Review of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) by Laurence C — 24 May 2009

For those that lived their younger teenage years through that particular era or have a sibling that did, it's easy to remember what made those damn 90s slasher flicks so irresistible. After almost completely dissapearing from the market (notably because of the failures of the later Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels), teens-in-peril horror films were fiercely re-ignited in 1996 with Scream, and in the process considerably changed their appeal to the public. If Wes Craven's witty, self-conscious and enjoyably silly slasher pastiche aged remarkably well (its trademark elements are still pop culture icons today), the same can arguably be said of this film, though for almost entirely different reasons-- starting with the fact that Scream was, to put it plainly, a good movie AND a satire simultaneously. This one is neither of them... and there is plenty to love.

Trading in the 80's trend in sleazy death porn for casts full of hot, promising young things and more whodunit mystery, slashers had found a brand new way to print the green ones past the mid-nineties. This Kevin Williamson-penned little shocker, probably one of the most parodied pictures of the last decade (if not ever), is by today a pitch-perfect representation of nearly all the stereotypes attached to such films. For that reason, it will probably remain immortal among its generation's folklore, no matter how stupid, shallow and predictable it actually is. Therefore, I find there is a distinct quality that emerges from IKWYDLS, for it is kind of exceptional to present the entire collection of cliches of a subgenre with such workmanlike efficiency. Thanks to that display of plot elements that have become extremely familiar to everyone by now, the dissection of a 'dead teenager movie' (what everything in there truly means) couldn't be easier than with Jim Gillespie's directorial debut in 1997-- a hip, surprise smash hit with the straightforward (but curiously involving) title 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'.

With their hormonally charged premises, the recurring theme of punishment and their appeal of danger, slasher pictures dip into different aspects of teenage psychology (though most of them unintentionally); this one has a setup that would make most high school counselors wet their underpants enthusiastically. Here's the deal : four high school seniors are about to celebrate the start of their last teenage summer, with the vague promise of a bright academic (and professional) future right ahead of them, but mostly all kinds of insecurities hovering above it all. When they are the cause of a hugely reprehensible situation, they swear not to tell it to anyone and ''bury the truth''. Obviously, the truth can't stay buried forever-- and it's one year after the horrifying accident that the consequences truly begin. Although the trauma ended up pushing the quartet in different paths (all of whom are now stuck in occupations far less exciting than they had planned), the numerous moments of panic and the fear that whoever's out there & knows the truth might be a serious threat actually force them to re-unite.

Tapping straight into the conception of guilt & assuming responsibility for one's actions, the way IKWYDLS sketches out different achetypal personalities (the brain, the jock, the beauty queen and the dreamer) and opposes their reactions is actually quite clever. We are constantly invited to witness their decision under a rising menace, and the repercussion it has on their lives-- watch how the beauty queen says ''there was a murder and you'll be burning in hell if you ignore it'' to a skeptical cop when someone is killed by the 75-minute mark. No one among the major players is simple 'spare meat' (although some supporting bystanders do get that treatment), and their characterisations are actually quite solid considering what's bound to happen. It goes without saying that almost each line they deliver or position they stand for is heavily formatted to suit the paradigms without any trace of ambiguity, but hell, we're not looking for any shades of grey in an imperiled teen flick, are we? This one has quite a moral center and it examines teenage anxieties with commendable accuracy-- that's already a pretty good start.

IKWYDLS not only makes good use of these features, it also manages to stage at least a good half-dozen exciting moments, most of which you probably know because they were referenced in Scary Movie, a Simpsons episode or something else : the slam-bang death threat car chase, the closet and the chopped hair, the beauty pageant balcony freak-out... and, last but not least, Sarah Michelle Gellar's chase scene. A fantastic, heart-pounding Blonde Girl Running For Her Life moment if there ever was one, complete with several close gotchas, worthless help from creaky mechanical gear, tiny implausibilities & an incompetent policeman, and most of all, a killer resolution. It uses its star (who is convincing in every frame) and her attempts at survival to full power, tricking us into believing there isn't any hope when there is and that there is hope when there isn't. When Sarah Michelle Gellar screams, the audience screams with her-- and the joy that inhabits me when I watch this scene is never, ever going to vanish.

The cast has also managed to become just as memorable. Jennifer Love Hewitt has embodied the loss of innocence, a ressourceful brainiac, just enough sexuality and the essence of a scream queen all at once, setting the bar way high for a Final Girl role-- I hesitate to call her Julie James the best performance I've ever seen her give, but I can't recall any other role in which I've actually found her THAT credible. Gellar and Philippe make a loveable pair of hotheads crumbling under the stress, with just enough humanity underneath the blonde facade. And Freddie Prinze Jr... oh, god. What is there there to say, really, about Freddie Prinze Jr.? He's a terrible, terrible performer-- but in the best way that could advantage the film. Obviously hired for his Backstreet Boyish good looks, you can practically hear the sound of tween girls fainting in the auditorium back in '97 when he does that shit-eating half-smirk. You can also hear their boyfriends laughing at his conspicuously awful line deliveries (the best one, in my opinion, being his borderline parodic take on ''I think he's dead'').

So, now... I dearly hope you can spot these silver linings and accept them, for most of what's in-between all this is strictly Slasher Boilerplate 101. With plenty of obvious red herrings, loads of cheap scares, plot holes the size of a bus shelter and a ridiculously go-nowhere speculation of who might've done it before the blatant final reveal is thrown in, there is scarily little to be surprised at in IKWYDLS. Except, of course, the narrative stupidity of the whole thing. The boat climax is also a little bit of a letdown on its own. But that's, to me, all part of the charm : this unchallenging piece of comfort food begs you to be as familiar as possible with the ingredients and their use. To point out its helpless unoriginality serves no purpose other than spoiling the fun. This is a wholly unpretentious, lovingly by-the-numbers cash-grab that serves no purpose other than to entertain an audience full of chatty teens. Ridding them of their junk would be pointless-- this inoffensive but competent thrill ride is just what a first slumber party needs. That'll toughen them up, and ready them for daring, psychologically astute and disturbing works of art, not just slice'n'dice popcorn fare.

And for the ones that enjoy this cutesy-spooky predictability with a little meat on its bones, you can always chew on the subtext. It's a little light, but it's there, and it gives this pop culture 'classic' its very own relevance, more than a decade later. All intelligent viewers should give this one a try eventually, and I really do mean that. Few slasher films managed to be just as iconic and representative of their era other than I Know What You Did Last Summer. Next up : the exemplary screw-up of its sequel, who truly, truly captures the essence of a pure, unabashed shitty follow-up. But this time... there's no merit to be had. Oh, well...