breakdown-style reviews of festival films, VR previews, and other special event releases. This review comes from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

There’s a world in which Stranger Things doesn’t exist and the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s It didn’t just become a huge horror movie success. In that alternate timeline, the emergence of a film set in 1984 about a group of four high school kids trying to solve a local murder mystery — replete with burbling synthesizer score and pop-culture references — would likely be seen as a clever, inventive piece of retro nostalgia.

Unfortunately for Summer of ‘84 , which recently had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, we live in this world, not that one. The film is a well-intentioned throwback that ably captures the cheesy-meets-scary vibe of movies like The Monster Squad , and it’s even able to pack in real surprises by subverting key genre expectations. But that can’t stop the movie from feeling like a rehash of a rehash, a story covering ground that’s already been reimagined in a much more effective way.

What’s the genre?

Eighties teen adventure, mashed up with slasher-movie instincts. Imagine The ‘Burbs , but instead of Tom Hanks as the hero, it’s the kids from The Monster Squad , and you’ve got the idea.

What’s it about?

It’s (surprise!) the summer of 1984, and Davey (Graham Verchere) and his band of friends are bored. The group is a collective of familiar archetypes: Davey is the leader and a science-fiction conspiracy-theory nut. There’s Eats (Judah Lewis), the would-be punk-rock kid whose parents fight all the time; Woody (Caleb Emery), the goodhearted, slightly overweight kid; and Farraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew), the bespectacled nerd. As Davey intones in an opening voiceover, “the suburbs are where the craziest shit happens.” So after a serial killer contacts the local newspaper, Davey becomes convinced that he knows who the murderer is: his neighbor, a cop named Wayne Mackey ( Mad Men ’s Rich Sommer).

Davey doesn’t have much evidence to support his theory, but he nonetheless ropes his friends into helping him investigate the police officer so they can blow the case wide open. Mackey has plenty of idiosyncratic habits — he takes mysterious runs at night, and has been buying up massive amounts of dirt and digging supplies that could help with body disposal — but every breadcrumb they find ends up having a plausible explanation. Eventually, it seems Davey’s instincts were wrong and they’ve hit a dead end… or have they?

What’s it really about?

Good question. Screenwriters Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith pack a lot into their script, but it’s mostly tropes and shout-outs. Where Stranger Things is a master class in how to evoke the feel of an era rather than simply name-checking it, Summer of ‘84 does its damndest to be the counterpoint, shoving as many references into its characters’ mouths as it can. But when you boil it all down, the movie is about disillusionment with the Reagan-era suburban ideal.

There’s certainly material to mine there. Problem is, many of those same original ‘80s movies have already mined it. Summer of ‘84 doesn’t modify that formula for modern resonance, either. Audiences may walk in with their own feelings that the suburban America of 2018 is not the suburban America that was once promised, but the film itself doesn’t do anything to advance that statement.

Is it good?

If this movie had come out three years ago, it probably would have been embraced as a fun time. Nostalgia is enjoyable, and the movie does nod to some classic horror-comedies. But unfortunately, we do live in a post- Stranger Things world, and given the striking similarities — in setting, conceit, aesthetic, and score — it’s impossible to avoid comparing the two works. (In fact, during a post-screening Q&A, the filmmakers suggested that the success of the Netflix show was what helped their project get green-lit in the first place.) Summer of ‘84 simply does not stack up to the Duffer brothers’ series, particularly in terms of writing and character work. Where Stranger Things goes for subtle, Summer goes for on-the-nose. Where the Netflix show offers nuanced, empathetic characters, this film gives us cardboard cutouts with performances to match. (Verchere and Emery are the two big exceptions.)

Directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell — known collectively as RKSS — previously brought their feature Turbo Kid to Sundance. That movie combined kids’ movies, adventure films, and a post-apocalyptic setting to create a gleeful, gory Sam Raimi-esque mash-up. In Summer of ‘84 , it’s clear that the directors still know exactly how to remix their own childhood favorites. And while the stylistic and visual references are unmissable — my particular favorite was a shot that seemed to evoke the original Nightmare on Elm Street — the whole concoction is missing any sense of joy. Whatever kind of sheen RKSS are able to bring to the project is unfortunately undercut by the failings of the characters and the screenplay. When the setup for Davey’s hunt is so thin, and the main characters so hard to invest in, it doesn’t matter how clever the references are, or how willingly the movie embraces full-on gory horror toward the end. The fundamentals just aren’t there, which is hard to miss when Stranger Things got so much out of these same elements.

