I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) review – A soul-less sequel

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are going to be taking a look at a movie that absolutely nobody asked for and I doubt anybody really wanted. The legacy sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025).

Let’s Clear Something Up Regarding Horror Movies…

Horror fans, we need to have a talk. There is a distinct difference between a person enjoying a movie and a movie being good. That’s just a fact! You may have enjoyed the 1997 slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer. That doesn’t mean it is good; it absolutely isn’t. In fact, none of the movies that feasted off of Scream’s immense success in 1996 were actually all that good.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a poorly acted, poorly directed, derivative, copycat slasher that has almost nothing go for it outside of a well known cast and excessive amounts of cleavage, if that’s what floats your boat. In fact, it’s laughably bad, in parts.

Can I understand why people would enjoy it? Absolutely! I enjoyed it when I watched it for the first time as a teen. With that being said, it’s a crap film and it more than earned the critical scorn cast on it since its release. We don’t need to pretend director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is committing some cardinal sin by continuing the series for a 2025 audience. This isn’t some treasure of a series that deserves protection.

With that being said… Nobody wanted this reboot

With that being said, nobody asked for this legacy sequel/series reboot. This film didn’t need to happen. Scream was actually a great movie; the entire series is fairly watchable, in fact. It makes sense to keep it going as the quality has remained high. There was no reason to revisit I Know What You Did Last Summer other than for some faux-nostalgia.

The story here is, basically, the same. Some kids (re: people in their thirties) are involved in an accident, someone dies, the kids start receiving notes stating “I Know What You Did Last Summer“, bad shit happens, rinse and repeat. It’s the same movie almost to a level of parody. In fact, this film has absolutely no way to avoid the looming presence of its past iterations.

Instead, director Jennifer Robinson is forced to embrace them, warts and all. IKWYDLS is wildly self-aware and self-referential. The things that are happening here take place in the same world as the events of the previous movies. Hence why Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr reprise their roles from the previous films.

So does Robinson choose to just double down on the slasher shenanigans from the original? Maybe throw in a bit more gore, some more creative kills, deeper character arcs, or a more likable cast? Nope! In fact, Robinson has chosen to dilute absolutely everything about the original movies that some viewers might have enjoyed.

The story is garbage

The story of I Know What You Did Last Summer contorts itself into awkward positions to fit in with the series’ history. Remember, this is the same world that the previous movies took place in. That means there was a necessity to tie everything together in a cohesive and logical package. This is done in a way that feels beyond silly.

“The thing that struck me… was a really uncanny feeling that the entire thing is the result of prompting AI to make a modern version of the 1997 original.”

It’s ham-fisted and pretty farcical, especially when you start to consider the number of plot-holes. As the story begins to wrap itself up, it becomes very clear that the writers felt a need for a big shock revelation but said revelation really doesn’t land. In fact, it makes barely any sense which leads to eye-rolls aplenty. The movie has far more problems than simply the story, though.

IKWYDLS fails at simply being an enjoyable slasher and pales as a sequel. The kills are far less interesting, there is less gore, there is far less creativity, and the characters are bland and unlikable.

The kills are woefully unimaginative

Let’s start with that first point. I was genuinely surprised by how boring and unimaginative the kills were. When we have slashers like In A Violent Nature coming up with incredible new ways to make you wince, it’s almost shocking to watch a movie that’s so lacking in creativity.

One of the kills consists of a character simply being choked with a rope. It’s the dullest kill I think I have ever seen in a horror movie. It almost feels as if Robinson was too scared to actually depict the one thing that can make even bad slashers redeemable.

There’s none of the tense and effective chase scenes that the original two films actually did well, either. Every death sequences feels incredibly short and overly eager to finish. The abrupt deaths really rob the movie of tons of potential.

The cast are extremely unlikable

Speaking of deaths, their disappointing nature really leaves you wanting because you aren’t going to give a toss about the characters. The characters are unlikable in a way that makes them feel as though we really aren’t supposed to root for them. It’s fitting that Bodies, Bodies, Bodies actor Chase Sui Wonders has a starring role as it feels like these characters were written for that movie.

“Cline really struggles through the early parts of the film… She is incredibly wooden and feels like a Temu Sydney Sweeney.”

Danica (Madelyn Cline), at least for the first twenty minutes, might be one of the most obnoxious horror movie characters ever. Closely followed by her nepo-baby boyfriend Teddy who is utterly intolerable.

Cline really struggles through the early parts of the film, as well, which doesn’t help. She is incredibly wooden and feels like a Temu Sydney Sweeney. She gets better when she is tasked with crying more than actually trying to act.

Wonder’s Ava is one of those all-too-damaging portrayals of Bisexual people as being messed up, sex crazed, deviants that we really should have moved on from by now. I really feel for bisexual people with how they are portrayed in horror. Wonder is so incredibly bland, here. She feels ill-fitting for this role and brings literally nothing of note to it.

The script is utterly terrible

A returning Love-Hewitt and Prinze Jr are, probably, the highlight. Absolutely nobody in the cast, however, stands a chance thanks to the piss poor script. Remedial would be an understatement. The writing is some of the worst I have seen in a big name horror.

“Humans don’t talk like the characters in this film do. At one point, a character is violently attacked, only to react by saying ‘Bruh!’. Seriously.”

Whoever screen-played this needs to start working at Costco, or something. Humans don’t talk like the characters in this film do. At one point, a character is violently attacked, only to react by saying “Bruh!“. Seriously. Go look at the quotes section of IMDB, it is laughable.

Direction is a problem, too. Aside from shot setups often missing the most crucial parts of what makes slashers interesting. The editing is a mess, the legitimately great and unique location from the original movie is wasted, the pacing feels like a chore, and the excitement levels are extremely low.

I really can’t shake the feeling that Robinson has thrown in a lot of feminist rage baiting in here to act as a criticism shield for this film. Much like 2019’s Black Christmas did, IKWYDLS presents feminism on an almost insulting level that I imagine will make actual feminists more than a little pissed off.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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