The recent boon of 80s nostalgia has swept the horror world over the last several years. It all started with the massive success of Netflix’s Stranger Things and was followed up with It, which is the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. One film that got lost in the shuffle of 80s nostalgia flicks was Summer of 84.
The film has a classic 80s setup of kids riding bikes and trying to figure out a mystery in a small town with synthwave music playing in the background. If that sounds like the same setup of Stranger Things, that’s because it is. However, Summer of 84 differs in a lot of ways.
First of all, the film is a lot darker in tone and doesn’t contain any of the supernatural elements that Stranger Things does. It’s a small story that doesn’t exactly have a happy ending. The film was directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the French-Canadian trio that brought the world the cult classic Turbo Kid. For those who have seen Turbo Kid, it’s a vastly different film than Summer of 84 outside of the synthwave soundtrack.
With Halloween closing in, Summer of 84 is starting to get some love on Reddit. Fans praised the subversive storytelling that is present in the film. Warning, some of the comments do contain spoilers.
That said, not everybody agrees that it’s a film that is all that special.
Summer of 84 is far from the most original film of all time but it’s a solid flick for those looking for some 80s nostalgia that isn’t just Stranger Things.