What should it be rated?

This is an R. Trust me.

How can I actually watch it?

There’s no release date in place, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it probably won’t end up on Netflix at any point.

No one’s ready for this

Nothing is requiring employees to be in the office five days a week, microsoft is rebranding copilot in the most microsoft way possible, google’s ai ‘reimagine’ tool helped us add wrecks, disasters, and corpses to our photos, chick-fil-a is reportedly launching a streaming service for some reason.

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Film Review: ‘Summer of ’84’

Four teens suspect a neighbor is a notorious murderer in this diverting but mild homage to ’80s VHS genre throwaways.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

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The 1980s VHS nostalgia bandwagon trundles on with “Summer of ’84,” a retro thriller in which four suburban teens snoop around a neighbor they think might be a serial killer — amateur detective work that seems “fun” until, of course, it becomes downright dangerous.

Introduced biking around his innocuous cul-de-sac on a paper route, Davey ( Graham Verchere ) sees his bland personal universe as potentially fraught with hidden intrigue. His best buds — plus-sized softie Woody (Caleb Emery), bespectacled brainiac Farraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew) and quasi-punk psuedo-delinquent Eats (Judah Lewis) — are willing to indulge his lurid imagination to an extent. But they, like his parents, are also inclined to dismiss Davey’s more paranoid fixations as the spawn of too much “Hardy Boys” and “National Enquirer” reading.

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Nonetheless, they reluctantly go along with his insistence that the affable bachelor across the street, policeman Mr. Mackey (Rich Sommer), might be the elusive Cape May Slayer who’s claimed responsibility for 13 murders in a region where numerous teenage boys have gone missing within recent months. The more the boys spy on this neighbor, the more suspicious his actions seem. But of course grown-ups, including Davey’s dad (Jason Gray-Stanford) and mom (Shauna Johannesen) scoff at mere kids accusing this friendly police officer of any fiendish deeds. One nearly grown-up ally is Nikki (Tiera Skovbye), Davey’s former babysitter and everyone’s crush object.

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All this is good as far as it goes. But ultimately it doesn’t go very far, particularly for a film that’s almost half an hour longer than most of the direct-to-video B movies it evokes. The leisurely progress isn’t justified by any well-developed subplots, or by much suspense — there’s never a doubt who the perp is, and apart from a couple of false-flag jump scares, little real peril surfaces until quite late. The climactic action is OK, yet the film feels like it needed an additional twist or two to be memorable, while the overall boys’-own-adventure tone is too lightweight to support a grimly serious fadeout.

Performances are solid, especially those by Sommer and Skovbye. There’s neat if not quite witty attention paid to period specifics of suburban life and genre aesthetics, the most notable contributor being Le Matos’ uber-’80s synth score.

It’s not clear if co-scenarists Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith intended their tale to be played for satire, straight suspense, or a mixture of both. But as executed by the RKSS trio, “Summer of ’84” is only cute and competent enough to be diverting; it’s neither funny nor scary enough to leave a lasting impression.

Reviewed online, San Francisco, Jan. 23, 2018. (In Sundance Film Festival — Midnight.) Running time: 106 MIN.

• Production: (Canada-U.S.) A Gunpowder & Sky presentation in association with Brightlight Pictures of an RKSS production. (International sales: Gunpowder & Sky, Los Angeles.) Producers: Shawn Williamson, Jameson Parker, Matt Leslie, Van Toffler, Cody Zwieg. Executive producer, Floris Bauer. Co-producer, Michael Flavin.
• Crew: Directors: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell. Screenplay: Matt Leslie, Stephen J. Smith. Camera (color, widescreen, HD), Jean-Philippe Bernier. Editor: Austin Andrews. Music: Le Matos.
• With: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, Rich Sommer, Jason Gray-Stanford, Shauna Johannesen.

