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Summer of 84

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for Summer of 84 Released Aug 10, 2018 1h 46m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Teenager Davey Armstrong is a conspiracy theorist who begins to suspect that a neighboring police officer is a serial killer. With help from three friends, Davey launches a daring investigation that soon turns dangerous.

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Summer of 84

Summer of 84

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Critics Consensus

Summer of '84 suffers from an overreliance on nostalgia for its titular decade, but a number of effective jolts may still satisfy genre enthusiasts.

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Critics Reviews

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Katie Rife AV Club Summer Of '84 never really gives us a reason why these kids should be friends, and although we spent most of the film watching them hang out, the direction is too stiff to call it a proper hangout movie. Rated: C Aug 10, 2018 Full Review Kristy Puchko Pajiba Clunkiness aside, Summer of 84 is a satisfyingly suspenseful adventure, with compelling characters, and a chilling murder mystery at its center. Aug 10, 2018 Full Review Nell Minow RogerEbert.com A modest little suspense puzzle that simulates rather than builds on vastly better 'my neighbor may be a murderer' stories from Rear Window to Stranger Things. Rated: 2/4 Aug 10, 2018 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Unfortunately, spending any amount of time with Davey and his friends proves grating, and there's not enough time spent feeling terrified. Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 11, 2022 Full Review Scott Phillips The Movie Isle Summer of '84 does many things well. The suspense set pieces are well-staged. The young cast gives convincing performances. Jul 27, 2020 Full Review Ricardo Gallegos Pólvora It does many things wrong, but the twist is so good, it redeems a large part of the film. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 5, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carlos I I was a little too harsh on this initially. Sure it's unoriginal and is parroting various trends of the time, but it ends up doing its own thing and does it well. It's got a great ending and great performances all around. I love the aesthetic, and the mystery of this flick. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Bartholomew S Loved everything about this movie and the 80's feel. Won't give a spoiler alert for people that have never saw it. Loved it along with Super Dark Times Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Torin F SUMMER OF 84 absolutely succeeds in invoking the mid-1980s to deliver a period-appropriate thriller that doesn't overly rely on nostalgia. By bringing a bit more grit and edginess than either Spielberg or Stranger Things, the film fittingly offers a somewhat darker portrait that invokes the popular thrillers of the time. The ending is actually darker than expected, but the film remains a thoroughly engrossing slow-burn. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review Firas A A bit of a slow burn but it still does an amazing job of keeping you on the edge of your seat. The 80s atmosphere is fun and short scenes introducing all of the characters' lives does a pretty good job of make the characters feel personable. My only complaint is the real action is all jam packed in the last 30 minutes of the movie, making it feel a bit rushed. Definitely recommended, 8.2/10. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/22/24 Full Review Sabrina F Summer of 84 was way better than I thought it would be. I have been missing Stranger Things, and I wanted to watch something in that vein- a movie that is a love letter to the 80's but still feels like the 80's, not a lot of neon and cast members that look, act, and talk way too modern for the 80's. Most of us 80's babies had houses that were still stuck in the 70's. Neon was for malls and salons. We also cussed a lot when we were with our friends and took little jabs at one another, but with love, so the way the teens in this film interacted felt very much of the period. I also appreciated that these boys were horny, because yea, they are 15, so they would be. I feel like too many modern movies are so chaste when they deal with teenage sexuality, probably because they fear censorship. Davey Armstrong suspects that his neighbor, a lonely cop, is the infamous serial killer the Cape May Slayer. Davey enlists his friends to help him catch a killer. I love the premise, the four lead characters, and the chemistry the actors had with one another. You'd think these guys were life-long friends in real life. I liked the fact that Summer of 84 felt fairly grounded. There was nothing over-the-top about it. Some people will be disappointed that there is really no mystery here, but I was on board. I like a good cat and mouse story. There are people that hate the ending and find it morally reprehensible-(Ha!)-but I loved the ending. I get tired of the same-old-same-old Hollywood happy ending, so I really appreciate that the writers were willing to do something dark and unpredictable. My one complaint about of Summer of 84, and what kept me from loving it is that this movie lacked teeth. We get cussing and little bit of gore and violence, but it is overall a safe film. Because it felt so safe, I never really felt like the characters, especially Davey, were in danger. I am glad that there were some stakes at the end, but I never really felt the suspense. Summer of 84 stays too light-hearted to really excel as a thriller. It is, however, a sweet coming-of-age movie with a likable cast of characters that I would love to see again. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Matt L Love this film -- so much fun and super tense in the best way. If you're considering watching it, do it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/28/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Summer of 84

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Teenager Davey Armstrong is a conspiracy theorist who begins to suspect that a neighboring police officer is a serial killer. With help from three friends, Davey launches a daring investigation that soon turns dangerous.
Director
François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Producer
Jameson Parker, Matt Leslie, Van Toffler, Shawn Williamson, Cody Zwieg
Distributor
Gunpowder & Sky
Production Co
Brightlight Pictures
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 24, 2018
Runtime
1h 46m
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