I Know What You Did Last Summer

Director - Jim Gillespie (Venom, Eye See You)

Starring - Jennifer Love Hewitt (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Munchie), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2), and Ryan Phillippe (Matlock, The Outer Limits)

Release Date - 1997

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "If you're going to bury the truth, make sure it stays buried"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was never really a fan of 90s slasher especially in the post-Scream world. Meta slashers just never did anything for me. In fact, a lot of times I felt like they came across as forced and rather cringy with a story that almost feels arrogant. I’m not one of the many horror fans that often bash 90s horror because some of my favorite films are from the 90s. However, 90s slashers lack what their 80s counterparts brought to the table. I’ve tried to give Scream a chance but it’s a franchise I just can’t get behind. I want to like them and have another series of films to enjoy but they just bore the hell out of me. Another popular 90s slasher series that I never gave the time of day is I Know What You Did Last Summer. That recently changed when I received the UHD release for review. I decided to go ahead and toss it in as part of my October horror binge. 

      The film follows a group of high school seniors who accidentally hit a pedestrian. With graduation around the corner and their futures in jeopardy they decide to toss the body in the bay and go on with their lives. A fast forward a year and the four have grown apart and their lives didn’t go as planned. They soon start to receive cryptic messages hinting to the incident they have tried to put behind them. Soon they find themselves playing a game of cat and mouse when a killer brandishing a hook and wearing slickers starts hunting them down one by one while they try to uncover who the real killer is. 

      I was not expecting to like I Still Know What You Did Last Summer as much as I did but I fucking loved it. The characters were more annoying than any other slasher I had seen but the story was almost a back to basics for slashers which was surprising considering it was released a year after Scream. I really enjoyed this one and now I may look into snagging the region B box set featuring the trilogy now. Regardless, I was very surprised by this film. It doesn’t really feel like the type of movie I would want to watch during my October horror binge but it did not disappoint. The acting in this one is easily the weakest point of the film. As a teenager I discovered Cruel Intentions and enjoyed Ryan Phillipe and Sarah Michelle Gellar performance and Gellar’s portrayal of Buffy made my elementary and middle school years. My point is I know this cast has serious potential, but they just feel stiff and unenthused. Almost like it wasn’t worth their time. The story for this one is reminiscent of the classic slasher formula where we follow a group of youths who wronged someone and it comes back to bite them in the ass later on. This formula was used for years with minor tweaks and here it still works. However, we get a much bigger budget and the douchiest characters in film history. In fact, I didn’t fucking like a single character in the film. It did make the film feel like it was dragging it’s feet from time to time but it does pick up and the “whodunit” aspect actually works. I didn’t think it was predictable and actually enjoyed the ride for the most part. Finally, the film has a few on screen deaths that fits the film’s fishing theme. The practical effects are very well done and the kills do stick out from the rest of the film. Personally, one of them is still replaying in my head days after my initial viewing. Overall, I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of a few slashers from the 90s that I actually enjoyed. I wish there was some characters that would have been liked but it’s still enjoyable the way it is. I highly recommend snagging this UHD release.