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Summer of 84

Review by brian eggert september 2, 2018.

Following in the footsteps of recent nostalgia-fests, Summer of 84 occupies a familiar setup in which four young teens investigate something macabre or fantastical in their corner of Suburbia, USA. Another in a chain of recent ‘80s-inflected TV shows and movies to adopt this setup, the film bears a resemblance to last year’s It and Netflix’s ongoing Stranger Things —without which Summer of 84 would not exist. Of course, those titles borrow from a tradition of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg fare that actually debuted in the 1980s, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Goonies (1985), Stand by Me (1986), and the most underrated of them all, The Monster Squad (1987). But where Summer of 84 falters is its deficiency of likable characters, a seemingly essential component to this now commonplace story structure.

Written by Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith, the writers don’t bother trying to hide their influences. Look at how the foursome of teenage boys that drive the story resemble the same basic types that we’ve seen countless times before: There’s the shy, relatable conspiracy nut Davey (Graham Verchere); the group’s macho renegade, Eats (Judah Lewis); the bookish one with glasses, Faraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew); and the resident fat kid, Woody (Caleb Emery). Together, they suspect Davey’s neighbor, Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer), the nice-guy cop who lives across the street, of killing a string of teenage boys in their sleepy Oregon town. Mackey, a bachelor, spends much of his time gardening in the backyard and taking late-night jogs, which leads the boys to suspect he’s up to something nefarious. It’s like Fright Night (1985) but without the fangs.

Summer of 84 was directed by French-Canadian filmmakers Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the same trio that delivered Turbo Kid , the 2015 post-apocalyptic comedy meant to resemble something cheaper and sleazier than the average New World Pictures release. There’s decidedly less bloodshed here, and most of it is reserved for the final 30 minutes or so. However disgusting and shocking the eventual scares may be, the buildup spends too much time with this group of friends and their endless talk of “pussy” to make the audience care. Frankly, these are unpleasant kids, unlike the corresponding groups from Stand by Me or Stranger Things . We can’t really understand why any of them are friends, except the one thing they have in common, talking about the female anatomy. The proceedings become quite tiresome in their company, especially when it comes to Nikki (Tiera Skovbye), Davey’s former babysitter who serves no purpose except to facilitate his adolescent fantasies and improbably support his quest to expose Mackey.

The directors draw inspiration—in some cases, entire shots—from the movies and TV shows mentioned above, as well as other favorites from the decade of excess. Take a scene when Davey’s friends dig up Mackey’s garden and accidentally cover their walkie-talkie in dirt, a moment taken directly from Joe Dante’s The Burbs (1986), another title about suspected murders in small-town America. Summer of 84 is rife with callbacks such as this, to the extent that viewers well-versed in 1980s cult cinema will either enjoy the references or find the entire experience derivative. Above all, though, the directors attempt to exploit the popularity of Stranger Things , from the character descriptions to the music. Note how the electronic score by Le Matos sounds suspiciously like Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon’s synth-laden sounds from the Stranger Things opening theme.

Ultimately, Summer of 84 doesn’t earn its overstuffed 106-minute runtime. It spends more than an hour in the company of horny little assholes, and only the third act exploring the demented depths implied by the story’s setup (the killer’s lair and final words are genuinely unsettling). Usually, what works best about these adventures is the comradery between the boys, while the source of the mystery is just the icing on the cake. But unfortunately, spending any amount of time with Davey and his friends proves grating, and there’s not enough time spent feeling terrified. Summer of 84 seems to understand the structure of those beloved teen adventures of the 1980s, but it doesn’t understand that lovable characters are what bonded us to them in the first place.

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Summer of 84 ending spoilers: was officer mackey really a killer.

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Here's the ending of horror thriller Summer Of 84   explained. Stranger Things quickly became one of Netflix's most popular original series following its 2016 debut, largely thanks to its great cast. It can't be denied nostalgia for the 1980s itself played a role in its success, with the series almost reveling in its nods to famous movies and shows from that era. It's tipped the hat to everything from The Goonies  to Aliens , with a hefty dose of the work of Stephen King thrown in for good measure.

