I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025): A Sequel That's Little More Than a Retread (Blu-ray)

The Film:

It's hard to believe that it's already been an incredible 27 years since the last theatrical installment in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series. Of course, there was the much-maligned, direct-to-video entry "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer," but given how hated it was, and the fact that it was a standalone sequel, most people tend to agree that it's best ignored. Since then, there had been plans for a reboot, which eventually materialized as a TV show on Amazon, but it took all the way until 2023 to finally get some traction on a new film when director/co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson delivered her pitch. This brings us to the long-awaited sequel, which merely borrows the original title "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a new entry that hopes to reinvigorate the franchise and deliver some horrific thrills as another hook-wielding fisherman goes on a rampage.

On July 4th, Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders) visits Southport to attend her friend Danica Richards' (Madelyn Cline) engagement party. After the party, they, along with Danica's fiance Teddy (Tyriq Withers), Ava's ex-boyfriend Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), and their old friend Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), all decide to go watch some fireworks. However, while parked on a dangerous bend in the road, Teddy accidentally causes a car to crash and fall off the cliff, causing him to swear everyone to secrecy and get his father (Billy Campbell) to help cover it up.

One year later, Ava returns for Danica's bridal shower, during which the latter receives a threatening note that simply says "I Know What You Did Last Summer." This is followed shortly by Danica's fiance getting brutally murdered by a mysterious hook-wielding figure in a fisherman's coat, mimicking the killing spree that had happened there nearly 30 years ago. Ava and her friends soon realize that someone must know about the incident from a year ago and is coming after them, which is soon confirmed when the fisherman comes after Ava herself, an incident she is barely able to escape from. Will she and her friends be able to live long enough to solve the mystery of who's behind it all?

When it came to putting together another entry in this franchise, there weren't really a lot of options in terms of how to go about it. After all, the killers in the first two films weren't supernatural characters like Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, so bringing them back wouldn't make much sense, especially after so long. That left only a couple of possible paths: either do another standalone sequel that focuses on a completely different group of characters or try to do a legacy sequel of sorts with the original characters. In this case, the filmmakers have decided to do a curious combination of both options.

Unfortunately, the result is an overly-familiar experience that doesn't do much in regards to bringing something new to the table. In fact, you could say that it's just more of the same, quite simply because it is. We have a new group of people that accidentally get someone killed, who are then subsequently killed off one by one by someone dressed up like a fisherman, using a hook as their weapon of choice, all of which will likely give viewers a strong case of déjà vu. They do try to mix in some of the original cast (primarily Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.) in an effort to spice things up a bit, but even they can't do much to lift it up from the obvious retread that the film quickly becomes.

All of this comes down to a somewhat hum-drum explanation at the end, with some of it being a rather silly way to bring it all together. Again, doing any kind of sequel for a series like this was always going to be a tricky proposition given the limitations of the story elements, but even within those elements, surely there was something more original they could've done than just basically recreating the exact same situation. In the end, it merely feels like a desperate attempt at prolonging a franchise that really didn't need it in the first place, ultimately leaving us with a sequel that likely only has a chance of being enjoyed by those who haven't already seen the other films.

Video/Audio:

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality. This is yet another horror flick that has many dark portions to it, but the picture always remains perfectly sharp & clear throughout the entire 111-minute duration. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Sony Pictures has done a wonderful job in both areas for the film's Blu-ray debut.

Special Features:

Return to Southport (9 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on the cast.

Chills, Kills, and Thrills (11 Minutes): A featurette that goes behind the scenes of the making of the film.

Outtakes & Bloopers (3 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (4 Sequences, 8 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a bold attempt to resurrect a long-dead franchise by giving us a new group of victims in a life-threatening situation and mixing it with a few characters from the previous outings, but sadly the result is little more than an overly-familiar retread of the first film, ultimately making for a rather dull & monotonous sequel that's not likely to please fans who were hoping for something a little more original.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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