I Know What You Did Last Summer
Tags: mystery, murder, cult, revenge, horror, suspenseful, entertaining, storytelling

Plot synopsis:
It's the 4th of July, 1996 and four high school seniors, Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), her boyfriend Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr), Julie's best friend Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippee) decide to have some fun on their last summer as kids. So they party and get drunk and go to an isolated beach by their town. While on the beach, they discuss their futures beyond their small town, as well as discuss an urban legend regarding a young couple who find a hook attached to their car door. Since Ray is the only one of them that is sober, he is tasked with driving them back home. The ride soon gets out of control when Barry spills alcohol in the car, distracting Ray, who accidentally hits a random stranger on the road.The incident soon turns ugly when the group begin to argue over what happened. The police won't believe it as an accident, since there's alcohol spilled in the car, and the car belongs to Barry. The situation grows worse when a vehicle appears in the distance. This turns out to be another local teenager, named Max (Johnny Galecki). Julie distracts him by saying they just had car trouble, and he drives on.Once he's gone, the talk turns to disposing of the body to hide what happened. Julie feels that they should tell what they did but Barry, drunk and in a violently-upset rage, demands that no one be told, with Helen taking Barry's side. They take it down to the nearby docks and dump the body in the water, with Barry making everyone swear to take the secret to their graves.One year later and now a freshman in college, Julie goes home for the summer. While at home, her Mom gives her a letter that was received, but it has no return address and is not postmarked. Inside, she finds a folded piece of paper with a message: "I Know What You Did Last Summer!"Panicked over their secret having gotten out, Julie goes to Helen's sister Elsa (Bridgette Wilson), to inquire for Helen's number in New York. However, Elsa soon reveals that Helen went to college in New York and then came back, now working in their family's store.They then go to see Barry. Barry claims that no one can know, and as the three discuss that fateful night, Barry recalls how Max drove by, and he was the only person there that night. Barry immediately suspects him, and the three head down to the nearby docks. Barry claims he'll 'talk' to Max in private, but Barry gets carried away, threatening Max with an ice pick, telling him to leave them alone, even though Max claims he has no idea what Barry is talking about.While down at the docks, Julie finds Ray working off a fishing boat down there. He tries to patch things up regarding their now-broken relationship, but she runs off.Back inside Max's workplace, unseen by anyone, Max is killed when an unseen person uses the ice pick that Barry had threatened Max with.Later that evening, Barry goes to a local gym to workout. In the locker room, he hears a sound. Looking around the locker room, Barry finds nothing until he returns to his locker. He soon finds a Polaroid photo of his BMW, with a message written on the back: "I Know." Barry also finds that his jacket is gone. Rushing out of the locker room, Barry see his car turn on, and back off down the road. Barry gives chase, only to have the driver attempt to run him down. The driver, wearing a dark fishermans rain slicker and weilding a large ice hook, gets out of the car and stands over him.Barry ends up in the hospital, but is unable to tell the police anything about the person's identity, other than that he wore a black rain slicker, and carried an ice pick. In his hospital room, the four friends talk about what happened, with Barry still strongly against revealing what they did. Julie then reveals that she has been doing some investigating, and reveals that the name of the person they struck was David Egan. Feeling that maybe Egan survived and is staying with a local relative, Julie and Helen head out to the Egan's residence deep in the inland swamps.Julie and Helen arrive at David's house where they find David's moody older sister, Missy (Anne Heche). Missy explains that David's death devastated their family, as Julie and Helen act under the guise that their vehicle has broken down. While both of them originally think that Missy may be the killer, talking with her, they soon write her off their suspects list. However, Missy does explain that someone came after her brother had died, claiming to be his friend. When the girls ask for this person's name, Missy believes it to be 'Billy Blue'.Helen returns to her home that night, and prepares for the 4th of July parade the next morning. She does not notice the fisherman sneaking into her house through the back door, going upstairs and hiding in her bedroom closet. Waking up the next morning, she is horrified to find that someone has slashed her hair in the night, and written 'Soon' on her vanity mirror.Helen then calls Barry and Julie to come over quickly. On her way over, Julie hears a strange sound coming from the