I mean, it's not important to the plot or anything but I was really bugged by the fact that this movie was supposed to take place in 1988, but by the clothes, hairstyles, makeup, etc. it looked like it was filmed yesterday by hipsters. Not convincing at all. I feel like if you're going to make a movie that takes place in 1988 then you should make it look like it took place in 1988. That's all. Maybe I'm just OCD
shareHahaha! I watched this tonight for the 1st time & thought the same thing. They could've at least teased the Mom's perm out a little & added some hair spray! The TV that was in the living room looked like one my Dad had in the late 90's. Both guys seemed too scruffy & grungy for 1988. The only real 80's thing in the movie was Teddy Ruxpin! LOL
The furniture and ddcorations were very 80s. The little girls had acid-wash jeans. But yes, other than that, not very 80s.
shareYes, especially the mother Julie, she looks like she could easily exist in modern day America. They should have put pink lipstick on her & really big bangs, then it would have been completely accurate. And her clothes were 90's, not 80's...
shareIt didn't bother me too much, but I can see why you might be more annoyed by that fact. Capturing a sense of realism is always a tricky thing, and trickiest of all is in the 'found footage' genre.
If something rings false - whether it's a situation, a character, or just a single scene - it can destroy any effectiveness the movie might be striving to achieve. Instead of getting caught up in the 'mockumentary' style of the story, you just find yourself saying: "that's not real," "why would anyone do that?," or the big one: "why do they keep filming everything?!"
I guess they just wanted to go for more subtle clothes and hairstyles rather than overtly 80's style fashions, so they wouldn't be too distracting for general moviegoers. I was aware of the lack of really obvious 80's clothes and hair, but it wasn't a distraction for me. Once I accepted the fact they were able to get HD digital footage from an old '80s VHS camcorder, it wasn't too difficult to accept the non-period-specific clothing either. There's a lot of suspension of disbelief required for this series anyway.
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You are right about the "why do they keep filming everything" part. That seemed really ridiculous. It would have been better for the movie if they had just filmed in the same way that most movies are filmed instead of having the character be a camera fiend filming everything. Actually I think if it was something caught on security cameras, like in an office or something, then it would be a more likely situation.
shareIf I remember correctly the first two movies also had to do with the "camera fiend guy" that films everything... that's just the concept... same as the Blair Witch Project... do you think it would have worked half as well if it had been filmed like most movies ? Don't think so...
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If I remember correctly the first two movies also had to do with the "camera fiend guy" that films everything... that's just the concept... same as the Blair Witch Project... do you think it would have worked half as well if it had been filmed like most movies ? Don't think so...
I agree, its very noticeable that it doesn't look like 1988, Randy's hairstyle was what i first noticed and then i was looking out for any instances when they were wearing anything 80's looking, it really did look like current day. also, when Dennis is watching the wedding tape it looks very 80's but his home videos just look too good
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The babysitter was the only one who actually got it right. Even her acting reminded me of the 80s. Everyone else was wrong. The mom was not 80s at all; her hair and makeup was completely modern, and I'm pretty sure she was wearing flats... The assistant also didn't look 80s at all, he looked like a modern hipster, just like the dad. His hair was all wrong. If he had a different haircut then maybe he could pull it off.
shareWhile I agree that the hairstyles and most of the costuming were totally wrong, we DID wear flats in 1988. I can attest to this. My entire high school lived in them.
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"It's better not to know so much about what things mean." David Lynch
Nah, the assistant totally looked 80's. Modern hipsters also look 80's, that's probably what confused you.
I thought it was pretty accurate. Did you people not actually live then?
I was around back then, and can testify that not everyone in the '80s looked like they just stepped off the set of a Duran Duran video, and even the ones who did didn't dress that way all the time. For example, a movie set in the 80s showing a teenage girl in jeans (the ordinary non-acid washed variety) and a t-shirt is every bit as period accurate as showing her in spandex and leg warmers.
shareThe babysitter was the only one who actually got it right. Even her acting reminded me of the 80s
lol I agree, it maybe not important to the plot but it did bother me as well. It's funny but I actually first noticed it when the babysitter appeared, I was like oh right, it's the 80's...
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I didn't even know it was supposed to be the 80's until a quarter way in and I came on here. Why is the mother wearing skinny jeans? Yeah and the hipster guy? So not 80's. Why did they even bother setting it then?
I'm curious how old you were in 1988 and how much you actually remember. Everything looked very late 80s to me.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!