Iconic ‘90s Horror Film Has Slashed Its Way Onto Streaming
Looking back on the latter half of the 1990s and into the new millennium, the time was prime for a newly defined version of slasher films. And, when you figure out the common denominator, it all comes down to one man, a writer named Kevin Williamson. While he launched to stardom with 1996’s Scream, the scribe was also behind the following year’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. Like Scream, the title had an absolutely stacked cast of household names as well as a killer storyline, and now you can check it out for yourself as it’s streaming on Peacock.
A Simple Premise That Hooks You
Unlike Scream, a whodunnit that threw every member of the friend group into question, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a straight-up slasher, akin to Friday the 13th or Halloween. In the movie, a group of teens are driving along a twisty highway at night when they strike a man, believing to have killed him. Leaving him for dead, the friends ditch the body and agree to carry on as if nothing happened.
One year later, on the anniversary of the accident, a hook-wielding psychopath hunts down the four friends one by one until vengeance is served.
The Biggest Stars Of The 90s
The movie’s all-star cast includes the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt (9-1-1), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions), and Freddie Prinze Jr. (She’s All That). I Know What You Did Last Summer is very much loosely based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel of the same name and was under the direction of Jim Gillespie, with the helmer pulling inspiration from classics like The House on Sorority Row to drive the storyline home.
A Box Office Hit
Striking while the iron was hot, Columbia Pictures made an incredibly wise decision when it decided to work with Kevin Williamson on another slasher flick as, at the box office, I Know What You Did Last Summer grossed a staggering $125.3 million against its $17 million production budget. Financially, the production was a gargantuan success, but it didn’t quite hit as hard with critics. The film is currently seated on Rotten Tomatoes with a 46 percent approval rating.
The Sequel
Despite the negative feedback from critics, the money that I Know What You Did Last Summer dragged in was enough for the studio to greenlight a sequel. Titled I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, the second installment in the blossoming franchise arrived in 1998. Picking up one year following the events of the first film, the follow-up continued the story, weaving in new characters with the survivors of the original movie.
The Streaming Series Reboot
Still trying to keep the magic alive, a movie titled I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer celebrated a direct-to-video release in 2006 but was largely written off by the fandom as it didn’t include any performances from the original cast. Then, in 2021, James Wan (The Conjuring) stood behind a TV adaptation of the novel, which landed on Prime Video. After just one season, the project was axed from the network.
Nothing Can Touch The Original
It’s been nearly three decades since the original I Know What You Did Last Summer came into cinemas and we finally have another chapter that sounds like a winner. Right now, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are both expected to reprise their roles in the Jennifer Kaytin Robinson-helmed film that’s set for a release in 2025.
Find out where the terror started as I Know What You Did Last Summer is currently streaming on Peacock.
