I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
53%RT Audience Score: 40%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 7 nominations
A by-the-numbers slasher that arrived a decade too late, the mostly tedious I Know What You Did Last Summer will likely only hook diehard fans of the genre
I Know What You Did Last Summer” is a classic slasher flick that’s perfect for a spooky movie night with friends. Sure, it’s not the most original movie out there, but it’s got all the classic horror movie tropes that we know and love. Plus, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s chase scene is iconic and worth watching for alone. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready to scream at the TV. Just don’t answer any strange phone calls afterwards.
Production Company(ies)
Act III Productions, Artemis Rising Foundation Maramara Films,
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Jenner, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong horror violence and language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 41m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 7, 2001
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Muse Watson, Anne Heche, directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Lois Duncan, Kevin Williamson, horror, R rating, box office gross $72.2M, reviewed by Rosalind Bentley, Chris Stuckmann, John Petrakis, Gene Siskel, Lisa Alspector, Ryan Gilbey, produced by Stokely Chaffin, Neal H Moritz, Erik Feig, Columbia Pictures, Dolby, SDDS, Surround, 35mm, Scope (2.35:1), hit and run, slasher, mystery, suspense, thriller, teenagers, high school graduates, vow of secrecy, hit-and-run, fisherman, meat hook, killer, stalking, bloodletting, crime, frightening letter, Benjamin Willis, Melissa ‘Missy’ Egan, horror movies, teen slasher genre, novel adaptation, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers, Ryan Phillippe as Barry William Cox, Freddie Prinze Jr as Ray Bronson, Muse Watson as Benjamin Willis, Anne Heche as Melissa ‘Missy’ Egan
Worldwide gross: $125,586,134
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $234,102,709
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 609
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 25,529,194
US/Canada gross: $72,586,134
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $135,306,423
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 565
US/Canada opening weekend: $15,818,645
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $29,487,233
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 473
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $17,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $31,689,375
Production budget ranking: 1,127
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,064,728
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $185,348,606
ROI to date (est.): 380%
ROI ranking: 356
Sarah Michelle Gellar – Helen Shivers
Ryan Phillippe – Barry William Cox
Freddie Prinze Jr. – Ray Bronson
Muse Watson – Benjamin Willis
Anne Heche – Melissa ‘Missy’ Egan
Jim Gillespie – Director
Stokely Chaffin – Producer
Neal H. Moritz – Producer
Erik Feig – Producer
Lois Duncan – Writer
Kevin Williamson – Writer
Director(s)
Jim Gillespie
Writer(s)
Lois Duncan, Kevin Williamson
Producer(s)
Stokely Chaffin, Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (72) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (41)
Even though the murders are gruesome, the film is not scary, nor is it clever. We’ve seen this many times before, but with different titles and different stars.
January 26, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/5
Rosalind Bentley
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A cheesy and sometimes melodramatic slasher film that is certainly not one of the best, but… It’s directed better than a lot of the slasher films in recent years.
October 16, 2020 | Rating: B-
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
Wastes more opportunities than it does teenagers.
March 28, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
John Petrakis
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A dreadful mad slasher film that works neither as a thriller nor as a comic commentary on the genre.
March 28, 2019 | Rating: 1/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A poorly conceived 1997 thriller with plenty of empty references.
March 28, 2019
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Tthe frights come fairly regularly, and though the picture neither haunts nor tickles you the way Scream did, it’s diverting enough as mindless Saturday-night entertainment.
March 28, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Ryan Gilbey
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
On the minus side, this bright, witty writer seems to have retreated into the very genre he spoofed in Scream.
March 1, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot
Takes the foundation of Lois Duncan’s source material and updates it in all the right ways. Williamson’s script is playful and smart , Gillespie’s direction is taunt and SMG remains a queer icon with the best chase scene in modern slasher history
October 20, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Joe Lipsett
Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast
I Know What You Did Last Summer still retains its entertaining appeal, while still inspiring the filmmakers that have followed in its wake.
July 3, 2021
Stephanie Archer
Film Inquiry
An ’80s slasher in a ’90s world that prioritizes its characters over gore and it’s all the better for it. It’s a perfect dessert after Scream’s main course.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
The numerous false alarms, jump scares, frustratingly disbelieving supporting personas, and misdirections are admittedly amusing.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
For all its glaring flaws, I Know What You Did Last Summer has its fun with a loosely adapted story from the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan.
May 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
C.H. Newell
Father Son Holy Gore…
Plot
After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim’s body into the sea. But exactly one year later, the dead man returns from his watery grave and he’s looking for more than an apology.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
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