I Know What You Did Last Summer

Phenomenal horror, slasher movie with an incredibly twisting plot. It’s nothing unique as there are a lot of these type of plots out there about a revenge murder but the plot development character development was fantastic. Casting was great and the throwback to the original was also fantastic and made for some incredible plot twist. This follows a group of old friends who accidentally cause a car accident murder, and someone comes back for revenge and they have to survive and try to capture the killer. The murder scenes and filming and cinematography was all breathtaking, and the whole thing was edge of your seat with the best jump scares.

I was so excited for this movie I loved the original 2. Don't get me wrong it was very good but I was disappointed with the killer reveal and how they used Julie in the film. The post credits scene was a pleasant surprise tho and opened it up for a promising sequel. I really hope if it happens they focus more on Julie and Carla!

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’:

1. The best part of this movie was how much it honored the first two films. If you’re a fan of them in any capacity, it’ll be hard for you not have fun with this one. The cameos — the easter eggs — are magic and made me smile. It’s all in the nostalgia where this film succeeds and beckons for more.

2. Yes, it got absolutely got super silly and over-the-top at times, especially with the ending and its reveals. I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t acknowledge that. Not sure if it stuck the landing — but I ain’t mad at it! I could, however, absolutely understand how others might be though.

3. I’ll give this chapter props for some fairly creepy imagery. Where the first killer hid the bodies, this one flashed them around in a particularly-eerier fashion. And these are characters you grow to like, which is another win for this movie.

I took my dad to go see this tonight. I always enjoy going to see these movies in theaters with my dad. He introduced me to this franchise when I was a kid and now I got to introduce him to the new one. Immediately after the credits rolled I asked him how he liked it. His reply was “it was just alright”. His favorite is still the original. I actually think he saw the ending coming.

I gave my thoughts on this yesterday and I pretty much feel the same way after this. I do think the dialogue was very corny. Some stuff was just shoved in there and unnecessary. Plus some of the lines were just plain stupid. I could’ve done without the “all this could’ve been avoided if men just went to therapy”. I also thought the “nostalgia is overrated” followed by a nostalgic iconic line from the original was dumb writing. I don’t think they thought that one through. Freddy Prince Jr. also bothered me a bit. I’ve never thought he was a great actor and he wasn’t very good in this. But I still can’t deny how much fun I have with this. I think it looks great. It’s very well shot and directed. I just think it could’ve been even better if they had different writers. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has potential but isn’t a good writer. I’ve seen multiple things she’s done and this was the first thing I liked.

Anyways, this was a lot of fun to be able to see on the big screen with my dad. Nostalgia is definitely NOT overrated.

* Watched at AMC Crestwood 18 with my dad

I actually really enjoyed this movie all up until the ending. I don’t know what they were thinking going in that direction. I’m so curious to see how people will feel about this. Even with that ending kind of ruining things for me I still really liked this. I would’ve been even higher on this if they didn’t pull that crap at the end.

So now that I got my biggest issue with this movie out of the way I’ll get into my real thoughts. I actually liked the cast in this. I didn’t really mind any of the characters. Some of the dialogue was a bit on the questionable side. I’ll never be a fan of all that Gen Z lingo. I really liked some of the chase sequences. I liked that the characters actually put up a good fight. I also liked a lot of the characters. The sound effects were great. I really enjoyed how intimidating they made the fisherman out to be. I found it to be pretty suspenseful and it kept me on my toes. I genuinely couldn’t put my finger on who the killer was. I found it to be pretty unpredictable. I wasn’t sure who would live and die. I liked that they had some callbacks to the original but also changed some things up. I’ll definitely have to sit with this longer. But overall I really did like this one but that ending reveal bummed me out a bit.

* AMC Crestwood 18
* Jennifer Love Hewitt Movies Themed Week

The movie was good but It felt like it was trying to be similar to being a horror without actually being one. The movie had gore in it but the music went intense but nothing really happened.

The film has its strengths but it also has its weaknesses... it's disappointing when we find out who wields the hook this time...

The movie wasn't that scary, but the characters did make SCARILY stupid decisions. Random split ups and questionable locations to wait at make it hard to treat everything very seriously. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, though. Ray as a character was ruined in this film. Madelyn Cline's character was my favorite to be honest. She was kinda funny, and of course she is really hot so. Also bruh, that final line about men needing therapy. The other killer was a girl lmao. Overall, I still enjoyed this movie because it is hard for me to not like or enjoy a slasher.

