Written by Melly Merida
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) is another slasher legacy sequel/reboot for the books. Unfortunately, this one continues the trend of predictable jump scares and a surprising twist that slasher film veterans could see from a mile away.
The plot follows similarly to the 1997 original— a group of inebriated young adults leave a party, they drive down a highway, and end up causing an accident, leading a man to get killed (or not killed, in 1997’s case). The characters make a pact to never speak of this to anyone, not even the authorities. A year later, one of the main characters receives an anonymous note which says, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Multiple killings ensue, and the characters have to find a way to stop the killer and survive.
Our main characters, while charming, don’t have much to offer. The only mildly interesting characters are Danica (Madelyn Cline) and Teddy (Tyriq Withers), both of whom are the comic relief and create the more interesting scenes. Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) is supposedly our main character, but lacks depth., There’s also her love interest, Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), who’s a very one-note character. Ava and Danica shine in every scene as their dynamic is quite funny and wholesome. Despite their friendship having great chemistry, the relationship with their love interests, Teddy and Milo, feels forced.
I Know What You Did Last Summer feels similar to Scream (2023) — another legacy sequel where the main characters experience the same killer and reach out to the original cast for guidance. However, Scream (2023) works better as a legacy sequel than IKWYDLS because the Scream franchise has an underlying satirical tone of slasher films. The inclusion of the original cast was a lot more well done compared to this film, where its original cast, Julie Andrews (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), don’t impact the film until the very end.
While the two films have different stories, IKWYDLS (2025) follows the same beats as Scream (2023) with its conflicts, twists, and especially, the references.
Similar to Scream (2023), it’s imperative to watch the previous films of IKWYDLS to understand the references thrown about in the plot.
The placement of these references is a hit-or-miss; some work well in clever parallels, for example, a character runs away from the killer the same way as Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) by using a dumbwaiter to get to higher ground. Other references are absolute misses, where Julie Andrews shouts her iconic quote of, “What are you waiting for, huh?” towards the killer, which isn’t as tasteful if not banal.
There are more mentions of the original cast, such as Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe), Elsa (Bridgette Wilson), and Helen Shivers. Although the image of Helen Shivers appears often throughout the film and (for some reason) in Danica’s nightmare, it plays no significant role in the story as a whole, just a tool to tug at nostalgia and to add to the theme of trauma.
Regarding the concept of trauma, this film walks the line between tasteful and entirely tone deaf. It’s a consistent theme being shoved into the audience’s face by having characters remind us that trauma can change a person or affect someone’s life. Which is accurate, but how the film portrays trauma doesn’t leave an emotional impact on the audience, and is often used to create cheap jump scares caused by the character’s traumatic flashbacks.
Even when there’s a heavily traumatic moment, the characters play off their situation as a joke, or the direction of the scene feels oddly comedic. It is in character for Gen Z to make jokes during a dark situation, but referencing a meme after losing a loved one can knock the seriousness out of a dire situation.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) may hit the notes of a bloody slasher film with gruesome deaths and predictable jump scares, but it lacks a lot of depth, preventing the audience from caring about the characters and situation. There are hints at the end for a potential sequel, but I don’t have a spark of anticipation after watching this film.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is now playing in theaters nationwide.
