In focus… I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Tagline: If you’re going to bury the truth, make sure it stays buried.

In I Know What You Did Last Summer, four high school friends, on the cusp of heading off into the big wide world, are involved in an accidental traffic accident. While driving along the road in their home town, they hit a stranger, and seemingly kill him.

Horrified by what they have done, but concerned their lives will be ruined by fallout from the accident, they all agree to cover up the incident by disposing of the body. They then make a pact never to speak of the accident again, before going their separate ways.

A year later, they each start to receive a message from an unknown person, informing them that he/she knows what they did the previous summer. But how can anyone possibly know, when all of the friends vowed never to speak of the incident?

Well, this is the big question at the heart of I Know What You Did Last Summer – a brilliant ‘90s horror, which is part slasher, part ‘whodunnit?’. The film revolves around the mystery surrounding the messages, and sees the group of teens pushed to breaking point as they are stalked and slashed by a mysterious assailant.

Thanks to films such as Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Scream, the ‘90s was an excellent time for horror movies, and I Know What You Did Last Summer sure fits into this ‘excellent’ category. With its smart script and great casting, it continues to stand the test of time and proves to be a cut above the rest.  

__

Classic quote

Julie – “Barry, stop!”

Barry – “No! Wake up, Julie. He’s behind all this! How many fucked up fishermen are out there?”

Ray – “Look, he’s after me too! I got a letter.”

Barry – “Oh, you got a letter? I got run over! Helen gets her hair chopped off, Julie gets a body in her trunk, and you get a letter? That’s balanced!”

__

Cast and crew

I Know What You Did Last Summer is directed by Jim Gillespie, from a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. Neal H. Moritz produced the movie, while John Debney composed the music.

The film’s cast includes Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Johnny Galecki, and Bridgette Wilson.

__

Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this spotlight post focusing on a must-see horror movie. This ‘spotlight’ on I Know What You Did Last Summer is part of a series of eight posts looking at superb horror movies and docu-films which you may or may not have seen.

Other posts in this series include: Child’s Play (1988), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Babysitter (2017), Best Worst Movie (2010), Final Destination (2000), Drag Me To Hell (2009) and Scrooged (1988).

The aim of these posts is to spread some horror love around the internet, and possibly introduce you to a slice of horror that you may have overlooked. So, make sure to add this film to your next horror movie marathon.

And for more horror-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

Read more: