I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
*
Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Starring Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Hauer-King,
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Horror, US, 111 minutes, Certificate 15. Released in cinemas in the uk on 18th July by Sony Pictures
Given the success of the SCREAM reboot it was only a matter of time until the return of screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s much more basic and far less entertaining I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Where SCREAM took the cliches and tropes of slasher cinema and examined and presented them in entertainingly revisionist fashion, the I KNOW films followed the original cliches in a completely pedestrian way, petering out after two more and far less successful sequels as well an instantly forgotten streaming series from 2021. “Nostalgia’s overrated” remarks one character here and it’s pretty hard not to agree after sitting through this reboot/sequel (please don’t make me say requel) that eventually kind of attempts to follow through on this statement but only repeats the same mistakes as before, reminding us of the glut of bland slasher-lite films that watered down horror cinema for the first part of this century.
Once again we return to the seaside town of Southport, with the camera gliding across the waves over a soundtrack of generic pop music from someone you’ve never heard of and likely never will again after viewing this bland rehash. A group of college age adults celebrate the summer by driving out to a familiar stretch of road which after the events of the first film really should have at least one road hazard sign by now. Vehicular manslaughter ensues and a cover-up takes place which threatens the friendship between Ava, her best friend Danica and her jock-like, nepo baby fiance Teddy, Milo, who is mutually attracted to Ava and their estranged friend Stevie. Once a threatening note pops up a year later sporting that threatening titular phrase the gang gets back together when a bloodthirsty killer sporting a waterproof slicker and wide brimmed hat shows up with a hook, Ava seeks the help and guidance of two familiar faces who have already suffered through this twice already to see how they can solve this mystery and survive the summer.
Being one of those sequels that does not even bother to come up with an original title of its own, this particular iteration of IKWYDLS barely even succeeds in coming up with anything new or fresh that would justify such a revisit. As Ava, Chase Sui Wonder, does little else but remind you that she appeared in BODIES, BODIES BODIES three years ago, a film that combined a slasher mystery with a humorous look at the very different pressures the youth of today face. One singular attempt at edginess is attempted here, with Ava’s bisexuality and fondness for rough play coming to the surface as a result of her trauma but it is never explored in any meaningful way. Director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson barely brings anything fresh to the franchise here, instead having to rely on the familiar presence of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. At least one interesting angle is explored somewhat here involving its older characters that the recent SCREAM sequels refuse to go into but its threadbare execution still leaves so much to be desired, leaving it still in the shadow of that still superior franchise that has plenty of its own faults.
It's not very often that you get to say that a film does not have enough Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr, but that is definitely the case here. Despite the reappearance of some other familiar faces, these cameos come across as little more than pointless fan service. Those of you who recall the earlier films more fondly than myself may be somewhat pleased and satisfied with this slight revisit, but compared to other recent films which have revisited earlier entries in a much more satisfying fashion this pales in comparison and looks and feels even less essential than its previous entries.
Iain MacLeod