Review of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) by Tim B — 16 Apr 2009

Looking back at this shitty trend of teeny bopper slashers, I can say that this is the best post-Scream film there was. I loved the fact that the teens weren't yahoos to begin with. A car accident/cover up is the starting point and that jacked up the stakes by about 20, making it more suspenseful than your typical slasher fare.

Also, discarding Freddie Prinze Jr. all of the main players were very likeable and credible. Ryan Phillippe, in particular, has me on his side most of the time. The setting and villain were extremely classic in its style and made it pretty creepy in parts.

Gillespie has an excellent eye for some of the shots and angles in this. Sarah Michelle Gellar's chase scene had me on edge several times. There are parts where it starts to make The Hook Man look like a god, though.

Am I supposed to believe he could clean "the trunk" out that fast in mere minutes? Get real. It also dumbed itself down at times when the killer murdered people that had nothing to do with the four teens or their situation.

Lastly, although I enjoyed trying to guess the mystery, it was next to impossible to solve, but Friday the 13th did that too so I'll let it slide. Great soundtrack, good cast, great director, decent gore, fast pace and amazing synopsis for a "teen" film.

This one did no harm to the genre and I enjoy watching now and again. Simple and fun horror fluff.