I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

I Know What You Did Last Summer offers up good old fashioned 90s teen fun and mean kill sequences that will delight those looking for an entertaining slasher film thanks to director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s ability to capture the 90s teen slasher in a modern setting, though as a whole the narrative leaves something to be desired as the film juggles the series’ past, a promising new future, and a divisive creative decision that will make or break the film.

Back when the Scream series was slashing up the box office in the late 1990s, screenwriter Kevin Williamson debuted another slasher. Adapting the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a box office hit and helped turn its stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe into teenage heartthrobs, spawning a poorly received theatrical sequel, a direct to home video sequel that fans pretend does not exist, and an attempted television series reboot. Capitalizing on the success of the return of the Scream and Halloween franchise, writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson follows up her hit Netflix film Do Revenge by taking audiences back to Southport, North Carolina with original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. that brings a meaner spirit to the I Know What You Did Last Summer series, at the same time as maintaining its undeniably fun 90s slasher spirit. And while she brings a great young cast together with the likes of Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon, the screenplay does do not deliver the fully developed story that this cast is deserving of, preventing this requel from being the worthy legacy sequel that the original film deserves.

In Do Revenge, Robinson proved that she was able to capture the undeniable spirit of a 90s teen film in a modern setting, creating a unique sense of nostalgia through her wickedly clever dialogue, ridiculous twists and turns, and pure unashamed sense of fun. This made her the perfect choice to reboot the I Know What You Did Last Summer series, and she effortlessly captures the tone of the original film in her modern update. Infused with the spirit of a 90s teen horror film, with some deliciously fun lines, a wonderful use of Nicole Kidman’s iconic AMC line “we come to this place for magic”, and constant use of the word diva, Robinson knows how to have fun with her characters. When it comes to the slasher elements, Robinson makes The Fisherman more vengeful and sinister than previous entries with a mean streak and brutal kill sequences that not only easily earn the film its R rating with its gore and graphic images, but creates a dangerous setting for the story to unfold in. This is all balanced with callbacks to the original two films, which will no doubt leave fans of the series giddy with excitement.

Where Robinson’s vision falls short is in the story itself. There are some great ideas at play, blending the premise of the original film with a legacy sequel storyline, helping to build a plot that aims to both bring in new fans to the franchise and satisfy those who grew up with the first two films. But in trying to do both, the film suffers. While Julie and Ray have a comparable amount of screen time to Sydney, Gale and Dewey in 2022’s Scream, their scenes are far less impactful and do very little to further their character arcs. Providing no explanation as to what happened to their characters in the final minutes of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, a burning question amongst fans, or what caused their characters to break apart feels like both a disservice to the fans and the characters. The mystery in Southport feels cookie cutter, with supporting characters spoon-feeding both the main group of friends and the audience as to how the identity of The Fisherman can be cracked, taking away the suspense and chills of the original film. And on top of that, the new main characters themselves feel severely underdeveloped, making them feel more like stereotypes than fully realized individuals. Yes, it's a slasher film, so you don’t expect outstanding character writing, but none of them had their own sense of individuality and merely fell into caricatures of the types of individuals you’d expect to meet in a slasher film.

The most divisive decision and aspect of the film most likely to turn viewers off of this legacy sequel is without question the third act twist. While I admire the big swing taken with the reveal of the identity of the killer, it feels unearned and completely out of left field with no development despite it being blatantly given away by a single line of dialogue early on in the film. It’s an interesting idea that could have worked and delivered a landmark first for a slasher franchise in its bold move, but for it to have truly had the shocking and emotional effect on viewers, it had to be both better setup and not followed by the quickest killer showdown in the history of horror cinema that was over in a blink of an eye. Luckily, that mid credit scene is enough to get true fans back on board and excited for a potential new entry in Julie James’s story.

Luckily, the cast of the film is great and helps fill in the gaps left by the screenplay. Wonders continues to prove herself as an actress as the film’s lead Ava, that while the writing of her character is at times bland, ensures that Ava is a strong final girl that audiences can root for. Clyne is a bundle of energy as Danica, delivering lots of hilarious moments throughout while channeling the energy of Michelle Gellar’s Helen Shivers to create what is easily the best new character of the series. Withers is great as Teddy, playing excellently of Clyne for lots of the film to keep the fun 90s teen spirit of the film alive, and though Hauer-King is the image of a teenage heartthrob and makes the most of what he is given to work with, the writing of his character is almost non-existent and leaves him very little to work that squanders his best efforts. Pidgeon does excellent character work in bringing to life Stevie, the friend on the outskirts of the group and a troubled past, but it is the dynamic between Wonders, Clyne, Withers, Hauer-King and Pidgeon that is the heart of the film and invests the audience in the fates of their character. And while limited in their screen time, Love Hewitt and Prinze Jr. instantly slip back into their iconic characters and deliver strong work seeing where these characters are decades after the trauma they faced as teenagers. It is arguably both of their best performances in the franchise given the more mature roles they are given to play, though their most iconic work as these characters will always remain that of the original film.

It feels like that the entirety of the I Know What You Did Last Summer series has been chasing the legacy of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s iconic kill sequence as Helen Shivers, and while Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s legacy sequel pays tribute to the beloved original teen slasher classic, Helen Shivers remains the undeniable queen of the series. Offering up mean spirited and bloody kills, a wicked sense of fun thanks to Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s sharp dialogue that captures the spirit of a 90s teen film, and a strong cast of young actors, there is lots to have fun with in I Know What You Did Last Summer, even if the development of the story does not set enough runway for the film’s ambitious third act twist to fully stick its landing. Serving up some good old summer slasher fun with brutal kills that sends the message that no character is safe, armed with a cast led by two strong performances from Chase Sui Wonders and Madelyn Cline and the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., Jenifer Kaytin Robinson breathes life back into I Know What You Did Last Summer that captures the spirit of the 90s teen slasher genre in spades even if the story is not nearly as strong as longtime fans of the series were hoping for.