Summer Of 84 (2018) Review!!!

Synopsis – 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.

My Take – Thanks to the major success of Netflix’s Stranger Things and director Andy Muschietti‘s Stephen King adaption, IT, 80’s nostalgia is very much ‘in’ at the moment. Hitting every form of entertainment, from shows and film to the resurgence of retro games, the trend has successfully taken us back to the simpler days of walkie-talkies and bike riding until dinner time kicked in. While this film, from the directing trio known as RKSS (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell), does come with a hefty dose of idyllic ‘80s nostalgia, it’s a fictional story that could’ve happened in real life.

While the minimal buzz surrounding the film might lead to some form of skepticism about the film’s quality, I can assure that this one is undoubtedly a fantastic little flick that is extremely well written and directed with all around great performances from its lead players. Yes, the film does share resemblance to the tones set in Stranger Things, IT, Suburbia, The Burbs, Fright Night, Disturbia and Stand By Me, but fortunately for the film it takes its own route through a clever narrative that goes to some ridiculously dark places, all before descending into full-on nightmare horror for a short but very effective final act.

It’s surprising how this murder mystery/slasher/coming-of-age comedy hybrid, given its indie budget, confidently explores the triumphs and tribulations of being a teenager, all while delivering a horrifying tale that conjures up some really fun scares along the way. This film is not just a love letter to 80s horror fans, but also to fans of the 80s in general.

Set in the year of 1984, in the town of Ipswich, Oregon, the story follows Davey (Graham Verchere), a conspiracy-theory-loving fifteen year-old, who lives in the suburb with his parents and spends his vacation delivering newspapers in the morning, and the rest of the time hanging with his friends, Eats (Judah Lewis), a chubby kid with a heart of gold, Woody (Caleb Emery), a sex-obsessed bad-boy, and Faraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew), a bookish nerd, all the while crushing on Nikki Kaszuba (Tiera Skovbye), his former babysitter and neighbor. However, what should have been a carefree summer quickly turns into a dreadful one once the community discovers that a serial killer is on the loose within the county, as several young boys start turning up dead.

Never one to turn down a good mystery or conspiracy, Davey starts to look into the case and is convinced that his neighbor, Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer), a local cop who lives alone but always has a smile and a freeze pop for the kids who play about the cozy cul-de-sac, feet away from his fastidiously attended garden is the serial killer branded as the Cape May Strangler. He pulls his friends into the mix and the wannabe heroes start to investigate, not knowing what dark fate awaits them.

The inherent premise to the film is a truth that’s as unsettling as it is obvious, that even serial killers live next door to somebody. We hear this explicitly in the film’s opening minute as Davey Armstrong pedals his way through a suburban neighborhood to deliver some papers. Coming as a second feature for directors RKSS following their auspicious 2015 debut, the outrageously silly (and fun in a twisted, sick way) 1980s post-apocalyptic homage Turbo Kid, the film has a solid idea that combines elements of Fright Night and Stand by Me with a touch of The Goonies, and with a rich synth score and on-point production design, Summer of 84 is a solid homage to ’80s kid-centered adventures. The film might seem normal and routine at first, as yet another It-ride on the Stranger Things–cycle, back to the childhood of white boys entranced with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and John Carpenter, as the boys seemed more interested in snatched porn mags, hanging out in their tree-house they’re fast outgrowing, and playing Manhunt across the night-soaked yards of their seemingly wholesome neighborhood.

But once the film kicks in, it kicks hard, and in its darkest moments, it takes you to place you never though you would go. The trick here is in the execution, and it’s clearly a film that’s been made with a real love for the 80s and for the genre. Those of us who were there will enjoy the pop culture references, which thankfully aren’t over used and are subtly included to set the tone. Although, for the most part, the action is fairly gentle, focusing heavily on the kids’ friendship, and their attraction to sexy babysitter Nikki, the film eventually cranks up the tension in the second half, which leads us to the final act of the film where everything you expected makes a sudden 180 degree, with real horror, real stakes and real consequences.

While much of the material early on in the film has something of a lighthearted touch to it, that doesn’t mean the stakes of the story, and Davey’s journey to uncovering the truth, aren’t essential aspects of the film. In fact, directors RKSS’ latest has quite a few heartbreaking moments to it, and I appreciated the fact that there were real repercussions for the four underage leads here, enforcing the idea of the loss of innocence and demonstrating that actions always have consequences, regardless of however old you may be. The second half especially is so well executed that I’m willing to forget all about how the killer manages to abduct two of the boys under the watchful gaze of the entire police force.

To some, the aftermath of the events in the film may feel like a bit of a downer, but for me, it only steeped this mystery-infused serial killer thriller in a palpable sense of grounded realism, because as many of us can attest, growing up can often be a painful experience that doesn’t work out the way you want it to. The film sets itself up in quite bizarre way, mainly as it offers tons of red flags to legitimize Davey’s suspicions, but in every scene we’ll also get a counterpoint that makes him look foolish. For a while, several of Davey’s companions humor his hunch as if it’s all a game. Remember that this is the summer of 1984 and these suburban kids have nothing to do. So why not snoop around inside sheds and backyards looking for clues while using Walkie-Talkies and binoculars? It beats playing D&D like the nerds.

You even find yourself saying there’s no way the character of Wayne Mackey could be the killer because he is far too obvious. Then at about the halfway point you start thinking to yourself that they haven’t even set up any casual, unexpected side characters who could ultimately turn out to be the killer. The longer this goes on the more you realize that the killer does in fact have to be ‘Mackey’. It’s funny that we’ve gone so full-circle in cinema that having the most obvious character be the actual killer is a completely foreign experience. Whilst conjuring up the feel of fan favorite films this one stands apart with its much darker and sinister approach.

Perhaps the best part of watching the film is the never-ending soundtrack of ‘80s pop synth that carries every emotional beat, often manipulates the viewer by totally twisting the mood of a scene. Even during some innocuous scenes, the ‘80s-AF background music can turn things tense, or uplifting, all to suit the narrative. The film wasn’t perfect, though. As I mentioned above, the film does take a little time to get going and then suddenly rushes towards its dreadful finale, which ends up giving the film an unexpected form of clunkiness.

But all is forgiven especially when we witness the likeable performances from the younger stars, who share a chemistry that is both infectious and endearing. The actors playing the four boys, Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Cory Gruter-Andrew and Caleb Emery, all shine. Tiera Skovbye also brings real weight to a part of the typical object of desire from teen sex comedies and slasher pics of the period. Rich Sommer also makes for a first-rate is-he-or-isn’t-he creep, his unctuousness indistinguishable from wickedness. On the whole, ‘Summer of 84′ is a fun slasher thriller with enough nostalgic moments, perfectly compelling characters, and a chilling murder mystery at its center, to be enjoyably satisfying.