Program Note
Part of the current ‘80s nostalgia trend, Summer of ’84 features a young cast, walkie-talkies, an electric soundtrack and plenty of pop-culture references sharing much in common with the acclaimed series Stranger Things . A number of teenage boys go missing in the suburb of Ipswich, Oregon in 1984 but there is no parallel universe here, just a sadistic serial killer on the loose dubbed the Cape May Slayer. A boy called Davey (Graham Verchere) suspects that one of his neighbours, a local policeman is the murderer when an impromptu visit into his house on his paper round gets rather spooky. He then convinces his best friends to join him in securing evidence but like his parents, they have their doubts. Directed by the trio Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell who brought us the immensely enjoyable Turbo Kid , there is an abundance of scares to thrill audiences in what is a wellstaged and riveting horror film. If you are looking for a film to help you cool off this summer, look no further. (Jason BECHERVAISE)