I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER -- It's 1997 All Over Again

Review by Camden Ferrell

In this new age of nostalgia-fueled cinema, yet another horror franchise is taking a stab at new life. The latest in a recent trend of legacy sequels (or “requels” depending on your persuasion) is the new movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, this horror movie is heavily flawed but still provides decent summer thrills with better kills and more daring narrative choices than the original film.  

Much like the original, this movie follows a group of friends who accidentally cause a car crash that results in a fatality. Together, they make a pact to never reveal what happened on that fateful night. One year later, they find themselves being hunted by an anonymous killer, seeking revenge for what happened that night. It treads very similar ground to the original even down to the character archetypes, so it imposes on itself the need to subvert expectations lest the audience lose interest. And even though it still remains a mostly predictable thriller, one must acknowledge the conscious effort taken to give viewers a different experience than the original. 

Written by Sam Lansky and Robinson, the movie excels most when it leans into its gruesome deaths and twist reveals. When adapting a modern horror favorite, there's a delicate balancing act in honoring the original while also keeping audiences guessing. For the most part, Lansky and Robinson deliver on this goal despite some painfully noticeable missteps that might ruin the movie for astute viewers. However, the main weakness of this movie comes in its attempt to appeal and relate to this new generation of movie goers. For this new generation, they made sure to mention crypto, life-coaches, memes, podcasters, and many more Gen Z-isms. This attempt to speak to a new generation comes off as disingenuous and exacerbates some of the writing problems that occur in between the admittedly cool kill scenes. 

Unfortunately, this new cast lacks the talent and charisma that the original had. It’s unclear who is to blame for this, but this new ensemble of characters delivers some mediocre performances, some of which teeter towards caricature. While it’s not the entire foundation of the movie, it’s hard to feel fully invested when the performances stand out for less than stellar reasons. Being a legacy sequel, we are treated to some supporting performances from the original cast, and they are easily the highlight as far as acting goes. They seamlessly step back into their roles and provide a beacon of light in an otherwise forgettable ensemble. 

One of the more interesting aspects of this movie was how it capitalized on its potential as a requel to discuss the generational impacts of trauma and legacy. It doesn’t dive deep enough for my liking, but I was pleasantly surprised with how poignantly it illustrated the ways in which the events of 1997 still bleed into the present day for this town, whether its characters want to acknowledge it or not. Pair this with some significantly more gruesome violence and some bold narrative swings, and you have a legacy sequel that feels like just a little more than a nostalgia cash grab. 

I Know What You Did Last Summer will definitely please fans of the original while also justifying its existence more often than not. It has some glaring flaws that are impossible to ignore even for a summer slasher, but it’s still a fun time at the theaters for fans of the horror. Now, we shall sit back and see if time is as kind to this legacy sequel as it was to its predecessor. 

I Know What You Did Last Summer is in theaters July 18. 

Rating: 3/5