 Thanks for checking out this movie review video This is for the 2018 film summer of 84 and this is a shutter exclusive film So you can only see it on shutter streaming. I don't know if that's going to change in the future Maybe not so I actually attribute the non-popularity of this film for the most part to the fact that it was a shutter Exclusive back in 2018 because when it came out. Yes shutter got popular in 2018 That's when they start really building a lot of momentum and they're very popular now But when summer of 84 hit in 2018 it wasn't during that time where it was really starting to gain traction So I think a lot of people ended up missing this film and I kind of want to get the word out there now That said I am doing spoilers in this review because it's from a two from 2018 So if you haven't seen the film yet just stop here go watch it on shutter. It's very good I totally recommend it then come back and you can kind of go through and nerd out with me on this Really like this film. So this film was directed by François Samard a nuke Waselle and yawn Carl Waselle who they go by RKSS as a as a production company and They've the other thing you might know that they did that's actually also available on shutter And I should do a review for is the film turbo kid which turbo kid is a lot of fun It is very different from this film though And I think part of the reason is they the people who directed Summer of 84 wrote and directed turbo kid. They did not write summer of 84 So who did write it Matt Leslie and Steven J Smith who don't really have any other writing credits on IMDB But I don't understand why so much because this is a good script. It is quite a good script in my opinion This film was actually considered by a lot of critics to be one of the best horror films to come out in 2018 now this is another reason why I'm saying people need to be watching this and you know If you've gone this far in my review, you've probably already watched the film But tell people about it. Tell your friends about it. It definitely deserves it The music in this film Sets things up very very well in my opinion to establish an 80s era now They do it to a degree with the with the outfits that people wear But the music is what really really really sets it up So I really like that in addition the music is really well executed. It's really well put together I think that's another great thing in turbo kid. They did a great job with the music there I think overall that's something they do really well the rkss folks So love the music in this. That's one of the best parts The beginning with Davey talking about his neighborhood Sets up a level of distrust and paranoia Which is very important for this film because that's kind of what it's all about at least from the perspective of Davey and his friends There's this distrust in the neighborhood specifically Mackie distrust of Rn and the level of paranoia because you know a potential serial killer being right there But there's also distrust that comes down from the parents There's also distrust from the kids going to the parents as well because they know they're not necessarily gonna listen to them Some of the kids actually have problems at home. So there's a level of distrust on that level too. So It's more it's really more than just a film about kids trying to solve a case of a serial killer There's a lot more going on and I'll talk a little bit more about that as we go on This is this actually speaks to the time to the fact that it's set in 84 This is the type of stuff that was becoming more known about in the news with serial killers being out there Mainly 70s 80s, but also more child abductions that being Something that was covered a lot more and people being more cognizant of it and being more paranoid about it So it kind of captures a feeling from this time period But it's viewing it more through the lens of the actual kids not the parents You see so much more watching it a second time I wrote like the photos of his family the large family in the beginning in Mackie's house and The layout of the basement knowing that when in the beginning Davey's helping to move something down to his basement behind that padlock door are Two kids one dead and one alive, which you you know, obviously find out in the end So it's for that and a bunch of other moments, which I'll talk about me Maybe two more of those types of moments in here. It's definitely worth a second viewing because Certain scenes and certain dialogue has different contexts the second time you see it It's more of like a vague foreshadowing of what's coming or there's a double meaning there there's something else going on between the characters and You know, like I said, I'll talk about that the dialogue is very good in this That combined with the acting makes these characters feel very real It makes the relationships the friendships between the kids feel extremely real the only one that doesn't really feel all that real is a relationship between Davey and I Forget her name the babysitter that he had some years ago that relationship feels not realistic feels very forced and weird That's the only big problem. I have with this film is that that doesn't jive That price could have should have been cut out of the whole thing because it doesn't really Matter a whole lot to the actual story. So I think that should have been edited out But other than that dialogue is great acting is great Script is really good Davey's father is a reporter in this So you can see where he gets his desire to investigate and you feel like there has to be a deeper story With the disappearing of the kids That's where I think it's interesting to to make sure you key into those types of things when they're kind of Dropping it in the film and I don't think I really picked up on that the first time I picked up on that the second time that you know, it's it's mentioned quickly But Davey's father is a reporter so you can understand that that's kind of where Davey's mindset comes from And I think that's thrown in there to set up the possibility of doubt for the audience of where You know Davey's coming from when he thinks that