‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (2025) – Review

Being a 90s teen slasher horror fan, I’ve been giddy with anticipation all year waiting for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer to be released. Well, my friends, that time is now! Releasing this weekend only in theaters, Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) are back in action, this time helping five new quasi-teens – who definitely did something terrible – escape the consequences of their bad decisions 28 years after the events of the first film. And once again, those consequences come in the form of a killer in a fisherman slicker wielding a hook. Also once again, not all of these characters are likable. Did I love this direct sequel to 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer? No. Did I hate it? Also no. I just kind of liked it.

Something that didn’t connect with me was the soundscape on this one, but something that did was witnessing the return of J Love and Freddie, reprising their roles from the first two and giving necessary nostalgia to the series. No spoilers, but there are some notable cameos so be sure to stay for the mid-credit scene. Another thing I appreciated about this film was the return to Southport and the locations and sights from the first movie, especially the “Billy Blue” boat sign hanging on the wall inside Ray’s bar. Filmed nowhere near where Jim Gillespie’s I Know What You Did Last Summer was filmed (North Carolina), they did a pretty good job of making Australia look similar. 

Something else I didn’t love was a lot of the kills as they came off pretty generic and there wasn’t anything really memorable. Nothing stood out to me, and I find that incredibly disappointing. I’m actually trying to conjure up a memory of some of them now and I’ve got nothing. What did stand out to me was the writing and witty dialogue. While I’m not a fan of horror comedies, I do like some comedic relief to offset some of the heavier scenes. And while I also do prefer more blood and gore, and don’t get me wrong, this one doesn’t shy away from it, I feel like the conservative amount of gore is on par with the rest of the series.

**Author’s note: When I say “series,” I’m obviously not including the forgettable I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer and the abysmal Amazon show.**

After reading an interview with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the film with Sam Lansky, it’s evident that she is a big fan of the series and had some playful ambitions for certain characters, notably our beloved Croaker Queen, Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Speaking to Entertainment Weekley, Robinson said, “I tried, okay? I harassed her! But she is dead,” Robinson said. “I tried to pitch some crazy shit too. I was like, ‘What if it’s like you weren’t dead and you’re actually alive, but in hiding?’ And Sarah’s like, ‘I was on ice. I was the most dead a person could be. You can see my frozen body.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but what if?’ And she said, ‘I am dead. I am Sarah Dead Gellar.'”

Thank you, Jennifer, for bringing a present-day I Know What You Did Last Summer to the new generations while maintaining the bones of the original. My love for 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer is big, and this sequel doesn’t try to replace it, but instead, it’s an ambitious addition that, while it doesn’t quite hit the high mark of the first one, is still able to hang with the big guys.

What are you waiting for, huh? I Know What You Did Last Summer slices its way into theaters Friday, July 18, 2025.