I know what you did last summer is one of those horror movies that, even if you’ve never seen it, you already know all about it through cultural osmosis. It’s a story we’ve parodied and referenced dozens of times since its original release. You know how it goes: A group of teens cause a deadly hit-and-run, agree to mutually hide their involvement, and are retaliated by a hook-wielding assassin. It may not be a perfect horror film, but it has undoubtedly had a substantial cultural impact.
So why not turn this wonderful little standalone movie into a mediocre horror franchise? Only a year later after the first cinema hits, an attempt was made with a sequel, which failed critically. This was followed by another attempt in 2006 with an even worse result. Prime Video’s version of a series in 2021 was slightly better received, but it wasn’t enough to warrant more than one season. Now, with reports of either a remake or sequel floating around, maybe it’s time to reevaluate or I know what you did last summer deserves another mention.
It is built as a standalone movie
I know what you did last summer is not franchise material. Of course we have the benefit of hindsight to make that claim, but even at the time of its release there wasn’t really much that could have been done to expand the original beyond the original entry. There are more than a few reasons why this is the case.
For starters, what’s there to make a franchise out of? The star power of its leading cast? Apparently not, since only Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson returned for a single sequel before gradually moving away from the series. By the time I will always know what you did last summer rolled around in 2006, a new cast and several other changes to the established continuity would be introduced. The biggest of these changes is probably the way the killer is portrayed.
Every memorable slasher villain has some kind of physical attribute that sticks with audiences, whether it’s Michael Myers’ mask or Freddy Krueger’s nightmarishly bizarre outfit. The killer of I know what you did last summer, Ben Willis, dresses in all black and wields a hook. It’s a perfect stepping stone for an isolated movie, adding to the intrigue and mystery of who actually kills our protagonists. But coupled with how each of the films relies less on visceral tension and more on suspense, Willis isn’t a compelling villain to bring back from the dead repeatedly.
That is ultimately the biggest problem with running I know what you did last summer in a franchise. When you look at something like this Friday the 13th or A nightmare on Elm Street, there’s a certain kind of showmanship involved. You want to see some people die at the hands of a cartoonish monster. There’s an implicit acknowledgment of this, which these franchises capitalize on. It’s just not the same when the focus is elsewhere, and retroactively changing this to justify making more movies doesn’t do a sequel any good.
Every sequel is beyond compare
Speaking of which, the sequels we have – aside from the Prime Video series – are terrible. There is no turning around here. Little effort is made to do anything other than renew what already worked, and the originality that is there is downright bizarre or just plain disappointing. In the case of Jack Black’s casting I still remember what you did last summer, it is somehow both.
Funnily enough, Willis turned into a teleporting zombie by then I will always know what you did last summer came out felt like a fitting reflection of what the sequels are in general: an exhumed corpse still wearing the same clothes as in the coffin, shuffling as it falls to pieces with every step. It doesn’t help, of course, that it was already a product of development hell prior to the sudden involvement of director Sylvain White, who miraculously delivered a finished product within strict time limits.
What does Freddie Prince Jr. think?
Despite the negativity, there is a reasonable reason to return to I know what you did last summer. Modern life and the conveniences it offers drastically change the original premise of the series, and it could be argued that the advent of smartphones, geotagging and other technological innovations could give a sequel a real thrill.
Freddie Prince Jr. has recently been in the news for its relationship with the dormant franchise. In between discussing his rough time with the first film and his relationship with Jim Gillespie, he also discussed a recent announcement detailing his attachment to the latest film. In short: no, he is not yet officially involved. But in an interview with TeFabdid he have an idea of what he would like to see in a new film:
“I would definitely like to see it in reality. I don’t think we need anything supernatural. I wouldn’t want anyone to come back to life… I don’t like that, it reminds me of old movies from the 1960s 80 like ‘Soapdish’… that’s what it would feel like to me if everyone came back okay or if Ben Willis said, ‘I’m back again, 20 years older, I can’t move very well, arthritis.’ Hopefully they find a biological one and base everything on reality.”
We feel the same. While we ultimately feel like the series needs to be laid to rest, there’s a slim chance that this legacy sequel will match the level of quality the original movie brought to the table.