Editorials
In Defense of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
Happy 4th of July everyone! We’re celebrating the holiday with another installment of our “In Defense Of” series! Based on previous posts, I predict that half of you will be clicking on this post to chastise me for defending a film that is awesome (I’m right there with you) and the other half will click on this post to chastise me for defending a terrible, lazy film that is unable to be defended. That is the issue with these “In Defense Of” Posts, but I’m willing to take the heat and defend what is one of my favorite slashers of all time: I Know What You Did Last Summer.
I was actually quite surprised to find out that I Know What You Did Last Summer is not that highly regarded, as it was always one of my favorite movies growing up. I knew the reviews were mediocre, but even people in the comments right here at Bloody-Disgusting seem to loathe the film (with the exception of us 90s children). Evan even has his own negative thoughts toward the film. That being said, take a look and a small sample of what major film critics had to say about the film:
Ignoring the “too intense for kids” review (what kind of criticism even is that?), it’s clear that there aren’t many fond feelings toward the film. With a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 52 on Metacritic, it’s hardly the worst score (look at the sequel, a film I can’t even defend, for much worse reviews). I can certainly understand some of the criticisms, but I Know What You Did Last Summer really is a pretty great film.
I Know What You Did Last Summer came out on October 17, 1997 and was accused of being a Scream copycat, since it was released just under a year after the Wes Craven masterpiece (and Scream 2 was released two months after IKWYDLS). It was later joined by a slew of other Scream copycats in 1998 (Urban Legend, The Faculty, Halloween: H20 and even its own sequel). This criticism is sort of valid, since Kevin Williamson wrote both Scream and IKWYDLS, and we all know how he likes to steal from himself. Had it come out before Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer probably would have had a much better reception.
Sometimes I wonder what the film would have been like had Williamson made an actual adaptation of Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel, as opposed to turning it a standard slasher film. With news of a possible remake happening next year (I’ll believe it when I see it), we may actually find out. That being said, Williamson did a great job with the script, and created a small cast of (mostly) likable characters that we actually get to spend time with and get to know before they die. Sure, Freddie Prinze Jr.’s character is incredibly boring and devoid of personality, but the other three are good.
What is unique about I Know What You Did Last Summer is that for being an R-rated slasher film, there is very little gore in it. In the DVD commentary, director Jim Gillespie (Venom, ha) states that he was not interested in making a gory film. He wanted to imply the gore rather than show it. This is never more apparent than in Helen’s death, where we get an extremely brief shot of blood on her hands. The most graphic death is Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory, Roseanne) getting a hook up his chin. While it doesn’t satiate us gore-hounds, it does force him to amp up the tension, which he is successful at.
This tension is never more apparent than in what is arguably the greatest chase scene ever put on film:
I admit, I frequently put on I Know What You Did Last Summer but I start it at the point where Helen is in the cop car. From than moment through the end, the film is perfection (yes, I said it). The score is great, both Helen’s scene and Julie’s confrontation on the boat are incredibly suspenseful, the ending is satisfying (except that shower tag at the end, which I’ve never been keen on), and it’s a helluva lot of fun.
Everything that comes before it has been criticized for being too boring or slow, but that is a criticism that surprises me, considering most critics have issues with a lack of character development in horror films. It takes quite a long time for the actual killing to begin (since there aren’t that many people to kill off to begin with). The characters are also criticized for making stupid decisions, but they are (supposed to be) teenagers. Make of that what you will.
No discussion of I Know What You Did Last Summer can be made without mentioning the reveal of the killer. It’s no Will Benson reveal (which is just awful), but it always seemed to come out of left field. This is exactly what a killer reveal should do. The fact that we’ve never met Ben Willis before this moment could deflate the impact of his reveal, but it actually works in the films favor as a “what the fuck” moment. Some people hate it, but I think it’s actually pretty clever. Though I can imagine some people were upset to find out that it wasn’t Anne Heche.
Finally, I have to briefly mention the trailer for the film. While it in no way enhances the quality of the movie, it’s still an awesome trailer (and is the reason I frequently jam to Kula Shaker’s “Hush” in my car). I’ve talked about it before, so rather than go into details I’ll just leave you with this. Happy Fourth of July Julie!
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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