Mackie is a serial killer, you know, they could be like, oh, well, you know He gets it from his father. He's naturally inquisitive. He he feels like he wants to be like his father He wants to be Investigating things and solving things and looking into it like a reporter. I mean they also do that by putting all those Newspaper clippings up on his wall It just shows that he's obsessed and then also his friends talking about the fact that oh, here you are with another conspiracy theory You know, so it kind of discredits him to a degree And that's important to kind of lay the track for there being some base level doubt about the things that he's saying So it creates this awesome kind of push and pull throughout the entire film of you as an audience member thinking, okay He you know Mackie definitely did it because of this this and this but then getting those counterpoints of well You know, I'm not so sure that he did do it or thinking he definitely didn't do it because of these counterpoints Really well done in that respect This serves to remind people how different things are for kids now I don't think it was an intentional from the film But that's something that I pull out of it back then the height of entertainment for these kids was actually hanging out Outside and doing things like I think you call it midnight manhunt playing flashlight tag That's what I knew it as when I was a kid I actually wasn't able to participate in that because my parents were very strict But all my friends were doing it and those were the things that kids got excited about back then now kids are mainly staying Inside and the excitement's like video games and YouTube and things like that YouTube The push and pull of evidence versus deny it ability I talked about this a little bit The Mackey is the Kate May slayer is presented pretty evenly and actually at really good pacing That's another aspect of it What I was talking about that not only is there a good amount of here's the evidence here are the counterpoints to say maybe Why he's not the killer? It's done at good pacing. So it's like point counterpoint point counterpoint It's never like here's all this evidence and then here's all the denial kind of the things for denial Just clumped together they pepper them in there and they kind of alternate pretty well that you know makes it like I was talking About where you're kind of pulled back and forth throughout the film of like man Maybe he did it maybe didn't do it and I love that I love that because it keeps the tension high It keeps it a mystery until close to the end and it just plays well It's believable that kids of this age would do all the recon on Mackey And then have a very stupidly simple plan like we can catch him and become famous like they literally don't have a plan They're just like we did all this recon We think it's him now we just catch him and it's just this thing of like Yeah, that's how kids think that's how kids kids of that age think they think they're invincible They think they can do things like that and they don't think things through because they're kids. They're young. They're immature like that's That's pretty realistic. So that speaks again to the good writing of the script You get it pretty early on that Woody has a rough situation at home Which makes the film about more than just the serial killer investigation Woody's home life drives him out of his house and into the sanctuary that is his group of friends. It's the Treehouse which he actually talks about saying that if he could move in there He definitely wouldn't he wouldn't have to go back home, but then you also get a little bit of that from the friend eats Towards the end you don't get it early on, you know You see he's kind of like a bad. He's more of like the bad kid Especially when they get pulled over in the car and the police officer's like, oh, you know, not Tommy of course it's you basically This just speaks to what I was saying before it's it's about so much more, you know, it's about these kids backstories It's about the trauma that they're having at home the issues They're dealing with as well and for that reason it actually feels a lot like, you know a film like it Stranger things the goonies. There's a lot of that type of stuff It's about the kids camaraderie about them going on a adventure and solving a mystery But it's also about their backstories and what they're dealing with in real life And the fact that their parents don't believe them But they're trying to prove something so all that stuff kind of plays together, which by the way It's sheer coincidence that I happen to be wearing this today when I watched this I did not plan this so it's kind of weird but hey This also points out how everyone has a state of ignorance and innocence When they don't have the context or maturity to understand what they and their friends Have going within their lives You see that even though they talk about some things with woody's hard home life and then later on with eats That these kids are kind of aware of it as their friends, but they don't go into it It's just kind of more of like a oh, you know, you don't want to spend time at your house Or they kind of know what they're going through, but there isn't that level of how can I help you? What it, you know, should we take this to someone else like And that's normal, you know, that's totally normal like kids when you're much younger You don't have that maturity. You don't have the innocence You don't have the life experience to be able to look at what either you're going through or what others are going through And saying oh, this is a bad situation Because that's what you're brought in brought up in like you just Don't question it. It's just like this is this is just how life is And then once you get much older you start to realize that I know I personally have had that happen to me in life with You know thinking that your family your extended family is perfect And because that's just the way it is and then going out and getting life experiences and meeting other people and realizing it's not um because There are other ways that families function and other ways that