A group of friends is terrorised by a stalker who knows about a gruesome incident from their past.
It’s fair to say the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER series has never really earned a spot among horror’s most acclaimed franchises. The first movie mostly rode a wave of popularity thanks to its good-looking cast and the surge in slasher films after Scream, but it didn’t have much else going for it. The kills weren’t particularly inventive, and although the fisherman villain had a memorable look, he never reached the level of fear or recognition that Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees achieved in their early days.
At first, I thought this newest film was a reboot, but it’s actually a direct continuation, picking up almost thirty years after the original story. We meet five friends—Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), Danica (Madelyn Cline), Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), and Teddy (Tyriq Withers)—who have grown up together in the scenic coastal town of Southport, North Carolina. On Independence Day, their night of fireworks leads them to Reaper’s Curve, a stretch of road known for accidents. The festivities end in disaster when a pickup truck, swerving to avoid them, plunges over a cliff with the driver still inside. In the chaos, Ava and Stevie want to help, but the group ultimately chooses to leave and keep quiet about what happened.
Twelve months pass, and the friends reunite in Southport for Danica’s wedding festivities. They’ve managed to avoid discussing that night until Danica receives a mysterious note saying, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” She suspects one of her friends sent it, but no one confesses. Meanwhile, Ava becomes friends with Tyler (Gabbriette Bechtel), a podcaster investigating Southport’s dark past. When Ava brings Tyler to the infamous Shivers Department Store—the site of a grisly murder in 1997—they’re confronted by someone dressed as the fisherman, armed with an ice hook. Ava narrowly escapes, but Tyler is murdered, and her body is left for everyone to see as a warning.
As the attacks escalate and more friends are targeted, Ava reaches out to Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), one of the original survivors from the 1997 killings. Julie, who has long since left Southport behind, refuses to get involved. With their numbers dwindling, it becomes clear the danger is even bigger than anyone expected—possibly with more than one murderer at play. The final act brings a shocking arrival and uncovers secrets that have been hidden since the events of the first film.
This sequel sticks closely to the formula established by the original but spices things up with new twists, much like the latest SCREAM movies have done for their own series. The ending is deliberately unresolved, leaving open the possibility of more sequels if this film is a hit. While Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles, they remain mostly in the background, allowing the new cast to take the spotlight. Still, both deliver memorable moments when they do appear.
The younger actors, especially Chase Sui Wonders as Ava, deliver impressive performances. Wonders gives the film a strong anchor, sometimes channeling the energy of a young Robin Tunney. The group chemistry is believable, and the script offers each character enough depth to make their outcomes genuinely matter, which isn’t always the case in slasher movies.
Director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson manages to create a film that feels familiar to fans but still delivers suspense and excitement. The story leaves room for more installments, though, given the franchise’s uneven history, it’s uncertain if this entry will be enough to revive it.
Now available on Digital and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD October 7th
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