back of her car. Upon reaching Helen's, she hears something in the trunk and opens it, to reveal Max's dead body, with crabs crawling over him! Julie rushes in to tell Barry and Helen, but when they return, the crabs and Max's body have disappeared from the trunk. Barry and Helen assume Julie was hallucinating, but she swears she did see Max's dead body.Julie, Helen, and Barry confront Ray about the recent events, which Barry thinks that Ray is behind it. Ray strongly denies being the one and claims that whoever knows is after him too for he received a similar letter.Julie decides to revisit Missy to ask her more questions about David Egan and about the visitor 'Billy Blue', while Helen and Barry go to participate in the 4th of July parade. During the parade, Barry keeps an eye out for the killer, but notices that there are several people wearing the dark rain slickers running about. Chasing one, Barry leaves Helen on one of the parade floats. As it passes by a 2-story building, she notices a shadowy figure in a black rain slicker, reveal an ice pick in a threatening way as the float passes by.Meanwhile, Julie arrives back at Missy's house in hopes to convince her that her brother is still alive, and to secretly find out more about who the stranger called Billy Blue was. Missy tells Julie that her brother is dead, and presents her with a suicide note that was left by him which reads 'I will never forget last summer'. Julie thinks that the handwriting matches that of the note she received, and tries to convince Missy that her brother is not dead. However, Missy soon grows upset by Julie's ravings, and orders her to leave her property.At the annual Croaker Pageant, Helen is in attendance as her reign as the Croaker Queen is about to come to an end. Barry is watching from an upstairs balcony, but as the pageant goes on, Helen lets out a yell when she sees the killer pull Barry into the shadows! Rushing upstairs with a police officer, they look around but find no sign of the killer or Barry. The officer thinks Helen imagined it, and offers to take her home.On the way there, the officer cuts through an alley and finds someone working on their truck engine, which has stalled across the street. The officer gets out to investigate, only to come face-to-face with the killer, who kills the officer with the ice hook. Helen manages to break out of the police car, and rushes for her family's store, where her sister Elsa lets her in. Helen demands that Elsa lock all the doors, but before Elsa can finish the job, the killer enters through a side door and slashes her to death. The killer then stalks after Helen, chasing her out of the store, down an alley, and near a pile of used tires where she is killed steps away from the 4th of July parade that is going on.Meanwhile, Julie has returned to town does some further research into the death of David Egan. A year before the 'accident,' David and his girlfriend Susie were involved in a car crash not far from where the film's 'accident' scene occurred. David survived, but Susie died. The research mentions that Susie had a father, named Ben Willis. Julie then figures it out: They did not kill David Egan that night! Her assumption is that David had been found along the road by Ben, who killed him and disposed of the body. But before Ben could get home, the four crashed into him during their joyride that night.Julie then decides to tell Ray who is working down by the docks. She explains her theory, but he doesn't believe it. As they talk, she suddenly notices the name of the boat he works on Billy Blue! Julie panics, thinking that Ray may actually be the murderer and takes off running, only to be chased by Ray before a fisherman stops him, and puts her onto his boat.As she looks around the boat, she finds one room that contains photos and other articles about her, Helen, Barry and Ray... and realizes that she is on Ben's boat! Ben has set the boat adrift and intends to kill Julie, who leads him on a cat-and-mouse chase through the ship. Eventually, Julie winds up in an ice room to store fish, and finds the corpses of Max, Helen and Barry.Ray manages to come to his senses, and takes a small motorboat, catching up to Ben's boat. In the end, Ray manages to use the ship's rigging to save Julie, causing Ben to lose his arm in which he carried the hook, and plummets over the side.All that is found of Ben is the severed arm with the hook in the hand. When the Police question Julie and Ray about why Ben would have wanted to kill them, they claim they have no idea.A year later, Julie is enjoying another year of college, and is getting ready to return to her hometown to see Ray. As she prepares to take a shower, her college roommate says that there was a letter left for her. Fearing the same thing as before, Julie is relieved to find that it is an invitation to a pool party.Returning to the showers, the hot water has caused the room to steam up. As Julie heads towards one shower stall, she stops upon seeing writing on one of the doors, which reads: "I still know."The last shot is Ben, crashing through the glass shower door at the camera (aka Julie), the ice pick now embedded in the stump of his missing arm.

