I Know What You Did Last Summer (Theatrical)

I will be the first to admit that I never got on the I Know What You Did… bandwagon. I can recall my younger days when a close friend couldn’t have been more of a fan. It was three of us who went to go see the Forgotten Sequel. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer that I think got him over the series. We all shared the same sentiment that it was just not a very good film. Now, I didn’t by any means hate or even dislike the first film, but it just failed to leave the impression on me that the Scream series did. With all that being said, I love going to the movies, and I am always up for a slasher film, so I decided to give this new chapter a chance. Marketing already let us all know that this latest chapter brings back the return of both Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

We’re introduced to Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) who is returning home to Southport to reunite with old High School friends. We also have Danica (Madelyn Cline) and Teddy (Tyriq Withers) who are newly engaged. Lastly, there’s Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon) and Milo (Jonah Hauer-King). They all decide to have some fun for the Fourth of July Weekend which involves them driving down a narrow road where one might guess what will happen next. Teddy stands out in the road (while high) and a vehicle approaches and misses him, but swerves off the road, down a cliff. The gang decides to keep the accident secret, although there is some reluctancy with the bunch. We flash forward to a year later where Ava receives a card at her bridal shower, stating “I know what you did last summer.” This leads to a body count as well as our leads trying to figure out who the hook killer is. One thing a lot of these films have going for them is the central mystery of who the killer is. I can say wholeheartedly that I simply stopped caring this time around. Without likeable characters or suspense or even some self-awareness, this outing just sort of sits there with little interest. Prinze Jr, and Hewitt both seem bored to be here, and their characters really weren’t needed here beyond the nostalgia factor.

I really want to know who oversees casting these modern-day films. It’s no secret that Hollywood has a big diversity angle they want to enforce now, and I am ok with that to an extent. I would rather the right person get the job regardless of their ethnicity. I bring this up because this new chapter features some very shoddy acting. I’ve seen worse, but at times it certainly felt like a bad SNL skit. That aside, the film offers far too few thrills. It doesn’t even work in a campy way. It’s too serious to have any fun with it, but also not interesting enough to earn our attention. This thing is just bad. I have certainly seen worse horror/slasher films, but nothing just this plain pedestrian. At least with the recent Heart Eyes it had the courtesy to have some fun with the premise, as did Thanksgiving. This one I just don’t know. I also didn’t appreciate a last-minute reveal which I think lessens a major character. This is one reboot that can be to rest. If you do decide to see it, stick around through the credits for a final tag scene.

What worked well in 1997 just doesn’t click here. I’ve seen worse remakes/reboots, call is what you want, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I was never the biggest fan of the original, but it’s one I can at least see myself wanting to revisit some time. This might be on par with the terrible first sequel, but you can rightfully skip it, and you won’t be missing much. This series needs to be put to rest once and for all.