**This review contains spoilers**

I never saw the original 1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer, so the lega-sequel aspect of the 2025 version was not the appeal for me here. It was the cast of young stars I have some vested interest in. Although, I guess that’s what got many people to go see the original back in 1997. That version starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ryan Phillippe, all 90s teen movie icons. After committing a hit-and-run and swearing each other to secrecy, they are stalked by The Fisherman, a hood-wearing killer wielding a hook. The concept remains the same almost 30 years later. A group of extremely good-looking, former high school friends (here in their mid-20s rather than teen years) obstruct a section of roadway, which causes a pickup truck to crash into the guard rail. Despite their best efforts to save the driver, the truck falls off the cliff into the ocean. Their crime is making a pact to pretend that they were never there. A year later, one of them receives a note containing the ominous titular message: “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. They then start to be targeted by a serial killer armed with a metal hook and a fisherman’s slicker. (Also, for the record, I did want to watch the original after seeing the new version, but you had to pay to rent it which I didn’t want to do so I still haven’t watched it. But maybe one day! I think the point here is that I would have.)

Most of you know that I don’t do horror. I was scared to see this movie because it is technically part of the horror genre, however it falls into the “slasher” category. Variety dove deep into this subset of horror in their review. They remarked that the point of the slasher genre was to slaughter kids “simply for the crime of existing”. The 1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer “marked the final evolution of the slasher genre into slightly edgy consumer product” because it was a full Hollywood production showcasing bright, young talent in bloody form. “Four teenagers in Southport, N.C. walk away from the fatal car accident they caused, so that when they start to be murdered, they’re in effect being stalked by their guilt.” But now, the slasher genre is 50 years old. It’s not edgy, it’s not scary or extreme, it’s more campy than anything. If I didn’t find it scary, I figured that probably means it isn’t. And anyone looking for a horror movie likely won’t enjoy this.

This film made it very clear that it is a sequel, not a reboot, as it includes direct ties to and multiple mentions of the original. It’s been referred to as a “legacy sequel”, which I’ve spoken about before. Twisters, for example, falls into this category, defined as a film that, instead of picking up a previous movie’s threads, pays homage to the original movie while providing a new story in the same cinematic world. Twisters was on the furthest end of the lega-sequel spectrum, connecting back to the original film with only the thinnest of threads. No one in the film was related to or even mentioned anyone from the original, none of the original characters make an appearance, and the setting, while remaining in the state of Oklahoma, did not repeat any specific locations. I Know What You Did Last Summer barely qualifies as a lega-sequel in my book. It’s just a sequel. It takes place in the same setting, has multiple recurring characters, and refers back to the original story countless times. It is really just a continuation of the original story. “So here we are, it’s 1997 all over again,” one of the characters says. And it’s true. It’s the same thing. Another character remarks, “Nostalgia’s overrated”. This stood out to me as meta commentary but, intentionally or not, in a self critical way. This film’s only currency is nostalgia. So why put it down so overtly? 

Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson told The Hollywood Reporter that the greatest challenge of the film was towing the line between appealing to fans of the ’90s films and reinvention. Too much of the former and “it alienates a new audience, because they feel like they’re on the outside of an inside joke,” says Robinson. Too much of the latter, and audiences will start wondering why they didn’t just make an original horror film. From where I’m standing, it was way too much of the former. Too much reliance on the original makes it feel like the 2025 version doesn’t do anything to prove why it needs to exist. The only new idea is that the characters are seemingly punished for their wealth as class disparity is an underlying theme. And some modern markers do permeate the story, like the character of a true-crime podcast host. And the Gen Z lingo and internet speak that pepper the script, like conversations about therapy and trauma, girls calling each other “diva” (both ironically and unironically), and a reference to the Nicole Kidman AMC ad (which was funny coming after seeing that very ad in the theater before this movie started). But still, those modern-day flourishes don’t differentiate the film enough from the original or add any innovative enough ideas or commentary to make this sequel feel earned in a meaningful way.