people act And you know normal is relative. So I think that's a That type of stuff comes into play in this film. And I think it does in a good way The whole situation with nicky like I was saying the babysitter couldn't remember a name before a good thing I read it down. Yeah, that just didn't feel realistic. I think that definitely could have could have been cut out of the film When mackey gives the playing kids freezy pops This is a very important moment that's kind of subtle his expression Slowly goes from the facade that he's giving to these kids of a happy nice guy neighbor To a very slow fade down to a very serious kind of disturbed look And that's supposed to be the true him coming through showing you that little glimpse that he is the cape may slayer So I like that moment. I'm not sure I picked up on it the first time, but definitely the second time The scene where davie goes to mackey's house to turn on the walkie-talkie And he says quote this time. I'm ready for you mackey says that this time. I'm ready for you That's a veiled discussion about how he's on to him. It's also a foreshadowing about how things are actually going to go in the end You know davie and his friends are going at it. They're doing the investigation they're getting the information And they're going to be able to take him down which they do to a degree But he doesn't actually get caught and in the end he gets away He almost kills davie, but you know leaves him in any potentially even worse state, which I'll talk about later kills woody And that little exchange with with with the walkie-talkie situation is a veiled one of He's basically saying to him in a coded way. I know what you're doing And I'm taking precautions to counter that and things are going to end differently And like I was saying it's also a foreshadowing of where things are actually going to go It's kind of a turning point in the film in a subtle way After the kids get caught they do a good job of casting doubt in the minds of the audience based on how nice And normal mackey ends up seeming and I think that lasts up until the time that he Makes the phone call from davie's house and davie calls back and gets what phone number it was and realizes He called his own house So that that I think is them where you're like, oh no, this guy is hiding it He's definitely the dude When the police chief says davie is a hero This is actually harkening back to earlier in the film When davie's parents were saying that mackey is actually a hero It was a situation where davie's saying he's the killer He's the cape may slayer and his parents are saying here you are thinking this person is a terrible person But all along he's a hero because he caught that killer Now this is the inverse of that where the police officer is saying to davie's parents Look, you thought that your kid was a bad kid that he was overreacting that he had this crazy imagination He's a hero So it's it's a cool juxtaposition in that situation I dig it When davie says quote, there's nowhere left for him to hide This is chilling at least the second time you watch it because literally at that moment mackey is above him Hiding in the attic to come out later. You don't know that the first time you're watching it So that line of dialogue just slips by but on the second viewing it is a chilling line of dialogue Because you know that mackey is above him and you know what's coming and that makes it even more impactful and dreadful really Um, which by the way the moment where You know, it's it's nighttime in davie's house and then the you know The stairs come down from the attic as soon as the stairs started coming down the first time I watched it I remember just my eyes getting really wide and just having this oh shit moment Uh, that I was just like, oh my gosh, this is this is going bad and that's a great sign because I I don't get wrapped up in films like that a whole lot. So the fact that I got wrapped up in a film like Like I did Speaks to how well done it was So there is a great false false ending, which is the whole like everything's resolved The kids are gonna be fine and that makes you even less prepared for woody's death in the end of this film Because you make this assumption that okay, it's all tied up. Everything's good. The kids are safe We can breathe the tension's done. Everything's good But you're not safe. So you're kind of at a moment where you're not prepared For what actually ends up happening and I think that's kind of brilliant. I love it The ending brings up a great question in some ways. Is it worse to survive something like this? Always living in fear and also in this instance living the guilt with the guilt of being the one who survived Because you know that davie would go on to not just live in fear like was intended By mackey as he was telling him before he left but also feeling guilty because he lived woody didn't live and That's a very real thing. You know, I've listened to a lot of true crime podcasts and watched true crime shows And that is something that legitimately happens with survivors Is having those feelings that the person's gonna come back, especially if they haven't been caught before Um having just PTSD having issues dealing with trauma anxiety, but also survivors guilt That's a real thing and I think it's presented kind of well in this film by how Um mackey talks about things before he actually leaves davie alive So the acting in this film is very good. I think it's really really strong Keeping up the tension and mystery is an important aspect of the film that's actually really done well Because with something like this, this is very thriller like you've got to do that. You got to keep up the mystery You got to keep up the um Tension in order for people to really get sucked in and they did This is a good example of a film Making a film with a very low budget That is good But you can do it because of some of the basics doing the basics really well like strong script writing Acting directing soundtrack editing all those things are super strong This isn't a high budget film and you can tell like there's no crazy CGI. There's there's some practical