This led to a sharp increase in other shows and movies inspired by the 1980s too, with the Summer Of 84 almost playing as the dark flipside of Stranger Things . The movie follows friends Tommy (Judah Lewis), Curtis (Cory Gruter-Andrew), Woody (Caleb Emery) and Davey (Graham Verchere), with the latter believing his next-door neighbor Officer Mackey (Rich Sommer, Mad Men ) could be the Cape May Slayer who has been kidnapping and murdering teenage boys in the area. The four friends spend their summer staking out his house looking for clues to his guilt.

Related: Every Time I Die's Ending Explained

Summer Of 84 practically drips with nostalgia for the decade, with its ever-present synth score and  Goonies  dynamic. On one hand, it leans into the trappings of an Amblin produced adventure of the era, but it definitely ends up in a darker place. The story ramps up after the boy's investigation has been rumbled and they're forced to apologize to Mackey for digging up his garden and breaking into his shed, and the cop later seemingly catches the killer himself. Davey is still convinced he's the Cape May Slayer, however, and breaks into his house to check his basement.

This is where Summer Of 84 reveals Officer Mackey definitely is the killer, as Davey and his friends find the body of a missing boy and recover another teen he kidnapped. They report this to the police, where they're praised for their heroism. A manhunt for Mackey begins, but later that night it's revealed he hid in Davey's house. He snatches Davey and Woody and takes them to an offshore island for a very high stakes game of manhunt.

This ends when Mackey catches Woody and cuts his throat, but instead of killing Davey, he spares his life for a specific reason; he wants Davey to live his life in constant fear of the day Mackey returns for him. The killer then disappears and Davey is rescued. Summer Of 84 ends with a repeat of the opening scene where Davey cycles through his neighborhood. His love interest and former babysitter Nikki (Tiera Skovbye, Riverdale ) waves goodbye from a car as she leaves the neighborhood, while Tommy and Curtis don't look at him as he passes. Davey then ends up in front of Mackey's empty house, and Davey looks at a newspaper with the killer's face on it, confirming he's still on the loose.

Next: Stranger Things: How Old The Kids Would Be In 2020

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Every serial killer lives next door to someone

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

François Simard

Anouk Whissell

Yoann-Karl Whissell

Matt Leslie

Stephen J. Smith

Top Billed Cast

Graham Verchere

Davey Armstrong

Judah Lewis

Tommy 'Eats' Eaton

Caleb Emery

Dale 'Woody' Woodworth

Cory Gruter-Andrew

Curtis Farraday

Tiera Skovbye

Nikki Kaszuba

Rich Sommer

Wayne Mackey

Jason Gray-Stanford

Randall Armstrong

J. Alex Brinson

Officer Cole

William MacDonald

Sheriff Caldwell

Full Cast & Crew

• Discussions 1

A review by Gimly

Written by gimly on october 5, 2018.

A very pleasant surprise. It was hardcore derivative, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Even if it had, there is nothing old hat about that ending.

Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.

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• serial killer
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Review: Summer of 84

Title:  Summer of 84 MPAA Rating:  Not Rated Director:  François Simard, Anouk Whissell Starring:  Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery Runtime:  1 hr 45 mins

What It Is:  A group of kids lead by Davey (Verchere) starts to suspect that perhaps his neighbor MIGHT just be the serial killer responsible for the disappearances of multiple children who’ve since not been found. As they circumvent trying to figure this out, without the help of their parents (who don’t believe them) they’ll have a bigger challenge to prove it. Throw on top of that he is a cop and pillar of the community. As if that weren’t enough let’s add in hormones and a girl next door that Davey’s been crushing on.

What We Think:  It has the feeling of the Shia LaBeouf classic  Disturbia.  A young man who just can’t seem to mind his own business. Its execution was not bad, but too much of the narrative is all too predictable. Perhaps that decision was supposed to be done that way, for me it took me out of the whole thing. Really there’s just enough to satisfy the mystery even if it kinda bumbles through that. If not for the characters this film wouldn’t really work. The kids have a  Stranger Things vibe and the 80’s setting glorifies that.

