Image: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing
Wow! It has been that long since I first watched “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., in 1997. That was a lifetime ago, but back then, a movie like this followed the surprise box-office success that “Scream” had with its modernized version of horror, and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” followed that blueprint very well without coming off as a blatant ripoff of it, because it turned out to be a moderate box-office hit, and in 2025, nearly 30 years later, here we are again. I can still remember when Jennifer Love Hewitt was one of my favorite actresses because she was beautiful and had appeared in previous movies before her introduction to the teen-horror-slasher genre that she would be an integral part of.
In the mid to late ’90s, you had “Scream Queens,” and Jennifer Love Hewitt was part of that cool young group of actresses in Hollywood alongside Neve Campbell of “Scream” fame. I always find it nice to remember those times, and I am feeling a bit of that energy once more with this brand-new development happening with another beloved teen-horror-slasher franchise that belongs in the realm of its biggest representative in “Scream.”
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It is true that in Hollywood, there are cycles wherein what was “in,” trending, or in-demand type of movies will inevitably return to the modern era in which we are in today. Even if it takes decades to happen. With the soon-to-be-made re-introduction of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” into the mainstream awareness of moviegoers now, I can say that everything is in full swing for the teen-horror-slasher-film genre because “Scream” was the cream of the crop of its movement, but to have the second-most popular franchise behind it, that says everything about where we are headed.
A big thanks goes to “Scream’ and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” for changing the formula behind horror movies because they modified the protagonist, the enemy, the threat, the foe, and the “monster” that all its targets must survive. Gone were the purely paranormal, supernatural, and demonic types of enemies, but instead, you had the more realistic, grounded, and human-in-nature forces, such as the knife-wielding “Ghostface” and the mysterious hooded figure with a giant hook in his hand, simply known as “The Hook.” These were evil entities that the teens, the young adults, and the “good guys” must survive, overcome, and win over.
Man, I can still remember when the “Ghostface” mask became a popular mask of choice during Halloween, when people would wear it to scare their classmates, officemates, and whoever they wanted. It was proof that “Scream,” in particular, had entered the realm of popular culture and was more than just another random movie, because it wasn’t; it was groundbreaking. It was shown in cinemas for a long time because moviegoers enjoyed it, wanted to watch it again, and understood that they were watching something entirely innovative, different, and original in how the moviegoers would experience the scares, thrills, and frights. And when you add “I Know What You Did Last Summer” to the mix, we know there is already a movement happening here that other movie studios were emulating, the signature formula that “Scream” had created.
Truly, it is only when looking back, remembering, and reminiscing on those integral points of filmmaking that one can realize that certain types of “first-of-its-kind movies” made the necessary, long needed, and required changes needed for a specific genre of film to survive onwards to the next decade, because in those latter years of the ’80s and the early ’90s, horror movies that had Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger were already passé, lost their edge, and had run their course with moviegoers. If they did not think of innovations, the horror genre itself would already be in a worse state, so what happened? The creation of “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” would happen next, bringing new life to an already sinking genre that badly needed to connect with new moviegoers. Then, as they say, the rest is history.
I hope the younger generation of moviegoers will enjoy these exciting years because they will be the best of times in terms of popcorn flicks that will give you the value of your money in terms of entertainment. I know what it did for me and my generation when it came to watching “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” movies. Of course, I will still watch the new ones, but let us just say my time has passed when it comes to having that sense of surprise for what one could expect when it comes to these brands of movies because I got to see all of them when they first got released decades ago, but this is a welcome reminder of the past with “I Know What You Did Last Summer” getting a brand-new lease on life, and this time for a brand-new generation.
Watch out for this one, and for sure, be on the lookout for the mysterious hooded figure with a giant hook in his hand, I assure you it will be worth it. Plus, it has been confirmed and verified that Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are reprising their roles because this is a direct sequel to the three previous “I Know What You Did Last Summer” movies.