HOLLYWOOD—I have to be honest; I was bummed by this remake/requel of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” I had been eagerly waiting for this film since I saw its first teaser released in April 2025. It looked like it was going to be dark, sinister and a new take on the 1997 classic, helmed by “Scream” creator, Kevin Williamson. Well, horror fans it’s not better than the classic by a long shot.
There are major swings taken, some work, some not so much, but my biggest frustration is that the thrills, suspense and terror that the 1997 delivered, this one just didn’t have at all. I recall seeing the original in theaters when I was 13 and it was the time of my life. Truth be told that movie propelled my focus on wanting to be a screenwriter and solidified my love of horror. It was the only time I can recall a movie where I easily jumped 10 plus times in the theater, people were screaming and yelling at the screen, and it was just a ride from start to finish.
This one, follows a new group of pals that echo the past in the present, when they play a role in the death of someone on a dangerous winding road. The new heroine in the group is none other than, Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), who I must say, she annoyed me. I didn’t get Julie James 2.0, no Sidney Prescott, I wanted more if this was to be a character who was going to actually be the heroine to go toe-to-toe with our fisherman.
I will give kudos to Madelyn Cline who portrays Danica. She was a fun character and almost Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) 2.0, but not quite. You root for her, she’s funny and she is hands down a scene stealer. Then you have Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), who is like the new Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and then Teddy (Tyriq Withers), who is the new Barry Cox. There is also Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), who is the fifth member of the group, who doesn’t necessarily come from the same elitist or wealth bracket as her pals.
They essentially tried to cast the characters from the original with new faces, which rarely works because you’d rather just see those iconic characters back, which we do get two of the four, with the return of legacy players Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.).
There is a new take on Ray, and I like the direction taken with the character, Julie on the other hand, not so much. Why did she NOT have more to do? She felt like a slight afterthought to me, and that really disappointed me. If the story was taking the swing that it did, guess who should have had a bit more to do Julie James and she didn’t in my honest opinion.
Southport, North Carolina has become this coastal masterpiece, compared to the small fishing town that the 1997 film was modeled by. It has had a comeuppance to say the least and the luxury is front and center. You know what would have been great with that newfound luxury an epic chase scene. Hands down the chase sequence between Helen Shivers and the fisherman in the 1997 film is iconic. There is like two chase scenes here, and both are so damn lackluster I can’t even call them chase scenes. There is no tension; no suspense; no fun.
Our core characters have some guilt over what they did, but honestly most of them have moved on with their lives as if nothing ever transpired. There is no stress or angst like the audience got to see from the characters in the original movie. The kills are brutal, but to be honest, I felt the kills in the original were a bit more out there, there just happens to be a bit more blood this time around. Remember how the fisherman stalked and toyed with our foursome last time around, that isn’t the case here, it’s more of go for the kill right away, and that takes away the punch, director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was going for here.
Not the worst horror movie I’ve ever seen, if anything it’s camp; you kind of expect it, a fun ride, but I wanted a lot more considering how iconic the original is, and let’s face it, it has been almost 20 years since “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.” I will say this stay after the credits start to roll.