Review: In fact this may be the only one I have seen, and it is a fitting tribute of the genre for our birthday girl, Sarah Michelle Geller.Writer Kevin Williamson follows up Scream with a serious example of just how effective these movies can be if they're well-written, directed and acted.Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy, TMNT) and Jenniver Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) fit perfectly together and are supported by Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Breach, Flags of Our Fathers) and Freddie Prinze Jr. Why does that sentence sound naughty?
It also has the similar pretty-teenager-being-stabbed-to-death feel to it.On graduation night, four friends Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) go joyriding while drunk and accidentally run over and supposedly kill somebody in the street.
In regards to the storyline, not many viewers realise that the film was actually based on a novel written before Kevin Williamson even thought up the idea to create another horror flick - therefore the general outline is not his, and so some people's comparisons between this and Scream can be considered as wrong.
However one drawback to the characters was how obvious it was to spot who was going to bite it - all my sister had to do was look at the characters in a group and guess straight away.On the whole though, I found it to be a good horror film, done proud by the talents of writer Kevin Williamson and of the cast.
In the late 90's, there had seemed to be a trend of the Dawson's Creek meets Halloween slasher flicks, some had big hits like Scream, and some kinda missed like Urban Legend, then right in between came I Know What You Did Last Summer based off the book of the same name and I do mean just based on the book because the book and the movie are two entirely different tales.
It starred the biggest stars of it's time: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ryan Phillipe, and surprisingly they clicked pretty well, but I think that's because they just all have to play pretty white kids with problems, lol.
Barry is then hit by a car, Helen's hair is chopped off, and Julie gets bodies put into her car trunk; they all must face the fisherman who is after them with a big hook and it seems like he does not want these kids to live.I Know What You Did Last Summer has typical Dawson's Creek drama, but it's all good, I mean it was written by Kevin Williamson who wrote the series.
A decent teen slasher film, but one can't help feeling that Kevin Williamson missed a big chance to send up traditional horror archetypes once more....
I Know What You Did Last Summer It's the Fourth of July, and Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt, TV's "Party of Five"), Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Barry (Ryan Phillippe) are intent on celebrating their graduation from high school, which, for them, means driving to a secluded beach, getting drunk, telling ghost stories and making out with each other.
But the events surrounding the accident may be more complicated than any of them had originally thought.Last year, screenwriter Kevin Williamson came out of nowhere with 'Scream, a self-referential satire on the teen slasher oeuvre wrapped warmly in classic Wes Craven thrills.
The end product is a decent teen slasher film, but one can't help feeling that Williamson missed a big chance to send up traditional horror archetypes once more.As the world of 'Last Summer' wasn't originally Williamson's own creation, it's to be expected that the film not be strung through with the same knowing streak of humour that was the driving force behind 'Scream'.
That said, this is perhaps the first slasher film to come out since 'Scream', and, against the odds, this serves to the film's advantage, as it's almost quite enjoyable watching the clichés play out in front of you exactly as predicted.Ironically, British director Jim Gillespie ('Joyride'), in his first Hollywood production, has made a good effort to mimic the works of Wes Craven, specifically with the commanding score by John Debney.
Gillespie ain't no Craven, that's for sure.The cast (or should I say group of attractive teens that are waiting to be offed?) also seem to be taking this project a little too unsmilingly, with actors Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe more concerned with trying to see which one of them can ham it up the most than actually developing characters worth caring about.
Jamie Lee Curtis, you might want to keep an eye on your Scream Queen coronet.The final act of the film is hard to resist, as it stages a series of nice set pieces that keep you close to the edge of your seat at all times, right up to the agreeably trite, sequel-friendly ending.
Scream was a brilliant parody of horror films while being scary in its own right and Dawson's Creek is a great television show.
If you really enjoy seeing Love Hewitt running around with her breasts half exposed, Gellar looking particularly sexy, Phillipe trying to box, Prinze Jr. looking silly, stupid characters that do stupid things, unconvincing deaths, a trunk full of fish that conveniently disappears (smell and all) when it is required to, someone get a hair cut in their sleep without knowing it and a plethora of other really bad scenarios, then this is your movie.
However, if you want to see a good horror flick with teenagers getting killed, rent the early Fridays, the first Halloween, the first Nightmare, the first Texas, the first Evil Dead and even Scream.
I like to say something positive about every film I review, so I will get that out of the way by saying that Jennifer Love Hewitt never looked better than she does here.
