I Know What You Did Last Summer

Run. Run far away. Run far away and never return. You know, you really begin to understand and appreciate what a great writer Kevin Williamson is when all these new directors and writers try to continue his stories and fall flat on their face. This movie is trash. What the director has done is basically just spitting in the face of the fans that have loved these characters for almost 30 years. I rolled my eyes and went along with it for almost 90 minutes and then the train derailed. I don't know that I've ever witnessed a more jarring and sudden character assassination in my 40 years of enjoying movies.

It started out so promising, I actually liked the characters and so fun to see characters from the previous movies. But god can't imagine any real fans being happy with this movie? Very obvious who the killer is which is fine. That how it usually is. But the ending, common? Shockingly bad! So unnecessary and stupid, made no sense and they spent no time explaining why?

Honestly the movie was okay until the last part of the movie, I would have wanted longer death scenes, with more chase, more drama and excitement but it kinda felt rushed unlike in the other movies. This could have been such a good movie, just disappointed.

The film opens with upbeat, trendy music that instantly sets a Scream VI vibe-never a good sign if you're hoping for originality. From the start, it's clear this isn't going to break new ground. We follow a group of American "teens": conventionally attractive girls paired with alpha-male archetypes, with Jonah Hauer-King oddly miscast and feeling out of place.

The premise hasn't evolved since the 1997 original: a group of friends covers up a death, only to be stalked one year later by the iconic fisherman in his rain slicker. He picks them off one by one, sometimes extending his vengeance to their loved ones. That's it. There's little substance beyond this familiar formula. Legacy characters from the original film return, but rather than adding emotional depth or clever twists, their presence feels like a shallow callback. Freddie Prinze Jr., in particular, gives a performance that weirdly channels Dermot Mulroney from Scream VI; not exactly flattering.

Several sequences simply don't make sense. In one, Teddy tries to fix the sliding doors on his boat, even though we can clearly see someone lurking at the end of the corridor. His behavior makes it seem as if he's conspiring with the killer rather than in danger. When he eventually fights the fisherman, the scene plays more like roughhousing with a buddy than a desperate struggle for survival. Later, Teddy's father mourns his son while heavy footsteps of the killer are blatantly audible in the background. Yet the father never reacts. It's sloppy staging, and moments like these kill any suspense.

Acting quality is inconsistent at best. Characters flip from panic to casual nonchalance within minutes, destroying any sense of tension. For a slasher from 1997, some of these choices might have slid by unnoticed, but for a 2025 release they feel outdated and careless.

Ultimately, this revival offers nothing fresh: no new angle, no genuine scares, and no compelling performances. It's a reheated version of a story that was already thin, relying on nostalgia rather than creativity.

Dunno what the negative reviews are on about. I Know What You Did Last Summer was always seen as a lesser version of Scream, released one year later. I grew up in the height of these teen slashers and I enjoyed them (also thinking of Urban Legend here). I knew they weren't great quality, and not critically acclaimed but I enjoyed them. They're like murder mysteries where you actually get to see the murders and have a go at guessing whodunnit.

This new revival of IKWYDLS is almost exactly like watching the original when I was only 10, as a 37 year old. It is just plain silly fun with some glaring plot holes and daft decisions all round. I did guess who the culprit was early on but that didn't take away from the fun of being teased with the alternative motives. And we got to see some legendary 90s icons again which hits the nostalgia bell that the film knowingly mocks when Julie states "nostalgia is overrated". It even felt like the 90s in how little CGI and cinematography is used. It's fairly straightforwardly shot with one scene being an exception.

This film isn't falling down in its silliness, it is self aware - it knows it isn't contributing to a quality film legacy (the original only has 5.8 on here, guys) and everyone should accept that it's never going to be oscar worthy. It's a daft over the top teen slasher and it delivers exactly what it says on the tin.

1997 was a wild year. Jennifer Love Hewitt and her pals in Southport, North Carolina, committed flat-out murder-and somehow managed to build a franchise out of what should've been a one-and-done slasher flick. Now, 27 years later, we're back with the worst-kept secret in horror history. What began with four friends has evolved into a new generation mirroring those same moments.

I'm all for paying homage and drawing inspiration from the original, but this film felt like callback central. Reference after reference. A loosely connected series of events that kind of made since... maybe. Its a legacy sequel so yeah expect some nostalgia, however the script seemed very rush and the film suffered because of it.

The connection between the original cast and the new generation was half-baked at best. I was glad to see Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., but their presence felt forced, like the film just wanted the audience to just go along with it.

As for the new stars there were some decent performances, a couple of laughs, however nothing truly stood out. I didn't feel invested in any of the characters and the film didn't give a reason why I should.