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!
Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.
To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having apparently taken place in 2024, I think this is the perfect time to dive into why this grim parable might also be entertaining for horror fans.
Originally penned by gaming journalist and The Walking Dead: The Game co-writer Gary Whitta, the spec script for The Book of Eli was already making waves back in 2007 when it appeared on the coveted Blacklist. It wasn’t long before Columbia and Warner Bros. snatched up the rights to the project, hiring From Hell directors Albert and Allen Hughes while also garnering attention from industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
After a series of revisions by Anthony Peckham meant to make the story more consumer-friendly, the picture was finally released in January of 2010, with the finished film following Denzel as a mysterious wanderer making his way across a post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book. Along the way, he encounters a run-down settlement controlled by Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man desperate to get his hands on Eli’s book so he can motivate his underlings to expand his empire. Unwilling to let this power fall into the wrong hands, Eli embarks on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of his faith.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Judging by the film’s box-office success, mainstream audiences appear to have enjoyed the Hughes’ bleak vision of a future where everything went wrong, but critics were left divided by the flick’s trope-heavy narrative and unapologetic religious elements. And while I’ll be the first to admit that The Book of Eli isn’t particularly subtle or original, I appreciate the film’s earnest execution of familiar ideas.
For starters, I’d like to address the religious elephant in the room, as I understand the hesitation that some folks (myself included) might have about watching something that sounds like Christian propaganda. Faith does indeed play a huge part in the narrative here, but I’d argue that the film is more about the power of stories than a specific religion. The entire point of Oldman’s character is that he needs a unifying narrative that he can take advantage of in order to manipulate others, while Eli ultimately chooses to deliver his gift to a community of scholars. In fact, the movie even makes a point of placing the Bible in between equally culturally important books like the Torah and Quran, which I think is pretty poignant for a flick inspired by exploitation cinema.
Sure, the film has its fair share of logical inconsistencies (ranging from the extent of Eli’s Daredevil superpowers to his impossibly small Braille Bible), but I think the film more than makes up for these nitpicks with a genuine passion for classic post-apocalyptic cinema. Several critics accused the film of being a knockoff of superior productions, but I’d argue that both Whitta and the Hughes knowingly crafted a loving pastiche of genre influences like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog.
Lastly, it’s no surprise that the cast here absolutely kicks ass. Denzel plays the title role of a stoic badass perfectly (going so far as to train with Bruce Lee’s protégée in order to perform his own stunts) while Oldman effortlessly assumes a surprisingly subdued yet incredibly intimidating persona. Even Mila Kunis is remarkably charming here, though I wish the script had taken the time to develop these secondary characters a little further. And hey, did I mention that Tom Waits is in this?
AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Denzel’s very first interaction with another human being in this movie results in a gory fight scene culminating in a face-off against a masked brute wielding a chainsaw (which he presumably uses to butcher travelers before eating them), so I think it’s safe to say that this dog-eat-dog vision of America will likely appeal to horror fans.
From diseased cannibals to hyper-violent motorcycle gangs roaming the wasteland, there’s plenty of disturbing R-rated material here – which is even more impressive when you remember that this story revolves around the bible. And while there are a few too many references to sexual assault for my taste, even if it does make sense in-universe, the flick does a great job of immersing you in this post-nuclear nightmare.
The excessively depressing color palette and obvious green screen effects may take some viewers out of the experience, but the beat-up and lived-in sets and costume design do their best to bring this dead world to life – which might just be the scariest part of the experience.
Ultimately, I believe your enjoyment of The Book of Eli will largely depend on how willing you are to overlook some ham-fisted biblical references in order to enjoy some brutal post-apocalyptic shenanigans. And while I can’t really blame folks who’d rather not deal with that, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a genuinely engaging thrill-ride because of one minor detail.
With that in mind, I’m incredibly curious to see what Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have planned for the upcoming prequel series starring John Boyega…
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
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