Chris Stuckmann reviews I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Heche, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Johnny Galecki. Directed by Jim Gillespie.
Sarah Michelle Geller's death is one that stuck with me. She's literally feet away from safety but gets killed by the hook while no one even notices. That's terrifying to me.
Her death is brutal. First, she barely makes it to the door of the store and her sister lazily lets her in at the last minute, only for her to get killed later 🙄
Agreed about Michelle Gellar's character. She was a lot smarter than doe-eyed, depressed JLHewitt's character. I actually thought she had a chance of surviving after she fought back so hard for her life
Sarah always seems to get the short end of the stick in these types of films, first this movie and then Scream 2, which is sad because you would think Directors and producers in the late 90s would want to capitalize on her popularity as Buffy
I agree with you, I loved her character in the movie, I was bummed out when she got killed because she was in survival mode fighting back. Plus Julie annoyed me SSOOOOO much throughout the movie I wished she got killed instead lol.
@@robbirob557 Julie was heroine material, because she was smart. She was the only one who felt remorse for running over someone. Which isn’t something to be proud of. Helen was more concerned about her « crown » and didn’t look traumatized at all by what they did last summer. She was bound to be killed off. But I guess self centered characters like these, appeal more to today audience...
@@mightybitchy Julie's character had remorse and was the one pushing them to look into it, but she didn't really "do" much, though that's not a surprise in these types of movies. Julie's life was the most affected by her guilt. Yea, Helen went to NYC and failed, but that happens to almost everyone who goes there to be an actor. But SMG brought more to her character. Much more charisma. Possibly the fault of the writers for giving Julie's character not much to do beyond look sad, blink a lot, and scream.
@@robbirob557 She was annoying bcuz she took out her guilt and anger on Ray but he was soft anyway.Barry was an asshole and the following Summer he pretended like he barely knew them anymore when they were his best friends just a year ago
I've always had a soft spot for Jennifer Love Hewitt, since the movie Can't Hardly Wait. But, Sarah Michelle Gellar is a way better character in this movie. Her as Buffy for so long and then being in the Scooby-Doo movies for two films as Daphne, lots of wonderful dreams to be had as a kid.
The fading beauty queen who discovers there's more to life than being the center of attention character is far more compelling than the pretty but brainy nerd trope.
And the final sequel of the reboot will be titled I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. And then one more sequel CHRIS KNOWS WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.
I think I saw an interview where Jennifer said they were going to play the opposite roles but she didn't want her mother to have to see her get killed off, so they swapped them around. But I don't know how true that is, since Sarah fits Helen more than she does Julie.
Yes Sarah Michelle Gellar should have been the lead. Even going into the movie when it first came out I hoped she was the lead since I was a fan of Buffy already.
Completely agree. Helen was the best character with Gellar giving the best performance of the group. I will always agree she should have been the lead. I do appreciate them giving top billing to both her and Hewitt over the two guys who admittedly had far less to do.
i liked barrry the most..i noticed as I age I like the jerk character more in fiction cause their not so bland and nice...like yes hes a asshole but hes also interesting as a anti hero figure and I like redemption arcs and seeing the hardass fight his was through it and the bully save others ...the car scene is iconic cause hes so cocky and not innocent
Because Sarah Michelle Gellar was way up the everyone in it, we need to objective. she was way better actress of them all, but that doesn't mean rest of them are bad, I love Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Phillippe, Anne Heche and Bridgette Wilson, but Freddie not so. He was just ok, accepteble
Julie James was a better lead. She was empathetic, selfless and sweet. Helen was the best friend. And she was a little mean girl-ish, not heroine material. Barry was a douche, but Ray was the worst. I always laugh every time he asks if Julie is ok, after Barry brutalized her. I mean, it’s your girlfriend! You should at least try to interfere, and not let her being bruised and chocked by that brute, lol.
Out of all the victims in this movie and most of the Scream movies, I always felt Helen was the one who really deserved to survive. She put up a good fight but dammit woman, that last look back did you in!
She had to die. If you follow her evolution in the movie. Everything that happened after the accident, was her life and everything she loved about it a year ago, crashing down. So she was doomed. This and her shitty morals. She shown zero remorse for killing someone.