The Jennifer Love Hewitt character, Little Miss Know-It-All (they have a much better name for her in "Scary Movie), draws instant conclusions from nothing ("This is his weekend, if he's going to do it, he will do it now" - huh?).
All are bad enough to make me angry at the thought of a good title being squandered.Kevin Williamson's script suggests nothing so much as a man trying, and failing, to capture the charm of the first couple of seasons of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" - this is more obviously a good description of "Scream", but "Scream", and this may surprise some people who've seen it, is better.
The best part of this film comes with the opening credits, when we hear Type O Negative's excellent rendition of the cheesy old Seals & Crofts song "Summer Breeze."  Unfortunately, the song soon ends and the movie starts.This film bears little resemblance to the book upon which it was based, which is a shame because the book was really quite good.
There isn't much suspense or great death scenes which are key for a good horror movie.
For people who are looking for a good teen slasher movie (and David Arquette running around) I suggest you check out the underrated Scream (1)..
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)*** (out of 4) Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze, Jr. play a group of friends who are drinking and having a good time but on the way home they accidentally run over a man and kill him.
They decide it's best not to go to the police fearing murder charges so they dump his body but a year later they begin getting harassed.Thanks to the success of Wes Craven's SCREAM the horror genre got a boost and soon after one slasher after another was being released.
Out of all of them this one here is the best in my opinion because Kevin Williamson's screenplay goes away from all the self-mocking and instead delivers a very good story that works perfect as a drama but it also features the horror elements that slasher fans would come to expect.
Throw in a very good cast and some likable characters and we're left with one of the better horror films to come out of this period.
If SCREAM was a classic like HALLOWEEN then this here is more like a good stepchild in the same vein as a Friday THE 13TH.The thing I enjoyed most about this was the actual personal story of these four people who find their lives changed over a bad decision.
Prinze Jr. is probably better here than anytime in his career, although that's not too much support I'm giving him.I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER certainly has a few flaws including the movie getting dragged out in the third party but overall it's a highlight of what the genre had to offer after the success of SCREAM..
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Ryan Phillipe are great in this movie!
Sarah Michelle Gellar makes a stunning performance as Helen Shivers the girl who can run but can't hide and Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James the smart and mature one who figures it all out in the end.
Jennifer Love Hewitt gives great acting in the actual scene where they hit the man, but other than that she is okay.
IKWYDLS is one of the better ones though, as the acting is actually fairly good, there are one or two scenes of suspense and the killer is somewhat creepy.Four teens hit a man.
It had some brilliant actors in it like Sarah Michelle Geller and Freddie Prince Jr. Unlike the terrible Jennifer Love Hewitt, who very annoyingly turns out to be the heroine.My big problem with this movie was the story.
It has good acting, mystery, thrills, hot girls and great killing scenes.I've marked it down because you shouldn't be able to see the characters' breath in the scene on the road on the first night, because it's set in July in North Carolina..
The Mid to late nineties was a great time for those that loved Slasher movies, Scream seemed to reignite a forgotten genre, many followed.
The 1990s was known for its teenage and young adult horror/slasher movies and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is what I think one of the more memorable and exciting slasher flicks from that decade.Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddy Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe star as four friends who, after a wild night at a Fourth of July outdoor party, accidentally hit a man on a road at night with their car.
A year later, one by one, they start receiving notes with the words "I Know What You Did Last Summer" written on it, and soon, a terrible course of events start happening to them.The acting is pretty good, believable and emotional, but not over-the-top, although Freddy Prinze could have used a little more emotion and tension; he seemed a little too monotone and stiff.
Girls were screaming due the six pack shown by Ryan Phillippe and guys were in love with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar.The story itself was rather strong because it was not a whodunit but more a who we just killed script.
I know what you did last night (1997) is a somewhat entertaining teenage slasher film that follows the story of 4 different teenagers and how they accidentally hit a man on the road, kill him, and because they don't think the cops will believe them, they dump his body in the water.
During the 4th of July holidays, four teens Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry William Cox (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) are driving after drinking on the beach.
It was NOTHING like I was expecting."I Know What You Did Last Summer" was a teenage psychological thriller written by Lois Duncan, but Columbia Pictures turned it into a slasher movie on screen.
It's a shame, because these changes hurt an already effective suspense thriller.Four high school friends, Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) celebrate their last summer together.
