The latest trend of releasing a horror requel with the same title as the original (see Halloween and Scream) adds another culprit in the form of I Know What You Did Last Summer. This slasher follows a new group of friends being terrorised by a masked fisherman for a deadly car accident they caused last summer.
The best thing about this film is that it knows exactly what it is, what legacy it’s following and what tone it needs to stick to. It’s not trying to be anything new or different – in fact it hits many of the same notes as the original and plays to nostalgia whenever it can. But when it comes to a cheesy 90s-style slasher, I’m not expecting anything more than that anyway. I want gruesome deaths, a simple, easy-to-follow narrative and fulfilling reveals, and this sequel does all those things to a thoroughly enjoyable level. That being said, while its core is very much a simple 90s slasher, it does incorporate some new ideas that elevate the franchise ever so slightly. Those moments may not have been necessary in my eyes, but the effort to bring a little layer of complexity doesn’t go unnoticed.
The lightning-fast pace of the first act is one feature of the horror genre that we don’t see often enough. It wastes absolutely no time getting into the instigating incident and the brutal murders that follow. There’s quick introductions to our characters, all of whom are embodiments of the original cast, then they get the ball rolling. There’s just enough character development to give us insight into their personalities, but not so much that the pace is bogged down. It’s a really good balance that works for this type of film – there’s no point dedicating 10 minutes to fleshing out someone’s past and overall arc just for them to die in 5 minutes. From there it follows a familiar slasher structure and doesn’t slow down for any unnecessary subplots, moving from murder sequence to murder sequence to maintain a constant sense of thrill.
Speaking of the thrills, the murder set-pieces are all fun. They evoke a tension that’s similar to the original film though with a little more of a “Scream” vibe. That’s not saying it’s gone more of a campy slasher route, but there’s an ever so slightly more zany approach. The kills are brutal and occasionally surprising, capping off a number of sequences that are appropriately intense and deliver some great horror moments. My only disappointment with the horror sequences is that there’s not really a kill in here that’ll stay in my mind as one of the more awesome of the franchise. There’s plenty of tension, but nothing particularly stellar.
When it comes to callbacks and references to the original, this film handles it quite well. There’s stacks of easter eggs throughout this movie, but they’re almost all subtle and not directly called out. I love this approach as it makes the experience rewarding for the fans who spot them, while not bogging down the film for anyone who has no idea what the reference is. However there is one sequence that feels very out of place and shoehorned into the film. I understand they included it for the sake of nostalgia, but it stands out like a sore thumb. It’s the only scene I wholeheartedly didn’t like, but it’s also not more than a minute long so isn’t a huge blight.
Performance-wise there’s a lot to love about the cast they’ve assembled. Madelyn Cline leads as Danica, and while I wouldn’t have thought of her as a scream queen, she sells the terror quite well. She’s very likeable and delivers across both the more story-centric scenes and tension-packed moments. Chase Sui Wonders (Ava), Jonah Hauer-King (Milo), Tyriq Withers (Teddy) and Sarah Pidgeon (Stevie) round out our new group of friends and they’re all great to watch. The chemistry is there and they bring the right level of energy for this style of slasher flick. Being a legacy sequel, we see the return of both Freddie Prinze Jr. (Ray) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (Julie) in quite sizeable roles. The characters are handled very well and weaved into the story quite elegantly. How and why they show up makes sense in the context of the story and they bring a certain level of authenticity to the film that it wouldn’t have without them. While they do feature a decent amount, the focus is still on the young cast, and rightfully so since they’re the core focus of the “I know what you did last summer” schtick.
I need to touch on the fact that there’s something in here that I liked, though could have been handled better. It’s a creative choice that is ambitious and I feel works in the film’s favour, but should have been executed a little cleaner.
In the end, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a surprising hit, reviving the franchise for what I hope will spark a new run of sequels. It mainly sticks to the formula established by its predecessors, and that’s why I had such a blast. I went into it knowing what to expect and it gave me exactly that… yes, I’m looking at you M3GAN 2.0. There’s plenty of tension, some good, cheesy slasher moments and a solid narrative to go with the impressive new cast. If you liked the originals, you’ll get a good kick out of this as it hits all those nostalgic slasher beats.
7.5/10
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