Our Grade:  C+,  It leaves a well enough impression but doesn’t completely get out of the blocks. Its predictable nature does not help it in the slightest. I dug all the period aesthetics. Those helped sell the film for me as taking place in the 80’s. All the kids were really good performance wise and some of the thrills hit at the right moments. Overall a slight recommendation especially if you want an 80’s nostalgia trip. Just don’t watch  Hot Summer Nights  for that fix, read out review and you’ll see why.

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summer of 84 (2018)

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summer of 84

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

Summer of 84 Review: Feel Good Nostalgia Meets Brutal Horror

Come for the addictive allure of 1980s-era nostalgia, stay for the harrowing 3rd Act that will leave you gasping in Summer of 84.

New Summer of 84 Clip and Poster Channels The 'Burbs

San Diego Comic-Con clip for Summer of 84 along with the new poster recall the 1980s.

Summer of 84 Trailer Turns The Goonies Into a Slasher Thriller

A group of teen friends go hunting for a serial killer in the comedy horror thriller Summer of 84.

'Summer Of '84' Trailer: What If 'Stranger Things' Had To Deal With A Serial Killer?

The 2018 Sundance Film Festival is nearly upon us, and we'll soon have coverage of the newest indie movies on the scene making their debut in the mountains of Park City, Utah. One of our more anticipated movies in the line-up has just debuted an awesome new teaser trailer.

Summer of '84 is the latest film from RKSS (or François Simard, Anouk Whissell , and Yoann-Karl Whissell ), the filmmakers behind the cult favorite Turbo Kid , and the first teaser trailer paints a picture that is clearly going for a Stranger Things vibe, but with a little more of a sinister style. While there's a bit of an Amblin-esque thing going on here, the subject matter is a little darker as a group of teens gets caught up in the mystery of a serial killer terrorizing their suburban town back in 1984.

Summer of 84 Trailer

The 1980s setting, the sarcastic group of friends, the discussion about Star Wars – these are all things that get me excited to see this movie. Combine that with the fact that it's about a group of teens trying to determine whether their next door neighbor, a police officer played by Mad Men star Rich Sommer , is a serial killer, and this sounds like an indie hit in the making.

The rest of the cast includes Graham Verchere , Judah Lewis , Caleb Emery , Cory Gruter-Andrew , Tiera Skovbye , Jason Gray-Stanford , and Shauna Johannesen . While indie movies often feature up-and-coming talent instead of big names, this casting has an even greater effect here since it makes this movie seem like a relic from the 1980s that has been lying undiscovered for decades.

Even the poster has the perfect 1980s vibe, looking like a cover of a VHS from your local video store:

Every serial killer is somebody's neighbor. For 15-year-old Davey, the thought of having a serial killer in his suburban town is a scary yet exciting prospect at the start of a lazy summer. In hormonal overdrive, Davey and his friends dream of sexual conquests until the news reports of the Cape May killer. Davey convinces his friends that they must investigate, and they uncover that his next-door neighbor, an unassuming, single police officer, could be the prime suspect. Could Davey possibly be right, or is it his overactive imagination?

Summer of '84 premieres at the Sundance Film Festival this month.

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Movie Review: ‘SUMMER OF ’84’ a ‘REAR WINDOW’ mystery for the ‘STRANGER THINGS’-loving era

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SUMMER OF ’84

Not rated, 105 minutes. Director:  François Simard ,  Anouk Whissell  and  Yoann-Karl Whissell Cast:  Graham Verchere ,  Judah Lewis ,  Caleb Emery ,  Cory Gruter-Andrew ,  Tiera Skovbye  and  Rich Sommer

If you haven’t heard of SUMMER OF ’84, change that by watching its trailer. You’ll be surprised it hasn’t popped up on your radar yet, because it looks exactly like the ‘80s kids-on-bicycles thriller you might have grown up on, like THE GOONIES and E.T. While this idea may feel a little worn down by properties such as STRANGER THINGS, SUPER 8 and IT so hot on the plate, the night drive-inspired synth score, the summer break friendship dynamic and the central story all add up to an irresistible and highly entertaining movie.

