I went into this movie cautiously excited. 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer is near and dear to my heart and no matter how excited I was for this sequel, deep down I feared that the new cast wouldn’t measure up to the legacy characters I grew up with and the 2025 version would somehow dissapoint me despite its best efforts. But I was pleasantly surprised.
From the moment the film’s opening credit sequence begins with a panning aerial view of coastal waves, you know you’re in for a nostalgic treat with 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. Present-day Southport is the same, yet different, with nods to the familiar locations and set pieces of the 1997 original, evoking a bittersweet feeling of returning to your hometown and realizing things have changed.
This time, we’re following a group of five friends who inadvertently cause a deadly car accident and, in classic I Know What You Did Last Summer fashion, make a pact to keep it a secret to avoid the consequences (although the consequences of this inciting incident are debatable, I digress). A year later, they are all stalked by a killer who knows what they did and is out for revenge. Soon, they discover that this happened once before, in 1997, but the massacre was covered up, so they must turn to the past for answers if they want to survive.
2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer hits the same beats as the original story but adds a layer of commentary on trauma and gentrification through a modern-day lens. This movie has a notably more humorous tone overall than its 1997 predecessor, but still features suspenseful moments and an entertaining whodunit vibe, with plenty of surprisingly convincing red herrings. It’s also worth noting that thanks to the tense sound design, we have a more menacing killer than the OG fisherman, which effectively counterbalances the humour. By and large, this film feels like a fun subversion of the original without being predictable. Nevertheless, it is admittedly an imperfect film (it is not without its plotholes). But the writers and director deserve at least a little credit for making some bold choices and taking some big swings that other modern slasher remakes haven’t dared to. So, whether you love it or not, you can’t deny that it’s a fun ride. Isn’t that what a summer slasher is all about?
Before we continue, I would be remiss not to acknowledge that we are missing Scream writer Kevin Williamson on the writing team for I Know What You Did Last Summer this time around (still, genre fans can appreciate several subtle Scream references in this film—perhaps the new writers tipping their hats to Kevin Williamson?) On the plus side, there are many talented women behind this film, including writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (whose résumé includes Netflix’s black comedy Do Revenge), writer Leah McKendrick (alongside Sam Lansky), and a strong female cast led by Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, and Sarah Pidgeon. Fun fact: Camila Mendes was originally set to star as Ava Brooks (this era’s Julie James), but was replaced by Chase Sui Wonders when she had to exit the project due to scheduling conflicts. As much of a Camila Mendes fan as I am, Chase Sui Wonders gave a solid performance as Ava (her lack of character development notwithstanding), and it was great seeing her in a larger role than her character Emma in Bodies Bodies Bodies. Madelyn Cline shines as Danica (a stand-in for Helen Shivers from the OG film), subverting the “dumb hot blonde” trope you come to expect from typical slashers and giving a lot of heart to her character despite even the most cringey of scripted lines. Sarah Pidgeon was also a compelling actress, but she lacked the screen time to truly develop her character, Stevie, to her full potential. When it came to characters, I was pleasantly surprised by the character arc of some of our main protagonists, who you would expect to be relegated to one-dimensional, Gen Z stock characters. Overall, no actors in this movie were bad; Nevertheless, the women’s performances outdid the men’s (sorry, fellas).
In speaking of characters, this Summer is decidedly gayer, as we’re introduced to two queer characters whose identity, fortunately, is not one-dimensional and centred solely on their sexual orientation as they so often are in straightforward slashers. One of these queer characters is true crime podcaster Tyler Trevino (my new favourite horror buff since Kirby Reed), played by model/influencer/actress Gabbriette Bechtel. Gabbriette slays in her first big-screen appearance as Tyler, with her performance giving her character an undeniable charm (it also doesn’t hurt that she’s super hot—Gabbriette modelled her 90s-inspired look after the likes of Drew Barrymore and Chloe Sévigny, after all). Call it clichéd, but introducing a podcastor as a character was a great vehicle to give our main protagonist (and, by extension, we, the viewers) a mini tour of the new Southport, allowing us to revisit old haunts like Shiver’s Department Store (now rebranded as Bayside House).
