Good news for slasher fans: the horror gods are still smiling on us. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer isn’t just a revival of a beloved franchise—it’s a clever, self-aware homage to the era of Kevin Williamson, a director who understands that nostalgia only works when it comes packaged with both reverence and reinvention.
28 years after I Know What You Did Last Summer helped solidify the late-90s slasher boom (alongside Scream and Urban Legend), Robinson picks up the hook and runs with it. What she delivers is less a reboot and more a blood-soaked love letter to fans who grew up obsessing over VHS tapes and WB-era scream queens. What Robinson delivers here isn’t simply a sequel—it’s an exercise in meta-continuation, a winking, reverent nod to what came before while making sure Gen Z has their own set of summer scars.
We return to a heavily gentrified Southport, North Carolina—though anyone familiar with the real Southport will raise an eyebrow at this glossy, “Hamptons of the South” reinvention. Robinson leans into this transformation as a metaphor for the way small-town America papers over trauma with affluence and coastal aesthetics. It’s a subtle, smart backdrop for a film obsessed with generational cycles of violence and repression.
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In place of 90s icons Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt (though Hewitt does return, and we’ll get to that), Robinson gifts us a fresh-faced, Gen Z cast led by Outer Banks’ breakout Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies), both cementing their place in this generation’s emerging scream queens. Both actresses bring undeniable “final girl” energy—Cline with her steely resolve and sly sense of humor, Wonders with an unexpected depth that hints at future franchise potential. They’re the kind of actresses who make you hope this isn’t just a one-and-done revival, but the start of a new trilogy.
Of course, fans of the original will be most thrilled to see Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles as Ray and Julie James. Hewitt’s return is particularly inspired: Julie is now a professor of trauma studies, a knowing wink at how pop culture has rebranded survivor’s guilt into academia and therapy. It’s a clever update that feels both of-the-moment and perfectly aligned with where Julie James might realistically land after decades of looking over her shoulder.
Robinson has fun with the tropes, and while some of the fan service veers into spoof-lite territory, it’s clear her heart is in the right place. This is a filmmaker who grew up on these stories and understands how much they mean to those of us who did too. The kills are creative, the blood flows freely, and yes, nearly everyone and their brother shows up.
Much like the first film, this I Know What You Did Last Summer is less about shocking plot twists and more about honoring the legacy of the genre—though Robinson keeps a few surprises tucked up her sleeve. Just don’t try too hard to guess the killer. You won’t.
In the end, Robinson has done exactly what she set out to do: deliver a fun, stylish, nostalgia-infused slasher that sets the stage for more bloodshed to come. And honestly? We deserve it.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is now playing in theaters.