At Time of Review:
Low 6/10

Story and Characters: 5/10
Presentation: 6/10
Enjoyability: 6/10

I wish I could say this movie was great. The movie wants to be Scream 5 but with I Know What You Did Last Summer. With the original survivors giving guidance to the new group.
The problem is that I Know What You Did Last Summer always had a sillier premise than ScreamS “we guidance from someone who survived someone mad they were left fro dead.”
Though I at least expected some good kills and maybe even a smart screenplay. Some kills are decent.
The script is a mess though and it tries to get a jump with the same cheap tactic more than once. Someone turning around and suddenly the killer pretty much teleported there. Or turning around and a red herring suddenly teleported behind them.
That’s what it feels like due to the weak direction. Like we’re supposed to jump because is just out of nowhere there. The characters are dumb too. Or sometimes don’t even act like a killer is after them. With awkward sex scenes out of nowhere. The main girl even asks for rough sex witnessing someone killed.
When another character gets literally told they are next. So they go have a drink all alone with loud fireworks all around. Instead of thinking they should go hangout in a group.
I wanted to really like this but it’s unfortunately not well made at all.

There’s something frustratingly apathetic about the new version of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” a kind of reboot that tries to balance respect for the 1997 original with a half-hearted attempt at updating the formula. The result, though, is a movie that hesitates on all fronts: it hesitates to be bold, it hesitates to be gory, and it even hesitates to be fun. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and co-written with Sam Lansky, the film feels more interested in seeming relevant than in actually telling a good story. The attempt to layer the narrative with social commentary—on gentrification, trauma, inequality, and media exploitation—could’ve been a welcome addition to the slasher genre, but it all comes off like bad makeup: nice from a distance, but it doesn’t hold up when you look closer.

The plot follows Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) and her group of friends after a tragic accident they choose to cover up. Guilt haunts them for a year—until the inevitable note appears: “I know what you did last summer.” It’s a functional setup, but totally sterile. Unlike the original, which tackled guilt in a raw, almost primal way (and had characters making morally murky choices, which made them more compelling), this version oddly softens the group’s responsibility. The writers’ decision to avoid placing anyone directly behind the wheel the night of the accident feels like a move designed to preserve the audience’s sympathy—but it only ends up deflating the tension. What should’ve been a dark jumping-off point for horror ends up feeling like a lazy narrative cop-out, watering down the weight of everything that follows.

Once the killings start, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” runs into its second big problem: tonal inconsistency. The first few deaths have that over-the-top, almost comic book-style gore you’d expect from slashers that know exactly what they are. But as the movie goes on, it starts taking itself way too seriously—and what began as bloody fun turns into something dour and sluggish. There’s one scene, in particular, where a victim bleeds out while crying for their mom, and instead of shock or empathy, it just feels uncomfortable—for all the wrong reasons. The film seems torn between wanting to be “Scream” and wanting to be “Hereditary,” but it lacks the technical skill or script finesse to land in either space. Saira Haider’s clunky editing only makes things worse, breaking the rhythm at crucial points and making the story feel longer than it actually is.

Another thing that adds to the film’s emptiness is the cast. Chase Sui Wonders gives a solid performance and manages to carry the film with some grace, but most of the supporting cast lacks the charisma to make you care. Names like Madelyn Cline and Jonah Hauer-King are clearly there more for marketing than for any real connection with their roles. Jennifer Love Hewitt’s return as Julie James, while clearly well-meant, is completely underused: her character exists more as a nostalgic wink to longtime fans than as an organic part of the plot. Her arc—dealing with a bitter divorce from Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.)—hints at deeper trauma the script clearly doesn’t want to explore. It’s a total waste of emotional legacy, something that could’ve been the strongest link between the franchise’s past and present.

And then there’s the ending. Oh man, the ending. Or better yet—the multiple endings. It’s a pile-up of plot twists that not only fail to surprise, but actually insult the viewer’s intelligence. At a certain point, it feels like the writers watched the trainwreck that was “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” and said, “Let’s top that.” The final reveals are so absurd and sloppily strung together that any attempt at internal logic just goes out the window. Add in some outdated internet slang and eye-roll-worthy one-liners, and the whole thing ends on a note that’s more cringe than clever.

Overall, the 2025 “I Know What You Did Last Summer” fails not because it tried something new—but because it never really committed to anything. It’s a slasher that wants to seem smart but never digs into its themes, and wants to be entertaining without having the script to back it up. With a bit more guts, it could’ve become a biting take on guilt, class, and collective memory. Instead, by playing it safe, it ends up being just another forgettable reboot, stuck somewhere between the weight of nostalgia and a total lack of its own identity.