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Review: ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is a Lackluster Reboot that Proves the Slasher Franchise Should Have Stayed Dead and Buried
July 18, 2025Ben MK
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When you think of slasher movies, there are a number of iconic films that might come to mind. And while the original I Know What You Did Last Summer couldn't quite match the popularity of its older genre sibling, Scream, odds are that it's one of them. Thanks to its cast of what was then some of Hollywood's hottest up-and-coming actors, this urban-legend-revenge-thriller has ingrained itself upon the collective psyche of moviegoers, earning it a place in pop culture and giving Ghostface a run for his money. And now, two sequels and 28 years later, director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is attempting to bring the franchise out of retirement, in this legacy sequel that sees the Fisherman return once more — this time, to terrorize a group of Gen Zers 12 months after a tragic car accident. Set in the picturesque oceanside town of Southport — a place revitalized by real estate developer Grant Spencer (Billy Campbell) since the events of the first movie — the story follows Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), a college student who's returned home for the summer to attend the fourth-of-July engagement party for two of her best friends, Danica (Madelyn Cline) and Grant's son, Teddy (Tyriq Withers). However, when a moment of bad judgment leads to them — and two others from their friend group, Milo (Jonah Hauer-King) and Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon) — inadvertently causing a car and its driver to plunge off a winding cliff-side highway, the aftermath proves too much for some of them to handle. Torn on whether to help the unwitting victim or go to the authorities, they instead choose to flee the scene, vowing never to speak about it ever again. What they never anticipated, though, was for their actions to come back and haunt them — an outcome that local bar owner Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who also happens to be Stevie's boss, knows only too well. Fast forward almost one year to the day, and although most of these five friends have chosen to go their separate ways, they're all about to be brought together again by fate. For when Danica receives an anonymous card at her bridal shower bearing an ominous message — "I know what you did last summer!" — she has no choice but to call upon the four other people who were on the road with her that July 4th night. Noticing the striking similarities between the events befalling them and those that took place back in 1997, they begin to investigate Southport's bloody history, thanks to some help from a true-crime podcaster looking to use the town's morbid past to boost her viewership. What they uncover, however, may be far too shocking for them to resolve on their own. But despite going to the central figure in the 1997 massacre — Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) — for help, will it be enough to stop a new sadistic killer from recreating the Fisherman's gruesome killing spree? Written by Robinson and Sam Lansky, the result tries to follow in the footsteps of such legacy sequels as 2022's Scream and the recent Final Destination Bloodlines. Still, even though I Know What You Did Last Summer basically replicates the original's formula — adding in a few twists along the way — the final product can't help but come across as forced. From the dialogue, which ranges from the clichéd to the downright illogical, to the new characters, many of whom are too annoying for the audience to care whether or not they survive, it's painfully evident that all of it exists purely to bring Julie and Ray back into the fold. Even more confounding, however, is the turn the script takes once they've been re-introduced. And while some might call it bold, it's a narrative decision that's bound to draw its fair share of ire from longtime fans of the original. Needless to say, all of these negative criticisms probably won't deter the 1997 version's loyal fanbase from checking out this legacy sequel. And even though this new I Know What You Did Last Summer feels more like a shallow imitation than a genuine successor, there will no doubt be those who'll find a way to enjoy it simply as a guilty pleasure. Either way, moviegoers three decades from now probably won't look back on this new version with the same adoration as audiences today have for the original. After all, when it comes to the slasher genre, sometimes it's best to let things die rather than to dig up what's already dead and buried. I Know What You Did Last Summer releases July 18th, 2025 from Sony Pictures. The film has an MPAA rating of R for bloody horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content and brief drug use. Its runtime is 1 hr. 51 min. |
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