Agreed 100% about sarah michelle gellars character. Helen was smart, interesting, deep, endearing, and put up a hell of a fight against the killer. She deserved to be the lead, not jennifer love hewitt who i found absolutely useless and irritating. Still love this movie though, and ryan phillippe is actually really great in this too. He and helen are my favourite characters
Funny how these characters were seen as the side kicks, doomed from the start, when the movie came out. Things don’t change for the best, people prefer cliché stereotypical characters now. That’s a little sad.
This is one of the most underrated slashers ever. Constantly compared to Scream even though they have absolutely nothing in common whatsoever. From an atmosphere standpoint, the movie is so successful at being ominous, constantly and the blue lighting throughout reminds me of Halloween. The setting and fisherman town creates such a unique time and place. Last Summer is not a knock off. It has literally no similarities. It’s more 80s in style than anything. Helens chase scene is the best chase scene of all time. I do think this is a great film. I never hear a single solitary argument for why it isn’t. People just say it’s a ripoff and I’m like what??? Last Summer was written but the writer of Scream but they feel completely different and Williamson was going for something entirely different.
Julie's character is indeed uninteresting and Freddie Prinze Jr acts... Poorly. So, the leads steal our attention while Barry's vulnerability arc never fully completes and Helen gets an undeserved death (reminds me of Suspiria in that sense). I mean, it's a wasted opportunity, but the pieces that work, they work greatly.
@@nitehunter91 I also disagree that Julie was a bad character. The film needs a guilt ridden character. I do agree she’s far less likable. I’d be crazy if anyone but Helen was my favorite character. It Julie is critical and I feel JLH did a fantastic job with what she was challenged to do. I would also agree that I’d have preferred Helen and Barry lead. That’s def a criticism I can accept and agree with. But the film still needed Julie and FPJ was perfectly fine. A bit bland, absolutely. But not a bad performance by any means. We can prob just not keep the chat going since we won’t really agree. But PS - Scream is literally perfect and the best acting I’ve ever seen in a slasher. Like wtf kind of comment is that. No one will ever agree with that statement
@@DeltaSixDJ I hated it. So awkward and overdone. Next one, especially the ending, with Buffy opening the door, expecting her to find zombified mom. But didn’t, because Dawn broke the spell. And bursted into tears, in her « sister »’s arms, was the perfect way to address the issue. Simple but effective.
Yes! I love this movie. It gets so much unnecessary hate. And thank you for mentioning Sarah Michelle Gellar's strong performance! I think she's excellent in this film and I've always said she should have been the lead! One of my favorite slasher flicks.
Thank you for giving SMG some credit, she really is the stand out performance in this whole movie. I will admit that I’m nostalgic for this movie too, but I think this is one of the better “Scream copycats”
I DEVOURED those books, along with R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. It was the first horror books I read that were actually a little gory and intense. Definitely jumpstarted my love for horror.
Thank you Chris for pointing out that if Julie hadn't screamed Ray's name when he was fighting Ben Willis, he probably wouldn't have been distracted and knocked overboard. That has always been a sore spot. Julie's character is an idiot, Helen should have lived instead.
I revisited this movie last night specifically because of this review. On the whole, it was a nice trip down memory lane. I had forgotten how high a production this was, there were a lot of very well lit night scenes (although I think they could've done a lot better these days with low light performing digital cameras). My biggest complaint was that was the same as yours: Jennifer love Hewitt's character was extremely annoying. She was basically pointless (Freddie Prince Jr. was running a tight second for annoying LOL).
@@hennessyapplejuice8331 He was a moron. He didn’t defend her when Barry almost chocked her. She just needed a real man, not a drip like him. Fortunately he redeemed himself, and I even think the writer wanted to pull a Scream by making him the red herring of the movie.
Yeah the production values strike you right away. The smooth camerawork, the crane and helicopter shots, it gives it this really nice sense of scope and scale. The film looks great in HD on blu ray. The locations, the cast, the blue at night, its a really good looking film. I love Halloween and Friday the 13th but they are low budget, with the grainy look, mostly tripod or handheld, they feel a bit grindhouse, it's rare to get a slasher done on this budget.
