Summer of 84

I was well entertained but I wouldn't call Summer of 84 a horror movie, rather a mystery thriller with some (very few) elements of horror. Reminds me of movies like Stand by Me, Super 8 etc. Fine style, fine music, good production and direction make this a well crafted one.

Well, if you like kids as heroes playing detective, this one is like a fine summer's breeze for you.

In this film a teenager starts to suspect that his next door neighbor, who just happens to be a cop, is a serial killer hiding behind a facade of normalcy found in the suburbs. With the help of his buddies, they begin to surveil the man.

I ended up really enjoying this. Creepy neighbors are always good material for a thriller. No one wants weirdos living next to them. While this is meant to be a thriller, let me just say that I was really feeling a bit of "The Burb's" (1989) from time to time with this film. I read a review that stated that this was like "Disturbia" (2007) and I can see that. Just mix a bit of goofy from "The Burb's" and some of the suspense from "Disturbia" and you'll find this movie.

So glad I took a chance and checked it out.

Suspenseful, with good acting. Highly recommend. Takes a little while to get started but once it does you aren't bored for a second.

It's 1984 Ipswich, Oregon. Even serial killers live next door to somebody. Teen boys are missing and the Cape May Slayer is on the hunt. Paper boy Davey Armstrong suspects his neighbor policeman Wayne Mackey after recognizing a kid from the milk carton. He and his friends hang out, play manhunt, and start investigating the cop next door. He has a crush on his former babysitter neighbor Nikki.

This is Stranger Things crossed with Hitchcock. Stranger Things is becoming a genre of its own and this is full ST. The kids are not quite as cute. They're older and talk a lot of trash about sex. The plot does run over a couple of speed bumps. The first comes in the form of the parents. I buy the skepticism but I can't buy the lack of skepticism. I can accept them dismissing the kid. I can't accept that he has absolute faith in any policeman. It's not like he's a priest. The parents are an awkward movie trope. The last act goes through some more awkwardness. The villain's reappearance is completely expected. It needs to incorporate the walkie talkie. It also needs to keep Nikki around. It does do something unexpected. Overall, this is a fine nostalgia thriller.

First and foremost - this film is not to be compared to Stranger Things and / or It because it was never intended to be compared to those films.

Summer of '84 is a well constructed indie slow-burn film which draws on the neighborhood and suburban vibe which was only realized fully in this country during the 1980's. Harkening back to such classic films as The 'Burbs, Rear Window, When A Stranger Calls Back and other such '80s gems that hone in on the mentality of evil in our midst sight brought about by the Cold War and anti-communist rhetoric of 1950's McCarthyism.

Many of our younger readers will not remember a time when kids actually played outside at night in the neighborhood. Games we all loved such as Kick the Can or War or Flashlight Tag, games that parents secretly worried would expose us to that unknown evil... it is this mindset that Summer of '84 sets itself on.

Not your typical serial killer film, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I will say I was surprised by the ending as I am cursed with determining the plot too early for most films - this one blindsided me and for that I thank the writers.

Haters of this film either 1) Don't understand that a horror movie doesn't have to be all in-your-face or 2) have no recollection of life during that period so don't see it as realistic. I was that age during the '80s and I vividly remember playing those games, being exposed to nudie mags, doing the neighborhood festivals, hearing about killers and half-wishing something happened in my area so I could play hero.

Well done production crew.