As if we couldn’t get enough nostalgia for the ‘80s, the trailer for the upcoming movie, Summer of ‘84, seems to be continuing the trend of ‘80s era story plots.
The movie focuses on a group of four young guy friends trying to figure out who’s responsible for killing people in their town — oh hey, it’s the plot of Stranger Things, minus one girl with superpowers!
The trailer starts with a news anchor describing how the killer seems to be targeting young males, ages 12-16, and a young boy obsessively listens and watches. It then cuts to a group of kids, the obsessive looking boys friends, discussing the case, with images of more ‘80s nostalgia flash before our eyes: a Reagan/Bush sign, missing child ad on the back of a milk carton, the hot blond DJ.
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This group of kids band together and create their own murder investigation squad, which apparently leads them to suspecting the killer is a cop, Officer Mackey. Mackey is played by Rich Sommer, of Mad Men fame, and this role definitely looks like something we haven’t seen from the actor.
The kids think Officer Mackey is creepy and are scared of what he could do to them, but the adults in their lives don’t seem to believe that the kids would dare blame the respected police officer for such heinous crimes. Of course, there’s the part where they’re children and shouldn’t be putting themselves in danger, just like those darn kids did in both Stranger Things and It.
The film definitely touches on the trend of ‘80s era TV shows and movies. Where as Stranger Things is for the sci-fi fans and the latest adaption of the movie It was for on the horror film lovers, Summer of ‘84 seems to be targeted toward the serial killer thriller enthusiasts, with popular shows like Mindhunter on Netflix, which focuses on the character trying to catch serial killers by studying their damaged minds.
Do we need any more ‘80s era movies or TV shows? Probably not. From the trailer and the synth-pop music that seems to contrast tone of the movie, Summer of ’84 looks like a wild ride for those who can’t get enough of the ‘80s, mysteries, or teenagers. Which, judging by how many stories in that trifecta are out there now, is a lot of you!
The movie hits select theaters on August 10. Peep the trailer below.