Slasher Summer Makes a Killer Comeback with I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

After causing a deadly accident, a group of small-town friends are hunted by a hook-wielding killer as they near the anniversary. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and co-written with Sam Lansky and Leah McKendrick, I Know What You Did Last Summer gives slasher summer its killer comeback for the final girls nearly 30 years after the original.

Celebrating their impending nuptials, Southport royalty Danica (Madelyn Cline) and Teddy (Tyriq Withers) join their old friends Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), and Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon) for a joy ride. But their innocent fun takes a horrifying turn when they cause a car to swerve off the road, killing its driver. Distraught and fearful, the friends swear to never speak of their involvement, but the memories of that night will be hard to forget.

One year later, they reunite for what should be another happy celebration, despite their fractured relationships. However, as they’ve tried to move on with their lives, a threatening note reveals that someone is out there seeking revenge for what they did last summer.

I Know What You Did Last Summer follows a pretty similar setup to the original 1997 film and serves as a sequel to the first two films of the franchise. Taking place in the same town of Southport, where a killer donning a fisherman’s garb once massacred a group of friends, leaving only Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) as survivors. It does a nice job of tying back to the original story. The town, now a budding tourist destination, has managed to wipe its dark past from the internet.

But as we know… You can never truly bury the past.

Excitedly, we get our legacy characters back with Prinze Jr. and Hewitt reprising their roles, though their parts were relatively small. The extent of which I won’t get into to avoid spoilers, but it was so nice to see where these characters have ended up all these years later, both in very different phases of life and recovery from what they’ve been through. While it was great to see the actors return, I found their performances to be quite stilted, and they felt awkward being back on the big screen in these roles.

Regardless, it was entertaining to soak in the nostalgia, which the film taps into just enough not to go overboard. They work things into the dialogue and use minor flashbacks, fun surprises, and little Easter eggs that reference prior events. But again, I don’t think they are relying too heavily on sentimentality. There’s even a line from Hewitt that pokes fun at that.

Despite those callbacks, the film does a great job of modernizing itself to be an adequate installment that can please fans while ushering in a new generation. The script is super sharp with very Gen Z forward dialog, a bit more comedic at times, but not so extreme that it takes itself out of the tone. It’s filled with so many iconic and witty quips, Gabbriette gets some killer one-liners as a true crime podcast host named Tyler.

Truly, everyone in this new class of IKWYD characters nails the assignment. Somewhat insufferable, but still likable. While the writing is a bit awkward in the beginning and a bit exposition-heavy, I eventually found them all to be well-written and enjoyed their dynamics. Cline is quite the standout, effortlessly encompassing a very Helen Shivers-esque character. She’s egotistical yet endearing, and you do grow to care for her friendship with Ava (Wonders).

There is another major character who makes a grand return, and that is the franchise’s antagonist, the fisherman. Something about the villain in this one feels much more menacing. The way he’s introduced into scenes, the music accompanying him, and the framing all give him a much darker presence. This certainly helps build great tension and edge-of-your-seat moments that result some gruesome deaths.

And while the film does do a decent job of keeping you guessing his next move, for some, the killer reveal may be obvious. Unfortunately, it’s less of a surprising grand reveal and more of a huge halting stop. They take a big risk with it, and while I do appreciate that they’re trying to do something different, it disappointed me in the end. Perhaps some may enjoy that they took that gamble.

That’s not to say that it ruined the killer time I had with this film. In terms of legacy sequels, reboots, or whatever you want to call it, I Know What You Did Last Summer has a lot of great things to offer that make it a thrilling slasher, thoughtfully connected to its predecessors. While it may be polarizing for fans, it hooked me back into the franchise.

I Know What You Did Last Summer hits theaters July 18