SUMMER OF ’84 could best be described as REAR WINDOW meets STRANGER THINGS and IT, but 86 the supernatural elements. It’s about 15-year-old Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) and his best friends (Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery and Cory Gruter-Andrew) investigating a local serial killer who has been snatching up kids in their town. Davey suspects it’s his neighbor, Mr. Mackey (Rich Sommer of GLOW), a police officer who lives alone and seems to be up to no good. He makes trips to the garden store to buy supplies like dirt, a pickaxe and a shovel. He claims he’s gardening, but the amount of stuff he buys doesn’t match the work to his yard. Mr. Mackey also takes long night jogs to his storage unit that contains God knows what.

But because the town, like IT, doesn’t seem to be as concerned as these teen boys are about the killer – seriously, parents will just allow these boys to play flashlight tag and walk home alone at night without many restrictions – it’s up to them to be the detectives and follow the breadcrumbs… and not die in the process.

What’s most surprising about SUMMER OF ’84, aside from the being a great hangout movie and having a slick style and jam-worthy musical score, is how it doesn’t try to be an overly clever thriller. So many movies are concerned about the audience picking up on the trail before the characters that the filmmakers complicate the story more to its dismay. SUMMER OF ’84 is dead simple, and how it leaves you is different from any movie like it. It’s actually quite haunting.

To this film’s disadvantage, however, the characters often don’t have much sense, most notably the parents. I can tell you right now, if a serial killer was at large and was responsible for the death of many local kids, my parents would have already made plans to move out of town, or, at the very least, would have me sleep in the same room as them. There’s too much trust going on in this situation and that has the audience working against the film a tad. Luckily, it’s not too much of a stretch, as the kids, for the most part, stay in their own suburban neighborhood.

While I am not a child of the ‘80s, I definitely was an outdoor kid who would communicate with friends on walkie talkies, make the neighborhood my playground and would always be suspicious of people. It’s part of the thrill of growing up, and SUMMER OF ’84 captures that very well. It also doesn’t overdo it too much like STRANGER THINGS does, where the kids have posters for movies that didn’t really get attention until years later. This movie also isn’t working under the same budget as that Netflix hit show, so the whole ‘80s aesthetic isn’t overwhelming. You only have kids going to the skating rink, playing arcade games, riding bikes and driving their parents’ station wagons around town. It’s a movie that just so happens to be set in the ‘80s and doesn’t let that aspect be the only source of its appeal.

I should also mention Verchere (THE GOOD DOCTOR and FARGO series), who plays Davey. He carries the film like a pro and allows the audience to identify with his worries and driven nature. He may have the expected crush on the pretty, older neighbor girl, Nikki (Tiera Skovbye), but how the film handles that relationship is refreshing.

SUMMER OF ’84 is a movie that should be playing nationwide, and it’s shocking that it is not. Maybe it’ll find a pulse on iTunes or on disc later, but for now it’s a gem to seek out. So, if you are in need of some late night plans (the Alamo Drafthouse in Las Colinas is showing the film at 8:30 p.m. or later this week), the film is worth the trip.

SUMMER OF ’84 is playing in select theaters today, and will release on iTunes and other digital formats on Aug. 24.

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Brandy Shares Exciting Update on Potential Return for I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel

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"I don't know how she would come back, I haven't thought about that yet, but I know that she should come back. She should definitely come back ," Norwood said. " They have [reached out to me] . So, we'll see what happens. I haven't seen [Jennifer Love Hewitt] in so long. I would love to see her. She was always lovely to work with."

They have [reached out to me]. So, we'll see what happens.

Upon learning that the film was in the works, Norwood previously told THR, “I didn’t know Sony was putting that together. That’s interesting! [...] I’m not pulling a fast one on you. I did not know that [the reboot is happening]. I need them to give me a call because I survived in that movie! I came out in the end, bloodied up, ready to go. I did not die in that film. Jennifer, Freddie [Prinze Jr.], hit me up.”

