As far as 1990s horror movies go, Scream will always be a critical and fan darling. But even though Scream is fantastic, I Know What You Did Last Summer is always going to be a go to film when someone wants a cheesy and fun ride that doesn't make them think too much. The premise of four teenage friends accidentally killing someone and then being stalked is a compelling one, so much so that Amazon produced a TV adaptation that began streaming in the fall of 2021.
While horror fans can admit to loving the cheese factor of the original '90s film, admitting that the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is enjoyable can be a tougher sell. The movie didn't do well with critics and has a particularly poor showing on Rotten Tomatoes: 7% on the Tomatomer and a 29% Audience Score. But could there be some things to actually like about this horror sequel?
While the I Know What You Did Last Summer TV show isn't great, the original movie is known for being incredibly cheesy and that's definitely what makes it so appealing. And although the sequel isn't generally beloved and it never comes up in discussions of the most critically acclaimed or most interesting horror movies, fans of the genre can still find some things to appreciate about it. First of all, the cast of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is great. Fans of the first movie get to see Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prince Jr.'s characters still in a serious relationship, and other famous faces include Brandy and Jack Black. Just like Johnny Galecki has a brief appearance in the first movie and then is brutally murdered, Black's character Titus works at the resort and meets a grisly end as he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gossip Girl fans will also enjoy watching Matthew Settle play Julie's pal.
The premise is really entertaining and it's smart that the sequel takes Julie out of her hometown, as this makes the plot a lot more exciting. When comparing the Scream movies and TV shows, Scream 2 isn't the best film, but it's interesting to note that I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ignores the temptation to see Julie running from a serial killer at school. And instead of going back home for the summer, like she did in the original movie, Julie wins a radio prize and takes her boyfriend Ray (Prince Jr.) and best friend Karla (Brandy) and Karla's boyfriend Tyrell (Mekhi Phifer) on vacation.
The movie has a particularly terrifying scene that sticks out and makes this sequel a lot more fun than some might originally think. When Julie goes into a tanning bed at the resort, the killer locks her inside, which seriously freaks her out. Jennifer Love Hewitt shared on Heather McMahon's podcast that she fainted during this scene and the crew realized that her character wasn't saying anything or acting afraid during this moment. The actress said, "My mom was watching on the monitor and she was like, 'Guys she's... she's not doing what she's supposed to do. Like why is she not doing what she's supposed to do?' And they realized I had passed out inside, and it was really locked," according to Too Fab. The scene is up there with some of the most disturbing horror movie moments.
Although Julie isn't a famous horror movie final girl, she manages to carry both I Know What You Did Last Summer and its corny sequel, and that's definitely impressive. While this movie doesn't have any legendary pieces of dialogue, interesting deaths, or wild twists that are absolutely impossible to guess, horror fans can still enjoy getting lost in an entertaining story for a few hours. Julie is at a crossroads as she had to learn about her best friend Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) being brutally killed and she has been living in fear for so long, wondering if the killer will come back to get her for good. Julie is a fairly well-crafted character who just wants to live a happy, peaceful life and she's a survivor who does her best to fight back in this film. There is a certain joy in watching a bad movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Some horror fans might realize that something is completely off about this vacation when Karla and Julie answer a radio contest about the capital of Brazil. They say Rio but it's Brasilia. While learning that they messed up will be a shock for some fans, others would have known this and been patiently waiting for this to come out. Either way, this is a stand-out moment.
Horror fans praise the ending of the Final Destination franchise as it's a callback to the original film and just works so well. The ending of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer might be fairly predictable as it's easy for seasoned horror lovers to figure out that Matthew Settle's character Will Benson, Julie's friend who is also clearly in love with her, is Ben Willis's son who is out for revenge. This is definitely pretty obvious. But while this twist isn't much of a massive reveal, the final scene does make audiences think and wonder what really happened, which counts for something.
After the events on the island, Julie and Ray are living in a perfect house, and it seems like everything is great now. But when Julie notices something strange about her bed, Ben is hiding under the bed and grabs Julie. Did Julie make this up? Or did this really take place? It's unclear, but it's at least a conclusion that gets people talking.