Interview With Sara Goodman, Writer And Producer of Amazon’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’

If you know me, then you know I fucking love teen slashers, especially those from the 90s. One of my favorite slice-and-dice horror flicks that falls into this is the 1997 gem, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Based off a 1973 Lois Duncan novel of the same name, the film version is cheesy goodness that I’m actually watching right now as I type this up (like the new series—which is definitely NOT cheesy—the movie is also on Amazon Prime). For the release of the new show based on both the book and movie, I chatted with the writer and producer who created the Amazon Prime production, Sara Goodman, about how she became a part of the project, and being a horror fan.

PopHorror: I am loving the show so much! I’m sad that I have to wait to find out what happens. It’s so good.

Sara Goodman: Thank you!

PopHorror: Of course! So how did this project come about, and how did you become attached to it?

Sara Goodman: Amazon and Sony and Neal Moritz, who made the original movie, came to me, and I felt like… It’s time. It had been 20 years between the book and the movie, and it’s been another 20 years since then, and a lot has changed. Doing it as a series felt like a real opportunity to delve into the characters, what this does to them, and who they really are. And so, I loved the book, and I love the movie, and I was super excited to be able to put a different spin on it.

PopHorror: I am a huge fan of the movie, and I’m sure I read the book back in the day. I don’t remember it, but I think you did it justice.

Sara Goodman: Aw, thank you!

PopHorror: You’re welcome! What were the challenges of adapting this modern take on something that started as a book, then a movie franchise, and now a TV series?

Sara Goodman: For me, the biggest challenge was not wanting to disappoint fans of the movie but knowing that I really had to move away from those characters and from that very limited story that took place in an hour and half and make a version that was really appropriate for today and reflected the kids of today and the world we live in now. So that challenge for me was not wanting to disappoint people, which is the wrong business.

PopHorror: You can’t please everybody, that’s for sure. Were you a horror fan before?

Sara Goodman: I was a horror fan. I’ve been a horror fan since I was a very little girl, and the screening of Evil Dead was in my living room.

PopHorror: What would you say is your favorite scary movie?

Sara Goodman: Oh, I don’t know. That’s such a hard question. I should have this one ready, but I never do, but I know it’s coming. What is really scary to me right now? I don’t know. I can’t answer that. I loved Get Out.

PopHorror: Was this how you pictured the characters when you were writing the script?

Sara Goodman: Pretty close. I mean, obviously until it’s cast, you have different versions in your head. But with all of the cast, when I saw them read, I just felt like I found them. Trust me, I saw thousands and thousands of young people.

PopHorror: Oh, I bet!

Sara Goodman: And they really brought it. They brought it, each one of them. Some of them have done nothing, some of them—like Madison—have done more, but I was so impressed by them.

PopHorror: I was too, and I’m super excited to see the rest of it!

Thank you so much, Sara, for taking the time to speak with us. You can catch I Know What You Did Last Summer now on Amazon Prime.