The draw for me in this film was the cast. Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, and Sarah Pidgeon are all young stars on the verge of breaking big. Madelyn Cline has been hot for a while now, getting her start playing Sarah Cameron on Outer Banks and getting more wide recognition after being a part of the ensemble cast in Knives Out: Glass Onion. I love her as a person. I think she’s funny and cool and stunning. And she’s really good at playing ditzy. She did it in Glass Onion and does it again here and I totally enjoy it. But I do want to see her try some other looks in the future and expand her range. (Also, my friend, Courtney, said she should stay away from boats because her characters have not fared well on them. It’s a good point.) Chase Sui Wonders has most recently gotten recognition for her role in The Studio which she was really fantastic in. Unfortunately, I Know What You Did Last Summer doesn’t allow her to showcase her comedic talents that get to shine in The Studio. I knew Sarah Pidgeon from the lesser-known TV series, The Wilds, and, from that, should have known she would be the killer because you don’t hire her to not play crazy. That’s what she does best. Except, actually, she was just cast to play Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in the upcoming Ryan Murphy show, American Love Story about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s romance. So far, the show has been much maligned on the internet after set photos went viral, but there’s no doubt it will be a big deal and so will Sarah. Tyriq Withers I’d never seen before but he was interesting enough in the movie that I felt compelled to look him up afterwards. Turns out, he’s about to have a huge year. He’s the star of Jordan Peele’s next horror film, Him, which is coming out in September. I am desperate to see this movie but way too terrified to see in theaters. That alone will skyrocket his career, but he is also following that up with playing the main love interest in another Colleen Hoover film adaptation, Reminders of Him, set to be released in February 2026. He is following the movie star playbook just right, covering all the bases. 

The return of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. functioned more as fan service than it did as bringing gravitas to the film by adding in “seasoned actors”. The two are just fine, but were always more icons of a decade than top-tier talents. I kind of hate to say it but Gabriette Bechtel (model/singer/Charli xcx muse/current fiancée of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend/situationship/fling Matty Healy… sorry, did anyone follow that? If you didn’t, I’m sure you don’t care anyway) actually was not bad in the movie. She has such a unique vibe that’s very intriguing and makes you interested in her character, even if she’s short-lived. On the subject of Taylor Swift, though (and, let’s be real, when are we not?), I feel an obligation to point out that the film’s director, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson also directed Someone Great, the Netflix romcom that inspired Taylor’s song “Death By a Thousand Cuts”. And! Her co-screenwriter Sam Lansky interviewed and profiled Taylor Swift for Time magazine after she was named Person of the Year in 2023 (and, yes, I did recognize his name from that. Is that a brag or should I be embarrassed? Hard to tell). It was also reported that he was the ghostwriter of Britney Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me”. That’s quite a career.

I didn’t think this movie was good, but it wasn’t a bad time at all. Maybe if I had more of a connection (or any at all) to the 1997 film, I might have stronger feelings about it. But I just thought it was dumb and entertaining and enjoyable enough. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson told The Hollywood Reporter, “I want studios to bring up filmmakers so that we can find that middle again. I miss the middle.” And I agree. I Know What You Did Last Summer is not the best movie ever. It’s not a big blockbuster or an awards winner. But it’s also not terrible. And that’s okay. We’re losing that grey area. Everyone wants to classify movies (and everything) at either extreme these days. Either Oscar-worthy or absolute trash. We need some just fine films too. That’s where the original I Know What You Did Last Summer came from as well as many other beloved nostalgia films. We need to learn to appreciate those movies as a culture again. Or at least just accept them for what they are. Not everything can be perfect and just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t make it garbage. The end of this film seemed to leave the door open for a possible sequel. Will we ever get it? Normally, I’d say maybe if this one does well at the box office (spoiler alert: it didn’t) but I’m not even sure that matters anymore. So it’s anyone’s guess. Would I be there if it happened? Eh. Maybe, maybe not. They would need a pretty good hook (not unlike The Fisherman’s) to pull me back in.

2025 Count: 48 movies, 34 seasons of television, 3 specials