I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

SYNOPSIS:
On the Fourth of July, the magical night of high school’s end, Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr) and Barry (Ryan Phillippe) drive off in Barry’s new BMW, oblivious to the violent accident that’s waiting for them around the bend in the road. No one sees the body that seems to fly out of nowhere; no one knows the identity of the crumpled form that seems to have stopped breathing. But it is at this point that the four make a decision that will change their lives forever. They push the body off a seaside pier, and think their secret slides into the murky depths with it. Exactly a year later, they learn they’ve been wrong. Someone is stalking them…someone who knows what they did last summer.

"Good tension from a pulsating, musical soundtrack, well paced skilful direction and a premise that successfully aims for young audiences, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a well enough made horror flick, with enough divergent elements to engage. Although the script does offer some rather ridiculous lines, it quickly establishes the characters - which is the strength of the film. The rather implausible plot isn’t under too much scrutiny here, as the strong enthusiastic cast & their performances overshadow. All the young cast are terrific, while Anne Heche is stunning, combining a beguiling simplicity with an ominous quality that disturbs. The film doesn’t aspire to be more than it is; it’s a trip on a rollercoaster, and it’s fun while it lasts. There’s plenty for horror fans to squirm over, many surprises to make the blood chill, and a good balance between fantasy and reality. The faceless adversary is always more frightening than the one you can see: the imagination is far more powerful than reality."
Louise Keller

"In the eighties, there was Friday the Thirteenth and Nightmare on Elm Street, now a decade later, it seems the youthful horror flick with screams aplenty, is back with a vengeance. Wes Craven began it all with his tongue-in-cheek take on the genre, Scream, and now that film's screenwriter has come up with this hokey follow-up, that has its moments, but somehow it lacks the inventiveness of its predecessor. As with Scream, innocent gals are caught up in a hairy situation, along with the blokes, running away from the proverbial boogie man. There are some nice touches here, and flashes of wit, coupled with some genuine shocks and atmosphere. There are also some nifty little red herrings thrown at you, but ultimately, the film drags on, many of its characters too boring for us to care about, and the final resolution both silly and lacklustre in its execution, with the final shot preparing us for that dreaded sequel. The horror/suspense genre is tough, and few can make it original. Craven's Scream refused to take itself seriously, and it gently parodied the genre. What You Did Last Summer, even with some capable performances from its useful ensemble, is entertaining enough for what is, but somehow, it remains standard fare. Somehow, it's all too familiar."
Paul Fischer

"Yes, Paul, all too familiar – and all too manipulative. The only important credible moment in the movie is the accident that triggers the action. The film makers cheat a lot with surprises that aren’t really, but I guess if you go to see a film like this, what can you expect. Phoney scary, that’s what I call it. But there was something I really liked: The opening sequence is way above the quality of what follows, setting us up for something special, with a long, marvellously ominous dusk aerial shot along a beautiful coastline. The shot doubles back on itself to reveal a secluded beach in the failing light, and all this to a great piece of music by John Debney. I disagree with Louise; the implausible plot IS under scrutiny – and not just the plot, the details, too. I know what I won’t be seeing again any summer…but Leonard (below) liked it."
Andrew L. Urban