While Scream as a franchise has kept going with a number of sub-standard films over the years, I Know What You Did Last Summer was followed up with one brilliant sequel and then a third film so bad that not only did it go straight to DVD but fans of the franchise like to pretend doesn’t even exist.
Now director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) attempts to revive the franchise with a brand new I Know What You Did Last Summer film set in modern times.
Set once again in Southport the film begins with college student Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders – Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) returning to town for the engagement of Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline – Strange Things) and Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers – Atlanta).
After the engagement partner Danica, Ava, Teddy, her ex-boyfriend Milo (Jonah Hauer-King – The Little Mermaid) and her old friend Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon – Lazareth) go for a drive to watch the July 4th fireworks from the coastal road.
The teens mucking around though causes an car to drive off the road killing the driver as it does – after a quick discussion the teens decide to return to town and not say anything to anyone.
Twelve months later Ava returns to town as Danica celebrates her new engagement to Wyatt (Joshua Orpin – Titans) and as they all gather the group begins to receive the familiar ‘I know what you did last summer’ letters.
As Ava starts to realise that this is eerily the same as the town’s 1997 massacre she realises that most records of it have been erased as the town officials try to sell the town to the upper class. Determined to find answers she ends up hunting down the massacre’s two survivors – Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt – The Tuxedo) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jnr. – Scooby-Doo) – to find answers.
Early on the audience will realise that like so many horror films these days the film’s big issue is that the main characters are not easy to care about. They are the kinds of people that you try to avoid at parties and that is an issue when you are supposed to care whether they live or die as the film goes on.
What saves this film though is a well though out plot from the films team of writers and the way that the returning characters are used.
Often when film franchises try to mix a modern day story with a piece of nostalgia they fail miserably. But here the characters of Ray and Julie are brought back in believable ways that actually enhance the story. Likewise the filmmakers also surprise the audience with a couple of other returning characters that are brought back in brilliant and creative ways.
Also impressive is the fact that Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jnr don’t just use this film as a quick pay day. You can see the passion and love that they have for this franchise in their performances and at times it feels like they almost carry this film – something that is obvious when you watch this film with fans of the franchise who ‘ooohhh’ and ‘ahhhh’ whenever their characters reveal another secret.
While the interest in the new characters does wain at times the plot that they find themselves in certainly does not. There are twists and turns throughout this film that feels like it was written by a team who wanted to make this a slick thriller rather than just your run-of-the-mill slasher film. While it does work in delivering a film that keeps you guessing you get the feeling the audience would have just been happy with it being a slice and dice slasher.
While I Know What You Did Last Summer may not be one of the best horrors of this year it does more than enough to fulfill the excitement of fans of the past while also impressing new generation fans as well. This proves that there is still life in these loved characters and hopefully we see the next instalment in the franchise in cinemas very soon.
I Know What You Did Last Summer will be released in Phuket on Thursday (July 31) and is yet to be rated.
3/5 Stars.
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.