I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Directed by Danny Cannon
I’ve talked about I Know What You Did Last Summer before on this blog, and my love for Jennifer Love Hewitt. Seriously, she was/is super pretty and by all accounts a sweet person. The first movie threw gas on my love of horror, it was stylish, fun and cemented my love of slasher movies. When I heard a sequel was coming out, I could’ve rocketed off the ground with shit. Did it live up to my expectations? Did it hold up?
Man this movie’s plot gets pretty convoluted quickly. Basically Julie is in college and lives with Moesha. Moesha is dating Mekhi Phifer and Julie is basically just laying low. Ray isn’t really in the picture, he’s kind of dating JLH but also back working as a fisherman. There’s this other guy named Will Benson…..Will Benson…..WILL BENSON….remember the name guys, its important to the plot. Well Will has a boner for Julie, it was 1998, who didn’t? Julie answers a trivia question (incorrectly) but wins a trip to the Bahamas so Moesha and her boyfriend join her. Ray is supposed to come but he backs out, so WILL BENSON comes along. Ok Freddie Prinze Jr…I like you, you seem like a cool down to earth guy, but if 1998 Jennifer Love Hewitt asks you to go to a resort in the Bahamas, you go bro. Soon after arriving, Ray is like “shit my hot gf wants me to go with her?!” and he is enroute. The resort is abandoned because of Monsoon season, so its secluded. Jack Black is there though playing a dread locked stoner though! Bill Cobbs aka Hey its that guy! Is there as a handyman as well. Now Julie gets the normal I know letters and shit hits the fan.
The whole movie you’re lead to believe that Will is the nice guy just trying to be friends with Julie but secretly he loves her, nothing new but the twist is slammed into your face like a 100mph fastball. You see his name is Will Benson, the killer in the first movie was named Ben Willis, and will is…..wait for it….BEN’S SON! Get it! Will Benson? WILL BEN’S SON!!!!! Got that? Dear lord that’s the #1 thing I remember from this movie, and 12 year old me groaned at it, 38 year old me groans at it, pretty sure 60 year old me will groan as well. Basically Will BEN’S SON, and Ben Willis set up this whole elaborate ruse to get Julie and Ray there to the island to kill them. Julie things Rio is the capital of Brazil but its really Brasilia, I’m a geography nerd. Anyhoo, Freddie Prinze has to save the day!
GET IT?! WILL.......BEN'S SON!
The acting is pretty decent. I love JLH, she’s so likeable and was a genuinely good final girl. Freddie Prinze Jr never was the greatest actor but again he’s likeable and handsome so he’s there for the ladies. Even Brandy did a good job, so props to her. There isn’t any bad acting that sticks out to me. Jack Black you almost forget is in this movie and he’s more famous than the rest of the cast now lol.
The tension is pretty decent, it’s definitely not as good as the first one. The story is clumsy and rather lame. The blood is ramped up a little but still tame for a slasher movie. This movie gets a fair amount of hate, I’m not sure why. Is it great? No. Is it horrendous? No. I hear I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer is booty cheeks, but I have yet to watch it. If you like the first movie, you’ll enjoy this, it isn’t perfect and it pales in comparison to the original but it is a fun watch. I give this a C+, could be better, not as bad as people say.
C+