This movie is consistently suspenseful, and the ending surprised me (then again, I am notoriously bad at guessing whodunits beforehand)."I Know What You Did Last Summer" has been compared to "Scream," which was also written by Kevin Williamson (this film was written before "Scream," but was only put to film after "Scream's" blockbuster success).
i thought that it was a very suspenseful and scary movie,but the only thing not good in it was Jenifer love Hewitt her performance was bad and she just did not suit the part of Julie.the best person in it was Sarah Michelle Gellar because of her brilliant acting and amazing chase scene,her chase scene has got to be the best chase scene i have ever seen in a slasher movie,plus Sarah Michelle Gellar is my favourite actress.Freddie Prinz Jr was amazing in it to because he did suit the part,plus he is my favourite actor and Ryan Phillipe was good as well.the movie was well thought out.the scariest bit for me was when Sarah Michelle Gellar was getting chased and when she was in the shop and got speared that is what made me jump..
A year later they've all tried to move on with their lives, until Julie receives a letter in the mail-"I know what you did last summer."It's 2010 and when watching this movie you have to recall that it was made in 1997.
Most of the characters are likable enough, and your heart pounds as you watch the chase scenes.As for a thriller/suspense/horror movie, it was pretty original.
A key element in horror movies.What can I add except that the cast is great, specially Sarah Michelle Gellar.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER is a great scary horror flick, definitely worth a rent!.
Jennifer Love-Hewitt (Can't Hardly Wait), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Scream 2), Freddie Prinze Jr.
Cut to a year later, when Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) goes home for the summer where a note awaits her with the title of the movie written on it.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is an excellent film.I saw it yesterday night for the first time and was on the edge of my seat the whole time!!!!Sarah -Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt work really well together on screen and the ending is totally un-expected!!!An excellent film which is perfect for teenagers!!!.
Starting from this intriguing, interesting and at the same time frightening idea, film maker Jim Gillespie directed one of the most terrifying and tense films of the last years, an oppressive, violent and mysterious work that places four friends, common and full of perspectives adolescents, in front of a situation that escapes from their controls, and perhaps this is the great goal of "I Know What You Did last Summer": to study the way in which common people face situations that change their psychological characteristics as they fight indefatigable for their lives.
I was not disappointed in this film because it turned out to be a great murder mystery, but it was NOT a horror movie.
This movie was pretty good, it had some scary moments, but after the first time, if you watch it again you won't like it to well.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe were good, Jennifer Love Hewitt was alright.
Jennifer Love Hewitt (From TV's partyof five) And Sarah Michel Gellar (Scream 2) star with Freddie Prince JR, Ryan Phillippe and Jhonny Galecki in this terrifying tale of a body that just won't stay dead.
This was an amazing movie and is the best horror movie of all time.Jennifer Love Hewitt did an amazing job as did Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Scream was excellent and I agree is a great, great film, but so is this one.The thing is that I Know What You Did Last Summer was marketed as a teen horror film, when it really wasn't.
I know that I shouldn`t write a review on this film, because these new horror-flicks starring perfect-looking young people are not my favorite cup of tea, but I have decided to write about it since a scream-loving friend of mine made me watch this "classic".
The movie is about a couple of students who "accidently" kills a man, but he is not really dead when they leave him, because a year later the students involved get a note that says: "I know what you did last summer", hence the title.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER is somewhat based on the novel by Lois Duncan, but many, MANY things have been changed.The cast includes Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Muse Watson, Johnny Galecki, Anne Heche and Bridgette Wilson.
I Know What You Did Last Summer stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze, Jr as teens who hit a man and then dump his body in the water...etc...(i'm not going to start describing the movie because I hate when people do that, because most of you already saw it, or don't want it to be spoiled).
This movie as a nice all-star cast: Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Bridgette Wilson, and Anne Heche.
Jennifer Love Hewitt makes for a great heroine, Sarah Michelle Gellar a stunning best friend, and Phillippe as the token jerk boyfriend.It's a completely fun watch for slasher fans and is one that deserves a better chance than most people give it.*** out of ****.
The teens are played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. Also on hand are Johnny Galecki, Anne Heche and Muse Watson.This movie is full of slasher clichés, like the killer who's always in the same garb (this time a fisherman's slicker outfit), the slow-methodical walking of the killer (never running) and the undead dead.