Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
On Wednesday, November 7, Riverdale is going back to high school. Cue up the requisite “oh, are they finally going to class instead of murdering people?” jokes, but the neat twist of the episode, titled “The Midnight Club,” is that it flashes back in time to when Riverdale’s adult cast were teens and all went to high school together.
Rounding out the conceit is that the teen cast of the show will be playing “their” parents. Meaning Lili Reinhart will be ditching her Betty Cooper pastels to play her mother Alice in her punk days, and KJ Apa’s Archie red hair has been dyed brown to turn him into Luke Perry’s Fred Andrews.
In the episode, Alice tells Betty about her high school days in order to explain where the current season’s dangerous role playing game Gryphons & Gargoyles came from. And even though the parents were teens in the ’90s, true to Riverdale form the episode is more inspired by the ’80s (as we discovered when we talked to the show’s co-composer, Sherri Chung).
So to get you prepped, I put together a cheat sheet of ‘80s classics (and a few stinkers) to watch, while you eagerly wait for the flashback to roll around.
'The Breakfast Club'
This is the obvious one, as it’s the clear inspiration for “The Midnight Club: down to the name of the episode. In both the episode and the movie, a group of disparate students get sent to weekend detention. They bond, they make out, and they all learn important lessons about themselves in the process. As a neat shout-out to the classic movie, Anthony Michael Hall is joining the cast as the principal of Riverdale High, Mr. Featherhead. That makes it a pseudo-reunion with fellow Breakfast Club castmember and frequent Riverdale guest star Molly Ringwald, who plays Archie’s mom, Mary Andrews — though given the time difference, it seems unlikely the duo will interact.
Bonus: Sixteen Candles
Keep your Ringwald/Hall marathon going with this other John Hughes classic.
'Weird Science'
Maybe it’s the Anthony Michael Hall of it all, or maybe it’s that all the teens on Riverdale are wearing weird things on their heads while playing Gryphons & Gargoyles, but you might want to check out this sci-fi comedy, too. In the movies, two kids figure out how to build a machine that can create the sexy lady of their dreams by putting bras on their heads and using electricity. It’s super goofy, and given some of the stills that have dropped from “The Midnight Club,” seems like a good tonal match, if not a plot one.
Bonus: Real Genius
…or if you want to watch a good ‘80s comedy that dabbles in science, this Val Kilmer starrer is the one to check out.
'Heathers'
One thing that separates “The Midnight Club” from The Breakfast Club? There’s a good chance someone is gonna die on the former. Or at least, we’ll find out a secret so big and dark that the parents have held on to it for decades. If you’re looking for something more along those lines, check out the classic dark comedy Heathers (ignore the TV adaptation). A group of mean girls torture our fringe-nerd heroes, and they end up taking some very dark revenge.
Bonus: Stand By Me
Another classic ‘80s movie that deals with death, four kids head out into the woods to see a dead body. On Riverdale, they’d call that “Wednesday.”
'Cloak & Dagger'
Not to be confused with the Freeform TV show of the same name, if you’re looking to get your game on this is one to check out. Central to the plot of Riverdale this season is that the Gryphons & Gargoyles game is ruled over by a mysterious… Something… Called the Gargoyle King, which is seemingly convincing kids to commit suicide. Though Cloak & Dagger takes the video game route, it does involve a kid getting obsessed with a game, and parts of it seeping into the real world. Also, Dabney Coleman as a Bond-esque super-spy? Say what?
Bonus: Wargames
This one is all about computer games as well, but it’s fun. And baby Matthew Broderick!
'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'
Maybe a bit of an offbeat choice for this list, but Dream Warriors ranks with the best of the Nightmare on Elm Street series. It focuses on a group of kids who decide to take the fight to Freddy Kreuger, which has shades of the Riverdale parents (potentially) taking on the monstrous Gargoyle King. Also it’s a really fun movie.
Bonus: IT
I’m cheating a little here because this adaptation of Stephen King’s novel aired on TV, and in 1990. But we’ve had a glimpse of Cole Sprouse wearing a cast that says “Loser” with the “s” crossed out and replaced with a “V” just like in IT, so, you know, why not?
'Dragonslayer'
If you want to get into straight fantasy like the world explored in the Gryphons & Gargoyles game, a good place to start is the Peter MacNicol starring adventure, which finds him going on a heroic quest to (you guessed it) fight some dragons. Only in the ’80s could Peter MacNicol be a pulse pounding, heroic heartthrob.
Bonus: Dungeons & Dragons (1983)
Forget about the abortive movie adaptation, and instead check out this kitschy cartoon version that ran for three seasons in the ’80s. It follows six D&D players that are sent into the actual D&D game, which fits neatly with the plot of “The Midnight Club.”