effects But there's not a ton So you can see that it didn't have to be a big budget film But it's really good and it's really effectively done because the basics are really well done This feels a lot like things like it stranger things in the goonies Yes, and part of the reason being a lot of the trauma that's kind of alluded to in all those things And especially here They do a good job of keeping you wondering if davie's davie's suspicion of his neighbor is legitimate Or it's a kid's imagination There are enough hints at where he could get false clues now This kind of goes back partially to what i was saying in the beginning about his father being a reporter You know things like that but also just kids being kids, you know and having imaginations And I think that's obviously what his parents fell into and a lot of the adults being like Oh, there's no way it could be mackey But in addition to that just the fact that mackey's a police officer and there are certain professions That as a society we just think because this person is this Part of this profession they're a good person and that's not true That's not necessarily true because people are individuals and even in the instance of this film It makes a very strong point that even though he was a police officer It doesn't mean he was a good person because obviously he was a terrible person He was using that as a facade He was using that much like he was using the facade of being a nice neighbor To cover for what was truly going on and that happens in real life Prime example golden state serial killer He was a police officer at one point and when he was a police officer I don't think he was killing people But he was at least peeping on people and breaking and entering at that point I think he was the visele or ransacker. Maybe I don't remember at what point He kind of moved over to the rape aspect of it, but It's just important to know that it's happened in real life Um This creates a good feeling of what it's like when you get into a situation where you know something is wrong With the situation something terrible is happening, but nobody in a position to help Is listening to you no one believes you that there's a problem, but you know that there's a problem Everyone's been there before you know to differing differing degrees even if it's something as small as In your office, you know, there's a decision being made about how work should be done or how You know work is processed or whatever or how you take care of clients And you know this is not the right thing to do. This is unethical. This is immoral Or it's just a situation where it's just not going to work And you know it but nobody in a position to make a decision will listen to you and then things play out They play out poorly and you're like Why couldn't someone have listened to me that is clearly going on in this film and everyone's experienced that at some point in their life That feeling so you feel it when you're watching the film So the end of this I think is actually a really good setup for a sequel to the film but I don't know if I personally would want a sequel I think I'd be more interested in a prequel to this film I want to know the back stories more if there's one thing I really wanted more in this film It's more explanation of what was actually going on in the kids lives But also the backstory of mackey. How did mackey first get started? How long was he really doing this? I mean, I know they allude to the fact that it was about, you know, 15 years that these kids were going missing But that's only in that location. You know, you got to remember this is the 80s The police departments aren't very well connected at this point So he could have just moved there 15 years ago and that's when people from that area started disappearing He could have been doing stuff prior to that out on the opposite coast of the country Who knows? So I think a prequel would be really good to kind of get the backstory of the kids going on And then intercut that with the beginnings of mackey as a serial killer and just go through a timeline So that you end it where mackey moves into the neighborhood I think that could be pretty interesting But you know, give me your thoughts on that thoughts on anything regarding this film or other stuff You can put some comments down there my Overall rating of this with a possibility of five stars half stars in play I'm going to give it a very solid four and a half star rating I don't think it's a perfect film, but it's a really good film really well done. And I really like it I recommend this to people all the time, especially if they have shutter and they're like, what should I watch on shutter? tell people all the time actually Subscriber uncle pete on here who comments on a lot of the videos as well This came up because he was asking me one night over social media I got some free time. What should I watch and I'm like, well, I know you have shutter Here's what I recommend. I recommended summer of 84. He watched it He messaged me about it the next day and was just like man That was really good and he suggested we could talk about it for a live stream Which we might end up doing and then that got me thinking You know what? I want to rewatch it again because I know I didn't do a review on it So that's how this came up. So thank you uncle pete for kind of getting that going But yeah, four and a half star film really good highly recommend to a lot of people and you should do But do me a quick favor hit that subscribe If you like any videos I do you appreciate what I'm doing literally takes you a second and it's totally painless I would appreciate that But if you are going to hit the subscribe make sure you hit the notification bell too That way, you know, whenever I'm putting up new reviews unboxings here and there and then when I'm doing the live streams as well It'll let you know when I am live so you can jump on if you want to which we're having fun doing that But um, if you've already subscribed just hit that thumbs up. Just let me know you're still watching But regardless, thanks for taking your time watching this and until next time keep it brutal