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I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Is Confirmed as Canon

When the upcoming film was first announced, it wasn't entirely clear if it would acknowledge the prior films, though there were rumors that original stars like Hewitt could return. Director Jenn Kaytin Robinson would take to social media to confirm that the original movie, along with I Still Know What You Did Last Summer , are both being treated as canon to the new sequel. As Norwood starred in the second film, that left the door open for her to potentially return in the new movie. Norwood recently returned to the horror genre, and with her clear openness to revisiting her Karla role from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer , it may only be natural for her to get involved with the legacy sequel.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel will be released on July 18, 2025.

Source: Entertainment Tonight

I Know What You Did Last Summer

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‘Megalopolis’ trailer controversy, explained: Why was it pulled?

The movie studio Lionsgate says it “screwed up” after fabricating critics’ quotes in a recent trailer for the upcoming Francis Ford Coppola film, “Megalopolis.”

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis,’” a studio spokesperson said in a statement to TODAY.com. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and (production company) American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Out in September, "Megalopolis" stars a large ensemble cast, including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne and more. Coppola called the movie, which had a budget of $120 million, a "Roman epic set in modern America" in an interview with Vanity Fair .

The “Megalopolis” trailer in question, which has been pulled by Lionsgate but is still circulating via third-party accounts on YouTube , features a slew of quotes from critics slamming some of Coppola’s most beloved past films, including “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”

The problem? These quotes from critics do not appear to exist. 

Speculation over the quotes’ veracity began circulating online soon after the trailer’s release, after film critic Bilge Ebiri revealed in a piece for Vulture that the quotes, which were attributed to renowned critics including the late Roger Ebert, appeared to be completely fabricated. 

“What’s the intention here?” Ebiri wrote. “Did the people who wrote and cut this trailer just assume that nobody would pay attention to the truthfulness of these quotes, since we live in a made-up digital world where showing any curiosity about anything from the past is seen as a character flaw? Did they do it to see which outlets would just accept these quotes at face value?”

Read on to learn more about the controversy around the use of apparently fake quotes in the “Megalopolis” trailer.

What were the allegedly fake quotes in the 'Megalopolis' trailer? 

The now-pulled trailer for “Megalopolis” opens with the words spoken in voiceover, “True genius is often misunderstood.”

The trailer then moves through three of Coppola’s most notable films — 1972’s “The Godfather,” 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” and 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” — and features snippets of supposed quotes from critics bashing each film.

“A sloppy self-indulgent movie,” reads one quote attributed to the late critic Andrew Sarris from “The Village Voice.”

The trailer also suggests that Sarris said the film “doesn’t know what it wants to be.”

However, neither of these quotes are found in Sarris’ actual 1972 review of “The Godfather.”

A quote from the late film critic Pauline Kael claiming “The Godfather” is “diminished by its artiness” also seems to be fabricated, as it does not appear at all in her 1972 review of the movie in The New Yorker.

Multiple quotes cited by the trailer about “Apocalypse Now” seem to be made up, too. The late critic Vincent Canby never called the film “hollow at the core” in his 1979 review in The New York Times and, as Vulture reported, the critic Rex Reed did not call the movie “an epic piece of trash.”

Likewise, Ebert did not call “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” a “triumph of style over substance” in his 1992 review of the film. 

A similar phrase did appear in his review of 1989’s “Batman” ; Ebert called that film “a triumph of design over story, style over substance.”

Critic Owen Gleiberman also confirmed that he never actually called “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” “a beautiful mess.”

“Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths. Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole ‘Megalopolis’ trailer is built on a false narrative,” Gleiberman told Variety this week. 

“Critics loved ‘The Godfather.’ And though ‘Apocalypse Now’ was divisive, it received a lot of crucial critical support,” he continued. “As far as me calling ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ ‘a beautiful mess,’ I only wish I’d said that! Regarding that film, it now sounds kind.”

Lindsay Lowe has been a regular contributor to TODAY.com since 2016, covering pop culture, style, home and other lifestyle topics. She is also working on her first novel, a domestic drama set in rural Regency England.

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