I thought it was just me! It's by no means a great movie but it's my I know what you did last summer lol. I liked the cheesy acting, how they make people play against type somewhat. Like the jock wants to be smart, the pretty cool girl is smart or alludes to it, and the geek becomes cool. I like how Usher is randomly in the movie for NO reason haha. Yeah it's a movie I love that I know ain't that good in most eyes but like Chris I just don't care lol.
@@brinkleymaster8118 Yeah!, and thinking about it through, they definitely kinda fit the mold of Rogue as the semi-goth girl. Also another fun fact, Christina Ricci was runner-up as well for the role
@couldn't think of a username Ageed👏🏼I saw the descent in a warehouse at a film festival before it hit theaters. I will never forget the fear I felt, truly a great movie.
I think Williamson is really good at thinking about what happens to characters after the trauma of a horror movie's events. I think IKWYDLS and Scream both captured those feelings and consequences best in the early sequels, which I'd like to see done better in more thrilling horror flicks.
Williamson in fact knows how to write about youth and for them without being cheesy or redundant, that's why he was too spotted at that time. It's his siganture and best qualities as a writer that no other had when both movies were released. That's why Dawson's Creek was a very successful coming of age drama.
The music is stunning, the cinematography is high class and Anne Heche is amazing. Those 3 things elevate this film beyond a level it has any business falling in to. I think this is solid.
I saw this movie when I was 7 years old and immediately fell in love with Jennifer Love Hewitt. Later I have realized that I'm more into boys but I still love this actress and the era of films she was starring in, they have a special place in my heart.
The last time I saw this in a theater was for the twentieth anniversary. Half the audience was doing "Scary Movie" dialogue during the serious scenes. It was bedlam in the best ways.
I loved watching this back in the day. It's crazy to think it has been more than 20 years already. Might consider checking it out again this Halloween.
I love her scene. It’s like another opening kill, near the middle of the movie. Fun fact, Alicia Silverstone was supposed to play her part, but she refused.
Always love these times of year since I can expect constant reviews from you. Finally getting to college at Cleveland State (5 years late due to military service) for film and I just can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy you’re content, and the kind of impact it’s had on me and my decisions to pursue a film career. Keep up the great work Chris, been and early viewer and I’ll always come a-runnin at the notification of a new vid 👍
Fellow Christopher Pike fan here! Those covers are just amazing-I grew up wishing I could live in them. It’s a shame the style isn’t as popular in YA as it was; the painted covers are way more evocative than the photographs used in many of today’s YA books.
I remember having debates between the similarities and differences with Christopher Pike's Teen Thriller books and RL Stine's Fear Street Series back in the days. I always thought Christopher Pike went for more violence ,had gore and grit that was more mature in its writing. He would go into otherworldly themes and scopes whereas RL Stine was more horror teen scare but both were great in their own approach to what they brought to the table.
I go down to Southport several times a year. You'd think the town would be so proud to have a film series based in their real life town. But nope, it's almost like the place tries to forget this franchise. They're much more proud to give tours on the Nicholas Sparks movie "Safe Haven" which was also shot/takes place there.
True they didn’t date for a year after though and she made a cameo in Freddie s movie she s all that .. engaged a year later after that .. I grew up loving Buffy so I’m a bit of a gueller fan , fun fact her name is actually Sarah Michelle prince she changed it on their 5 th wedding anniversary
I have a soft spot for both this and Urban Legend. I went to see Urban Legend when I was in college and we actually were in a folklore class focused on the genre of urban legends. A bunch of us decided to count all the urban legends used in the film. There are over 20! You have to pay attention to lots of background dialogue to see some of them but I love the attention to detail in that film. Also, it's one of the few slashers with a female villain.
Don't forget those nostalgic VHS commercials right before the movie starts, Chris. Those nostalgic appetizers are the fondest memories I have of any Disney-animated movie, & why I'm open to getting a VCR again, some point in the future.
This movie is always nostalgic to me because my friend & I skipped school at lunch and saw this as a Friday Matinee. My feelings for this movie are tied to that memory.
