One of the most pointed scenes in I Know What You Did Last Summer features Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Julie James and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Ray Bronson—survivors of the original 1997 film of the same name—trading heated words. At one point, Julie snaps, “Nostalgia is overrated.” The line hits like one of the endless jump scares, a sharp jab that begs the question: How self-aware is this movie?
Old ghosts are haunting Hollywood. Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, Candyman—the legacy sequels are coming in waves, resurrecting familiar villains for a generation raised on franchises and reboots. It’s a tricky task to cater to two audiences: one skeptical of these rehashed storylines and another piqued by nostalgia. I Know What You Did Last Summer puts in a concerted effort to balance this, and, while not always defaulting on the old twists and turns, it still can’t shake the past.
It’s the Fourth of July in Southport, North Carolina. Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) returns home to celebrate the engagement of her childhood best friend, Danica (Madelyn Cline). Danica’s soon-to-be husband, the filthy rich Teddy (Tyriq Withers), just happens to be best friends with Ava’s high school ex-boyfriend, Milo (Jonah Hauer-King). It’s a small town, after all. The high school reunion wouldn’t be complete without Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), a friend who grew distant after losing her father. After an incredibly awkward exchange (mainly due to some clunky dialogue), Stevie joins the double couples at their old spot on Reaper’s Curve, where the fireworks are worth the risk. The five friends reminisce—and Teddy shows off his hubris, inadvertently causing a truck to pummel off the side of the cliff. Traumatized, the crew takes the G Wagon back to Teddy’s mansion, and his wealthy father, a developer in Southport, makes it all go away. You guessed it: They swear to stay silent.
One year later, I Know What You Did Last Summer plays out as anyone might expect. The friendships are coarse to say the least—Danica and Teddy’s engagement couldn’t handle the burden. But they find themselves together in Southport when Danica receives an anonymous letter, reading the titular phrase. It’s not much longer until we’re revisited by a familiar killer, donning a fisherman’s slicker and hook.
To say much more might give away this legacy sequel’s twists and turns, new and old. Some of the movie genuinely spars with its source material. The dynamics between the cast are far more compelling than in the original. And sure, there’s no Helen Shivers, but Madelyn Cline comes close, with a performance that proves that the “Divas are up,” as Ava might say. The storylines get muddy as they integrate the 1997 murder spree, trying too hard to splay it all out and quickly tie things together. However, after the first kill, words written in blood foreshadow what will almost always overshadow a legacy movie: “You can’t erase the past.” R, 111 min.
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