Okay, let's say it, the horror genre is stuck in a rut with requels (rebooted sequels), remakes and franchise continuations as seen in recent years with the likes of Scream, Halloween, The Exorcist, Saw, The Grudge, The Ring... I could seriously be here all day. But for the horror fanatics among us who just enjoy a bit of bloodshed and cheap scares, a new offering has landed in the form of the eagerly anticipated legacy sequel to the 90s smash hit, I Know What You Did Last Summer.
The original, which was inspired by the old Urban Myth of the hook-handed killer, starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Johnny Galecki (pre-Big Bang Theory stardom) and became a must-own VHS for all cult classic collectors. It also spawned one sequel (yes, I'm not including that dogshit second one) which introduced R&B icon Brandy and Minecraft superstar Jack Black (no, seriously he's in it) to the sharp end of the hook and resulted in Jennifer Love Hewitt's rise into Scream Queen status alongside Scream's Neve Campbell.
For years, talk of a sequel and continuation of the story of Ben Willis (Muse Watson) were shopped around, but alas, nothing transpired except for the aforementioned direct-to-DVD sequel and a TV series - both of which fell flat and further buried the project.
That was until the success of SCREAM (2022) and SCREAM VI (2023) reinvigorated talks surrounding the horror flick's return and when director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson signed on with OG producer Neal H. Moritz, they managed to convince legacy stars Love Hewitt and Prinze Jr. to reprise their roles as Julie James and Ray Bronson and head back to the fictional town of Southport to take on the hook-slinging fisherman yet again, this time with a new cast of younglings to gut and dismember.
The official IKWYDLS synopsis reads:
When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer…and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.
With plenty of nods to the first two films in the series - including a tribute to the late Shivers sisters from the first outing - there'll be something for everyone both new and known - with plenty of blood and carnage along the way.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER was filmed in Australia and hits Aussie cinemas on July 17th.