Helen has always been my favourite horror character of all time. great review Chris. thank you for mentioning Sarah Michelle Gellar performance, she is my favourite famous person ever and not many reviews on this film comment on her performance and for me this was her best after cruel intentions
I’ve never understood why people hated this movie so much. I love it! You’re spot on about Julie being a pretty weak character but the moments of suspense outweigh the shortcomings. It was also my first slasher movie when it ran on TNT during the afternoon one day or something. A different world back then.
This is 100% why you are one of my favorite reviewers. I love the way you see cinema. Although a movie may not be A+ material, the fact that you see it as enjoyable speaks volumes. I’ll always see a movie as “great” when it does it’s intended purpose which is to entertain. Thank you Chris! Love your channel!
I think we are underestimating the awesomeness of JLHs scream. I think they utilized her screaming so much because she could do it. I think she has one of the best horror movie screams and for b movie territory it’s glory! This also is very nostalgic for me too!
Man, the nostalgia. I remember that whole Kevin Williamson era of slashers. For some reason i was always a lil underwhelmed by the killers visual appearance in this. The most memorable thing about the movie is prime Hewitt twirling around calling out to the killer in frustration. Incredibly spoofable material. Definitely a step (or 3) down from Scream, but if you're gonna watch a ton of slashers this month, it wouldn't hurt to make this one of them.
@couldn't think of a username Almost forgot about that one! Yeah The Falculty was a good one. Been awhile since I watched it though. I'd have to agree those are his 3 best. I saw Urban Legend long ago, but cant recall anything special about it.
This is the movie that got me into horror. I was 7 when I saw the trailer on the VHS for Anaconda and I became obsessed. I begged my mom for weeks before she finally let me rent it from Blockbuster. It'll always have a special place in my heart.
2:25 “because of that I find myself enjoying a lot of films from that time now that we’re considered at one point bad” I know exactly what you mean about going back to old films that at the time we’re poorly received. For some reason I have been doing that with old superhero movies. It’s really interesting to see the 2000s superhero genre and how it started to get more popular before the explosion with the MCU. One of my favorite superhero movies right now is ang Lee’s Hulk (2003) partially yes for nostalgia and a bit of a guilty pleasure but I actually really enjoy what he tried to do with that movies psychology behind Banners development into the hulk. Anyway getting off topic here, just wanted to point out and say lately that’s something I’ve also been doing Chris Stuckmann!
I seriously love this movie so much. I don't really care about the hook hand guy that wasn't that scary anyway, I just liked the characters, especially Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Gellar is really good in this, but Anne Heche also gives a very interesting, underrated performance as Missy. She's got just a few minutes of screentime, but gives enough to suggest a life outside of the plot. Nicely done.
Great review! Love the Christopher Pike and RL Stine Fear Street reference. I read both of those authors in middle school (The Wrong Number, Babysitter Series, and The Beach, were my favorites).
I haven't seen this since it came out in theaters, but it's absolutely burned into my brain because I went to see it with a dude I knew from college, without realizing he was gay and that he meant for it to be a date. I had to politely let him know later that I was flattered but didn't swing that way. (I at least tried to let him down easier than the girls who shot me down at the time.) Probably my most awkward moviegoing experience ever.
The original poster didn't have any of the actors on it, only the hand covering the face. When the movie became a surprise hit, they took pictures from a random photo shoot and updated the poster
Also nice to see Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar together. You know, because of the ultimate guilty pleasure "Cruel Intentions"....which I will watch at some point today because of this review. Thanks, man. Thanks a lot!
You just brought me down memory lane when you showed your Christopher Pike, and R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. It was my favorite and made me fall in love with books and turned me into a voracious reader. Other greats Diane Hoh, Caroline B.Cooney and VC Andrews, just to name a few also were great YA thriller authors. ^_^
Stuckmann has no idea how closely his reviews this season are paralleling my own viewings. Here at my base, we are doing a slasher movie theme every weekend and he keeps reviewing movies that we're watching. Also, I love this movie. Sarah Michelle Gellar's whole chase scene is incredibly tense. The whole thing is this harrowing fight for survival that is actually tragic to watch.
