Of course , this film is inferior than Scream but it does have its merits . I had heard so much trash about this thriller that I was very wary when I heard that TV would air it . Nevertheless I decided to give it a chance , expecting to see an easily forgettable campy teen horror film in the worst case . I was wrong : just like the case with "Last Action Hero" or "The Saint" (1997) people find it convenient to reject them in order to follow the dictates of the official critics but when it comes to awful films like "Mission Impossible" (1996) or "True Lies" which are critically acclaimed (obviously to promote them) everybody rushes to join the cult masses in order not to disclose the fact that he cannot see the emperor 's new clothes. I am not saying that Last Action Hero or the Saint are without defects but are very overlooked and underrated . I Know What you Did Last Summer is a very flawed movie but fortunately Williamson 's pen has done it again : he gives us some genuine chills .
First the minuses : this flick has the worst performances I have ever seen in years . The actors give the impression that got tired of studying the script and the director wrote the script on a blackboard , and the leads read their lines directly during the actual filming . The corny acting is sometimes laughable but hey this actually turns to be amusing ! There are a couple of scenes copied directly from Halloween . There are plot holes like how could the killer clean up everything just in a few seconds . Speaking of the killer , he could be much scarier and his suit should be redesigned in order to make him more dark and menacing . I suppose they wanted to make him look realistic and not give him a fancy outfit like Freddy , Jason , Father Death in "Scream" etc .. The biggest flaw is that the premise (based on a book) could have made a more psychologically orientated agony thriller about guilt and remorse (your crime will eventually return to avenge you ) . The writer preferred to make the film more action - packed perhaps after the libels that Scream was too much self - referential , comedic and with little gore . This movie was also rejected by critics who said that it underused the psychological atmosphere to degenerate to a teeny bopper with gore and blood . Well you cannot have it both ways you know !!!
On the plus side : the 4 leads were carefully chosen for the roles. Fresh young faces to make us like them . They sure did . Despite the plot 's flaws the film has a wonderful threatening atmosphere and manages to be memorable and to escape the aesthetics of a TV-like slasher or a common B-movie . The opening sequence is perhaps the best and will be included within the most classic ones of all thrillers . We first see a young man alone at a cliff late at night drinking . He is sad : it is obvious that something haunts him from the past . Then we see the graduation party of the 4 leads (two couples) . When they take a ride with a car , being semi-drunk they accidentally hit someone with the car . The accident scene and the subsequent sequence with the huge dilemma and the eventual disposal of the body are marvelous . One year later Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) receives a note saying "I know what you did last summer" . The demons from the past start tormenting her and the 4 friends are reunited in order to figure out what to do .
Surprisingly there is very little gore . We simply see the hook supposedly gutting the victims and the result is effective . In many points the direction compensates for the script 's faults , like in the climactic chases . Anne Heche gives a decent performance as Missy the slightly retarded , wild beast-like sister of the supposed victim . There are no self - referential lines (obviously not wanting to rip off Scream) except in one point (the Jodie - Angela undercover names). The script 's originality is wonderful in some scenes which invert some of the most eternal trivialities. The most characteristic example is the inversion of Psycho 's shower scene where Barry (Ryan Philippe) is alone in the gym , having a bath while the danger is threateningly near . At last , for once , the individual-in-peril is a guy ! The best scenes in the film are the ones with the flamboyant Sarah Michelle Gellar (Helen) but I cannot give them away . All I can say is that Helen is probably the most developed character and the most natural performance comes from Gellar . As for the scene in the car tires alley
it has been printed indelibly in my mind .
Freddy Prinze Jr as Ray is nothing more than the dark-haired handsome guy . He serves only as the love interest for Helen and a potential suspect (he is a fisherman and he has a hook) and he spends most of the movie quarreling with Barry .Enough said , I think . The cliffhanger finale is kind of lame but this film was not made to win Academy awards . It is purely campy fun with a few occasional psychedelic hints about crime and punishment ("Do you ever wonder if it was a suicide? " " If that 's the way you are able to sleep at nights .... " ) . Switch off your brains and have a nice dose of entertainment . Not as good as the astonishing Scream but undoubtly one of the landmarks of 90 's horror films . You simply must not expect much . A solid
8 / 10
First the minuses : this flick has the worst performances I have ever seen in years . The actors give the impression that got tired of studying the script and the director wrote the script on a blackboard , and the leads read their lines directly during the actual filming . The corny acting is sometimes laughable but hey this actually turns to be amusing ! There are a couple of scenes copied directly from Halloween . There are plot holes like how could the killer clean up everything just in a few seconds . Speaking of the killer , he could be much scarier and his suit should be redesigned in order to make him more dark and menacing . I suppose they wanted to make him look realistic and not give him a fancy outfit like Freddy , Jason , Father Death in "Scream" etc .. The biggest flaw is that the premise (based on a book) could have made a more psychologically orientated agony thriller about guilt and remorse (your crime will eventually return to avenge you ) . The writer preferred to make the film more action - packed perhaps after the libels that Scream was too much self - referential , comedic and with little gore . This movie was also rejected by critics who said that it underused the psychological atmosphere to degenerate to a teeny bopper with gore and blood . Well you cannot have it both ways you know !!!
On the plus side : the 4 leads were carefully chosen for the roles. Fresh young faces to make us like them . They sure did . Despite the plot 's flaws the film has a wonderful threatening atmosphere and manages to be memorable and to escape the aesthetics of a TV-like slasher or a common B-movie . The opening sequence is perhaps the best and will be included within the most classic ones of all thrillers . We first see a young man alone at a cliff late at night drinking . He is sad : it is obvious that something haunts him from the past . Then we see the graduation party of the 4 leads (two couples) . When they take a ride with a car , being semi-drunk they accidentally hit someone with the car . The accident scene and the subsequent sequence with the huge dilemma and the eventual disposal of the body are marvelous . One year later Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) receives a note saying "I know what you did last summer" . The demons from the past start tormenting her and the 4 friends are reunited in order to figure out what to do .
Surprisingly there is very little gore . We simply see the hook supposedly gutting the victims and the result is effective . In many points the direction compensates for the script 's faults , like in the climactic chases . Anne Heche gives a decent performance as Missy the slightly retarded , wild beast-like sister of the supposed victim . There are no self - referential lines (obviously not wanting to rip off Scream) except in one point (the Jodie - Angela undercover names). The script 's originality is wonderful in some scenes which invert some of the most eternal trivialities. The most characteristic example is the inversion of Psycho 's shower scene where Barry (Ryan Philippe) is alone in the gym , having a bath while the danger is threateningly near . At last , for once , the individual-in-peril is a guy ! The best scenes in the film are the ones with the flamboyant Sarah Michelle Gellar (Helen) but I cannot give them away . All I can say is that Helen is probably the most developed character and the most natural performance comes from Gellar . As for the scene in the car tires alley
it has been printed indelibly in my mind .
Freddy Prinze Jr as Ray is nothing more than the dark-haired handsome guy . He serves only as the love interest for Helen and a potential suspect (he is a fisherman and he has a hook) and he spends most of the movie quarreling with Barry .Enough said , I think . The cliffhanger finale is kind of lame but this film was not made to win Academy awards . It is purely campy fun with a few occasional psychedelic hints about crime and punishment ("Do you ever wonder if it was a suicide? " " If that 's the way you are able to sleep at nights .... " ) . Switch off your brains and have a nice dose of entertainment . Not as good as the astonishing Scream but undoubtly one of the landmarks of 90 's horror films . You simply must not expect much . A solid
8 / 10