I Know What You Did Last Summer
Rent & Buy
After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. Exactly one year later, the deadly secret resurfaces as they're stalked by a hook-handed figure.
What critics thought
Critics were sharply divided over whether this Kevin Williamson-scripted slasher was a knowing genre exercise or a cynical step backward from his own work on Scream — the Scream comparison dominated almost every review, for better or worse. Those who liked it valued its straight-faced, old-school approach and a cast that sold the material; those who didn't found it generic and formulaic, a film that squanders a genuinely interesting moral premise about guilt and fractured friendship in favor of routine body-count mechanics.
“Screenwriter Kevin Williamson takes a step backward and writes the kind of movie Scream mocks. You can see him now, soaking up videos of Friday the 13th and Halloween—not to mention the lesser likes of He Knows You're Alone, Terror Train and My Bloody Valentine—and saying, 'I can do that!' And boy, does he ever.”
Maitland McDonagh·TV Guide
“a smart and sharply-drawn genre-film with a moral center, and with a solid cast of young actors to hold it.”
Richard Harrington·The Washington Post
“There is one minor aspect of the plot that elevates I Know What You Did Last Summer above the level of a typical '80s slasher flick -- it has an interesting subtext. I'm referring to the way the lives and friendships of these four individuals crumble in the wake of their accident. Guilt, confusion and doubt build in them until they can no longer stand to be with each other or look at themselves in the mirror. Sadly, this potentially-fascinating element of the movie is dismissed quickly to facilitate a higher body count.”
James Berardinelli·Reel Views
“The best shot in this film is the first one. Not a good sign.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“polished genre piece with superior fright elements that should perform at better-than-average theatrical levels.”
Derek Elley·Variety
Genres
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Jim GillespieDirector
Jennifer Love HewittJulie James
Freddie Prinze Jr.Ray Bronson
Sarah Michelle GellarHelen Shivers
Ryan PhillippeBarry Cox
Bridgette WilsonElsa Shivers
Johnny GaleckiMax Neurick
Muse WatsonBenjamin Willis / Fisherman
Anne HecheMelissa Egan
Stuart GreerDavid Caporizo
Dan AlbrightSheriff
Rasool J'HanDeb
J. Don FergusonMC
John DebneyComposer
Kevin WilliamsonWriter
Lois DuncanWriterI Know What You Did Last Summer
After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. Exactly one year later, the deadly secret resurfaces as they're stalked by a hook-handed figure.
What critics thought
Critics were sharply divided over whether this Kevin Williamson-scripted slasher was a knowing genre exercise or a cynical step backward from his own work on Scream — the Scream comparison dominated almost every review, for better or worse. Those who liked it valued its straight-faced, old-school approach and a cast that sold the material; those who didn't found it generic and formulaic, a film that squanders a genuinely interesting moral premise about guilt and fractured friendship in favor of routine body-count mechanics.
“Screenwriter Kevin Williamson takes a step backward and writes the kind of movie Scream mocks. You can see him now, soaking up videos of Friday the 13th and Halloween—not to mention the lesser likes of He Knows You're Alone, Terror Train and My Bloody Valentine—and saying, 'I can do that!' And boy, does he ever.”
Maitland McDonagh·TV Guide
“a smart and sharply-drawn genre-film with a moral center, and with a solid cast of young actors to hold it.”
Richard Harrington·The Washington Post
“There is one minor aspect of the plot that elevates I Know What You Did Last Summer above the level of a typical '80s slasher flick -- it has an interesting subtext. I'm referring to the way the lives and friendships of these four individuals crumble in the wake of their accident. Guilt, confusion and doubt build in them until they can no longer stand to be with each other or look at themselves in the mirror. Sadly, this potentially-fascinating element of the movie is dismissed quickly to facilitate a higher body count.”
James Berardinelli·Reel Views
“The best shot in this film is the first one. Not a good sign.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“polished genre piece with superior fright elements that should perform at better-than-average theatrical levels.”
Derek Elley·Variety
Genres
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Jim GillespieDirectorJennifer Love HewittJulie JamesFreddie Prinze Jr.Ray BronsonSarah Michelle GellarHelen ShiversRyan PhillippeBarry CoxBridgette WilsonElsa ShiversJohnny GaleckiMax NeurickMuse WatsonBenjamin Willis / FishermanAnne HecheMelissa EganStuart GreerDavid CaporizoDan AlbrightSheriffRasool J'HanDebJ. Don FergusonMCJohn DebneyComposerKevin WilliamsonWriterLois DuncanWriterRent & Buy