If you’re not yet sold on 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, this film seriously delivers on the nostalgia and sees the return of 1997 legacy characters Julie James and Ray Bronson, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr, respectively. However, when it comes to nostalgia, the 2025 version’s connections to the original 1997 film are one of its best traits yet arguably its downfall (if you’re brand new to the franchise, that is). On the one hand, 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer is filled with easter eggs and subtle (or not-so-subtle) references to please fans of the original. On the other hand, where a requel (which this film seems to be positioned as with its next-generation cast) is intended to bring a new audience in, this film may miss the mark for its new viewers, who may feel alienated by the numerous in-jokes and references to the first film. So newcomers to 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer should consider it more of a sequel than a remake.
On the upside, OG fans will be excited to catch up with the legacy characters and see not only how their current lives reflect their younger selves, but how they have evolved together and as individuals. Needless to say, I appreciated the inclusion of legacy characters, and I’m happy to say their involvement in the plot was greater than I expected. What’s more, this film was faithful to the original while striking a balance of poking fun at itself without mocking its old-school audience who loved the 1997 version. Nothing ever felt like a parody, just the humorous wink-and-nod fan service you would want without being too cheesy (then again, I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the cheesy one-liners from legacy characters). Predictably, the cheesy albeit (IMO) tongue-in-cheek one-liners will have fans of the original divided depending on their tolerance for corny references.
All that being said, fans of the original film are not quite off the hook for finding potential issues with this one. With the strong connection old fans feel towards the legacy characters, certain plot choices will be divisive. As Zack Cherry aptly describes it, the way 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer incorporates and writes legacy characters into the plot makes this movie, at times, feel like “fan fiction.” As such, OG fans will likely love it or hate it, and their opinions on the creative choices in the new film will vary according to their attachment to the original. But on the whole, the new I Know What You Did Last Summer does a good job at tying back to the 1997 film plot-wise, and it makes sense overall (albeit there are some plot holes, as previously mentioned). I will even say that I found the ending satisfying (but again, satisfaction may vary depending on your connection to the original).
The number one thing this film does well is improve upon the critiques of the 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. OG audiences will feel vindicated that the 2025 movie righted the wrongs of the original. It’s obvious the writers and director knew what the fans wanted and they: 1) upped the gore factor (I was hooked (pun intended) on this movie from the epic first kill), 2) redeemed Julie James as a formidable final girl (she was channeling her inner badass and giving modern-day Sydney Prescott vibes), and 3) finally put some respect on Helen Shiver’s name. It was heartwarming to see the writers do right by Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and give our Croaker Queen the proper tributes she deserves. BUT I will concede that the 2025 requel failed to top Helen’s chase sequence in the 1997 version; however, we do get a mini homage to that set piece.
Where this movie falters at times is in its character development, especially at the expense of the killer reveal. First off, I wish we had spent more time establishing the backstories of at least some of our protagonists so that we could form the attachment needed to up the stakes of the plot. We start the movie by experiencing the pivotal car crash incident without caring about the characters, and then grow attached to them (or at least, some of them) after the fact as opposed to investing in them beforehand, so we actually care about their fate after the car crash occurs. Secondly, in combination with the character development shortcomings, this movie faced some pacing issues that ultimately affected the killer reveal as well. Although the pacing of the first act is good, the second act feels like it drags on longer than the first and third acts, resulting in the third act feeling rushed at a time when it needs to build optimal tension for the killer reveal. While the killer reveal was highly entertaining, it needed further groundwork to be laid out for a more satisfying motive. But to be fair, I can see glimpses of a compelling motive dispersed throughout the movie in retrospect, and I suspect there was more, but it just didn’t make the final cut for one reason or another. Ultimately, I attribute the lack of character development to the film having too many characters and not enough time to give each one their due screen time (I assume that the larger friend group was intended to distance this requel’s character setup from being a blueprint copy of 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer but the issue stll stands).
While the lack of character development is admittedly a fault of this film, it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. At the risk of sounding blinded by nostalgia (Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt will always have a special place in my 90s kid heart), I loved this movie. At its core, it’s just a fun summer slasher. It may not have the rewatchability of the 1997 film, but I fully plan on seeing it again in theatres because I found it highly entertaining.
All in all, depending on your connection to the original, 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer does run the risk of disappointing you with the bold directions it takes. But if you open your heart, put your mind on the shelf, and let yourself enjoy the ride, you will thoroughly enjoy this summer slasher.
Oh, and don’t forget to stay for the mid-credit scene! You’re welcome.
