One of the most prolific and enduring film sub-genres to come out of the 1990s was the avalanche of teenage-centered stories, both in horror and drama. The success and popularity of movies such as Scream resulted in a plethora of copycats looking to capitalize on the fervent fandom, focusing on using the star power of the decades’ most well-known actors. No movie encompassed this more so than 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Concocting a veritable buffet of some of the hottest actors of the time, it starred Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ryan Phillippe as four young friends terrorized by a hook-wielding killer. Since its release 25 years ago, the movie has gone on to gain notable cult-fan status and is often parodied as much as it is heralded. Though many may deem it a transparent slasher flick, I Know What You Did Last Summer is regarded as one of the pioneers to re-ignite the genre that was made popular decades prior.
It’s a well-known fact that the movie is often compared in its similarities to Scream, but it comes as no surprise, as both films were written by Kevin Williamson. While Scream was based loosely on the real-life, infamous murders of The Gainesville Ripper, I Know What You Did Last Summer was adapted from the 1973 novel of the same name by author Lois Duncan.
Williamson’s screenplay contained several reworkings from the novel, including a change in setting and aesthetic and to center it more around a vengeful murderer. He also took it upon himself to give a small, but an obvious nod to the famed “Hook” urban legend by equipping the killer with the same weapon. After the wild success of Scream, Columbia Pictures put a rush on finalizing the script, wanting to profit from the resurgence of popularity in the slasher genre.
The movie was a box office success, garnering $126 million worldwide, easily blowing past its $17 million budget. Critical response was lukewarm, however, with reviewers calling it predictable, mindless, and bland. Author Lois Duncan also spoke against it, citing that she was “appalled” that her suspense novel had been turned into a slasher story.
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Admittedly, there is an undeniable air of surface-level vapidity to the writing and acting, but it’s also not necessarily refuted. This movie owns the fact that it encompasses a sense of shallowness by making a bunch of pretty people run around and argue with one another for 90 minutes.
Regardless, a franchise was born, spawning two sequels, as well as a short-lived television series. It’s also been widely parodied in various forms of media, most notably within the Scary Movie films, and even on an episode of The Simpsons. Despite the prevalence of negative feedback, I Know What You Did Last Summer has continued to live on in the annals of cult fandom, gaining a following that has surprised even the creators.
To examine all the reasons as to why it’s remained so popular amongst fans, it’s easiest to first look at when it was released. The ‘90s were a time of horror film rejuvenation, where the maniacal killers that were so prominent in the ‘70s and ‘80s suddenly found a comeback. When considering that the children who grew up with those movies were now older, it makes perfect sense. There was a strong nostalgia associated with the genre, and teens and early 20-somethings grasped onto it with unanticipated voracity. Now that they’re adults, it’s come full circle, with the feelings of reminiscence centering around the movie they grew up with.
Setting also plays a large role and is often one of the first aspects that come to mind when hearing the title. Having the story take place in an idyllic, quaint fishing village was a unique approach, both in look and feel. With the majority of events occurring in a locale that was small in scale, but beautiful to look at, it created a lulled, false sense of comfort, which only helped to accelerate the tension.
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Finding the right combination of A-List actors, an exceptional backdrop, classic horror sentimentality, and a killer (pun intended) soundtrack isn’t an easy feat. There’s a level of respect earned for having achieved this in spite of it living in the monstrous shadow of a phenomenon such as Scream.
It helps that while there are obvious comparisons that can be drawn between the two, there are also marked differences. Whereas Scream is unabashedly self-aware, relying heavily on the undertones of meta-filled satire, I Know What You Did Last Summer was more of a straight-shooter. It’s what you see is what you get, no-frills approach to storytelling has managed to endure itself to fans for the past 25 years and proven that it can step out from behind the mountain that was, and in many ways still is, Scream.
