This horror-mystery about a plucky bunch of young adolescents squaring off against supernatural forces unknown is clearly looking to capitalise on the 80s/90s nostalgia that has made Stranger Things such a palpable hit. The kids ride around on bikes, they play baseball, they convene in a treehouse with a sign that says “KEEP OUT”, and they investigate creepy loners who live by themselves. It takes place in 1997, and details like no one having a mobile phone are accurate as well as useful for the plot.
The representation of the kids themselves is carefully sanitised: no one is smoking cigarettes or dropping sexist, racist or homophobic slang. It’s less of a throwback to the era itself and more like a film that references previous and existing throwbacks. But where Twin Peaks knowingly subverted a vision of smalltown America, there’s no such originality to be found in Monster Summer; it’s a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. There are some decent PG-rated thrills and scares for the preteen audience, but adults are unlikely to find it especially convincing, with clunky dialogue and a generic score letting down a solidly traditional spooky mystery.
