YMMV / Summer of '84

• Awesome Music: The darkly nostalgic-sounding synth score by Le Matos perfectly complements the film's 1980s setting.
• Complete Monster: The Cape May Slayer, true identity Wayne Mackey, is a Serial Killer who preys on young boys, wracking up at least 15 murders over several years. When young hero Davey Armstrong investigates on his own, he discovers photos of the Slayer's victims, including one that indicates the Slayer is targeting him as well. He then discovers a mutilated corpse in the Slayer's bathtub and an injured, emaciated boy the Slayer was saving for later. The Slayer later abducts Davey and his friend Woody, slitting the latter's throat and injuring Davey, vowing he will one day return for revenge and until that day, he wants Davey to live in horrible fear of when it will be and what Mackey will do to him.
• Heartwarming Moments: Of the main quartet, Davey and Farraday are shown/hinted to have home lives which are much more stable than Woody and Eats's. Woody's father is nowhere to be found and his mother works long hours and is struggling with what seems to be depression; Eats's parents fight all the time (possibly to the point of violence) and his brother treats him with derision. At separate points in the film, Woody asks to stay over with Davey and Eats to stay with Farraday; the answer from both of the other boys is an unhesitant yes, and in the case of the latter, Farraday checks in with Eats and asks how bad it is with his parents. It's a beautifully understated detail of their bond reminiscent of Stand by Me.
• Paranoia Fuel: Oh, just the thought of a Serial Killer living right on your block. Mackey invokes this when he spares Davey, vowing that he wants Davey to live in abject terror of him, haunted by the thought of what Mackey will do to him when he returns and to live every day terrified and believing that it is the day Mackey will come for him. "And one day? You'll be right."
• Nightmare Fuel: The scene towards the end where Mackey descends from Davey's attic and kidnaps him and Woody so he can kill them both, accompanied by a chilling piece on the soundtrack.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Everything about Woody and his mother. She doesn't have anyone other than her own son to look after her. In the end, Woody is murdered by Mackey, leaving his mother all alone.
  • On top of that, the gang's beloved treehouse being destroyed by Eats and Farraday. What was once a cherished symbol of their friendship ended up being turned into a tragic reminder of what was lost and what can probably never be repaired.
  • Davey curling himself into a ball and breaking down in tears after the ordeal Mackey puts him through.

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