I Know What You Did Last Summer Review
“Nostalgia is overrated” – Julie James
Oh, harsh words there from the last girl/survivor of two previous I Know What You Did Last Summer films. Nostalgia is alive and well, and evidently thriving in the horror movie industry. I think we’re currently in a kind of renaissance period for horror films. Not only are we getting a steady feed of new films with original ideas, but our diet is being supplemented with a stream of older, beloved films being resurrected decades later with those legacy characters now 20 plus years older returning to once again face the horrors that menaced them as teens. This formula has worked amazingly well with the Scream franchise, keeping the careers of Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell going. Halloween finally got its satisfying closure with the trilogy that brought Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) back, I enjoyed the hell out of Final Destination: Bloodlines a few weeks ago (no returning characters in that one, because, y’know, death is a persistent mo’fo) and I believe the Urban Legend films will be continuing with a new entry currently in development.
I’ve got to say, I’m wallowing in the nostalgia of seeing all of these characters coming back, played once again by the original actors.
I Know What You Did Last Summer was a 1997 film (for those who weren’t around back then) concerning a bunch of teens from the fishing town of Southport, North Carolina who believe they’ve accidentally killed someone on a lonely road at night. In sheer panic because this would ruin their futures (there was a lot of alcohol involved) they dispose of the body and swear to secrecy. A year later to the day, they start getting notes reading “I know what you did last summer” and an oilskin clad fisherman starts stalking them one by one, killing them with his large hook. Their victim apparently wasn’t as dead as they thought – or was it a witness they didn’t spot? (No spoilers here. Go watch the movie.)
Personally, I’ve always thought it’s a great movie. It spawned a sequel, which to my mind was a bit far-fetched and lacklustre in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) which reunited first film survivors Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinz Jr) on a Caribbean island resort, again stalked by the fisherman. A third film I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer followed in 2006 with no legacy characters nor any connection to the previous movies, other than a brief mention as the would-be teen victims research similar incidents. This one takes place in a ski resort in Colorado. It has its moments, but really wasn’t necessary. (Besides, a trawler fisherman in mountainous Colorado?)
Now, here we are in 2025. 28 years after the original film. Back in Southport, where a local wealthy politician has done his utmost to erase the blood soaked past of the town so he can carry out his property development and make himself richer. On July 4th, another bunch of local teens cause another death on the same stretch of road. At this point, you might think that we’re treading the same ground exactly as the original, but stay in your seats – this is a pretty wild ride that goes off in its own direction and is worth sticking around for.
One of the teens is the son of the local politician, who due to his own financial self-interest, uses his connections and has the accident covered up, with no consequences to the teens. Or so they think – a year later, the notes start to arrive. Someone, somewhere, knows what they did last summer – and the fisherman is back, with his hook.
In desperation, as their numbers begin to dwindle, the teens do their research reach out to original survivor Julie James, now a college lecturer, to plead for help. Also on hand, having never left Southport is Ray Bronson. And that’s all the plot you get from me.
Having recently re-visited the original trilogy and having seen how they diminish in quality, I had low expectations for this one, despite my considering the first to be a slasher classic. The return of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinz Jr was the lure. I hadn’t seen Love Hewitt in anything since her Ghost Whisperer TV show of the early 2000s. She had completely dropped off my radar, strangely, and I’ve missed her. But this nostalgia trend has worked before for other horror franchises, as I’ve mentioned – why not this one? Plus, how could I, of all people, ignore a summer slasher movie?
Considering the predictability of most slasher movie scripts, this one stands out. It's clever. The plot is strong. Now you can sigh if you like and ask how strong can a plot that involves a hook wielding fisherman stalking and gutting young adults possibly be? Turns out, all you need to do is write a literate story, kind of a whodunit where several people have a motive for the killing spree we’re witnessing. Toss in some misleading red herrings, and the audience is kept guessing. Even when we think it’s all over – it isn’t. Local politics, corruption and cover-ups play a large part in the setup, but more than that – we’re dealing with trauma.
When Julie and Ray appear onscreen, it’s clear they’re not some brash, bold survivors having brushed off the events that happened to them over the course of two films. Their lives have been altered irrevocably. And both characters have used different coping methods. More than a simple slasher movie, which I was expecting, this cuts deeper (pun intended) examining the effects of PTSD on trauma victims, and I never saw that coming.
It’s a wildly entertaining film though, giving plenty of service to us old-timers who’ve been fans of these movies since the last century (way to go, Rob – depress yourself). We visit several locations seen in the first film, scenes of some of the deaths. Some things have changed in the town, as one would expect, some things haven’t. But it’s all familiar and somehow comforting, until the fisherman shows up in some of his old haunts. Add to this an unexpected and very welcome cameo from an original cast member, and you have all the ingredients for an awesome night at the cinema.
Oh – and wait until the credits have started rolling – halfway through, there’s a sting you’ll need to see.
Before I wind this one up, here’s a thought.
Isn’t it time Jason Voorhees got this treatment? Surely someone, somewhere might want to re-open Camp Crystal Lake. Maybe as a young offender’s rehab place, with Kane Hodder (previous Jason actor Friday the 13th pts VII - X) as the person in charge? Or as Steve suggested, someone redeveloping the old summer camp, demolishing it and putting up glamping pods, to the annoyance of a certain hockey mask wearing machete carrying local resident? The possibilities are there.
And while we’re at it – why does nobody on Elm Street have nightmares anymore?
Now, the rating – I wasn’t going to give this one a 10 because they’re becoming commonplace. My last two reviews have been tens. But Steve pointed out it’s unfair to give this one a 9 just because I’ve been handing out tens lately, and he’s right. To be fair, this is a movie that overdelivered above and beyond all expectations. This is a deserved 10, and a 10 it shall be.
Let’s make it official.
Rob Rating = 10
