Here's the ending of horror thriller Summer Of 84 explained. Stranger Things quickly became one of Netflix's most popular original series following its 2016 debut, largely thanks to its great cast. It can't be denied nostalgia for the 1980s itself played a role in its success, with the series almost reveling in its nods to famous movies and shows from that era. It's tipped the hat to everything from The Goonies to Aliens, with a hefty dose of the work of Stephen King thrown in for good measure.
This led to a sharp increase in other shows and movies inspired by the 1980s too, with the Summer Of 84 almost playing as the dark flipside of Stranger Things. The movie follows friends Tommy (Judah Lewis), Curtis (Cory Gruter-Andrew), Woody (Caleb Emery) and Davey (Graham Verchere), with the latter believing his next-door neighbor Officer Mackey (Rich Sommer, Mad Men) could be the Cape May Slayer who has been kidnapping and murdering teenage boys in the area. The four friends spend their summer staking out his house looking for clues to his guilt.
Summer Of 84 practically drips with nostalgia for the decade, with its ever-present synth score and Goonies dynamic. On one hand, it leans into the trappings of an Amblin produced adventure of the era, but it definitely ends up in a darker place. The story ramps up after the boy's investigation has been rumbled and they're forced to apologize to Mackey for digging up his garden and breaking into his shed, and the cop later seemingly catches the killer himself. Davey is still convinced he's the Cape May Slayer, however, and breaks into his house to check his basement.
This is where Summer Of 84 reveals Officer Mackey definitely is the killer, as Davey and his friends find the body of a missing boy and recover another teen he kidnapped. They report this to the police, where they're praised for their heroism. A manhunt for Mackey begins, but later that night it's revealed he hid in Davey's house. He snatches Davey and Woody and takes them to an offshore island for a very high stakes game of manhunt.
This ends when Mackey catches Woody and cuts his throat, but instead of killing Davey, he spares his life for a specific reason; he wants Davey to live his life in constant fear of the day Mackey returns for him. The killer then disappears and Davey is rescued. Summer Of 84 ends with a repeat of the opening scene where Davey cycles through his neighborhood. His love interest and former babysitter Nikki (Tiera Skovbye, Riverdale) waves goodbye from a car as she leaves the neighborhood, while Tommy and Curtis don't look at him as he passes. Davey then ends up in front of Mackey's empty house, and Davey looks at a newspaper with the killer's face on it, confirming he's still on the loose.