#REVIEW: “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The lasted instalment in the IKWYD franchise is a legacy sequel filled with fan service.

I Know What You Did Last Summer follows five friends in their early 20s, who’ve reunited to celebrate an engagement party. This celebration just so happens to be occurring on the 4th of July. Bride-to-be Danica (Madelyn Cline) wants the group to continue celebrating her engagement by driving out on the bending cliff-side road to catch the fireworks. Once there, with the fireworks exploding above them, they inadvertently cause a fatal car accident. Rather than ruin their night, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret. A year later, the same group reunites again for a wedding, only to be terrorized by a stalker who knows about their secret.

It’s been a year of reviving beloved Horror franchises. First, we had Final Destination and now this. What IKWYDLS does so well is cater the instalment to its original fan base. Bringing back Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. is gold for fans of the original. Especially because they are given a chunk of screentime and are integral to the storyline. This installment creates nostalgia for the familiar while including twists to surprise the seasoned. But you don’t have to be familiar with the original to enjoy what IKWYDLS has to offer.

Director and Co-Writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has managed to pack an enormous amount of fan service in this 2-hour runtime. Yet, she manages to deliver a story that holds its own. So even an audience member walking-in with no knowledge of what’s come, doesn’t feel an alienated. They follow this new group of 20-somethings trying to outsmart this killer.

The group they’ve got together is filled with those ’90s character archetypes. The ‘jock’ Teddy (Tyriq Withers), the ‘boy-next-door’ Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), and the ‘outcast’ Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon). Then we have the ‘hot girl’ Danica performed by a very strong Cline, who is a promising Screen Queen delivering Comedy and Terror. And then there’s Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), who’s the ‘one on the returns’. Wonders’ Ava has a heart of gold, is smart, and a fighter. The classic final girl.

The one thing that felt lacking in this addition was the murders. There are many, don’t get us wrong. But they weren’t as gory or gruesome as one may expect. They felt a little restrained. But all that is forgiven when the reveal of the killer comes. It’s one that many won’t see coming.

Sony Pictures Canada release I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER on Friday, July 18, 2025.