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Summer of 84
2018 106 min Canada, United States of America 18+
★6.7
Drama, Horror, Mystery
Director: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Trailers
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EN
Teaser
Description
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.
Budget:
$1.5M
Worldwide:
$42,027
Starring
Graham Verchere
Actor
Judah Lewis
Actor
Caleb Emery
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2019
— Best Independent Film
Key opinion
Summer of 84 is a polarizing retro-thriller that leans heavily on 1980s nostalgia to deliver a suburban mystery. While many viewers praise its subversively dark ending and atmospheric period aesthetic, others find the narrative pace sluggish and the reliance on genre tropes derivative.
| Score | The retro-synth soundtrack and period-accurate suburban aesthetic effectively transport the audience to the 1980s. | |
| Ending | The film avoids supernatural elements, opting instead for a grounded conclusion that makes the reality of the villain more unsettling than expected. | |
| Screenplay | The script is heavily reliant on clichéd teen character archetypes and outdated gender stereotypes that undermine the film's credibility. | |
| Pacing | The slow-burn approach divides the audience: some find the contemplative tension builds effectively toward the finale, while others find the pacing stagnant and boring. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the screenplay are split between those who value the unconventional, subversive resolution and those who feel the mystery is predictable and poorly plotted. |