This article is about the film. For the original novel by Lois Duncan, see I Know What You Did Last Summer (novel). For the Supernatural episode, see I Know What You Did Last Summer (Supernatural).
I Know What You Did Last Summer
, Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Jim Gillespie
Produced by
William S. Beasley, Neal H. Mortiz,
Stokely Chaffin
Screenplay by
Kevin Williamson
Based on
Novel:, Lois Duncan
Starring
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche
Music by
John Debney
Cinematography
Denis Crossan
Editing by
Steve Mirkovich
Studio
Mandalay Entertainment
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)
October 17, 1997
Running time
101 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$17 million (est)
Box office
$125,586,134
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American slasher film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr., with Anne Heche and Bridgette Wilson appearing in supporting roles. I Know What You Did Last Summer centers on four friends who are being stalked by a killer, one year after covering up a car accident in which they were involved. The film was directed by Jim Gillespie, from a screenplay written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream.
I Know What You Did Last Summer received negative reviews from critics, but was highly successful, grossing over $125 million at the box office. It was also nominated for and won multiple awards. As a result the film has been parodied and referenced in popular culture. The film was followed by two sequels, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and the straight-to-DVD release I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006). Though the former film sees a continuation of the plotline established in its predecessor, the latter film establishes a new plotline and does not star any cast members from the previous two installments.
Plot:
Four friends, Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe), and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) go out of town to celebrate Helen's winning the Miss Croaker pageant. Returning in Barry's new car, they hit and apparently kill a man, who is unknown to them. They dump the corpse in the ocean and agree to never discuss again what had happened.
One year later, Julie is returning home from college. She has not spoken with Helen, Barry or Ray since the accident. Upon returning home, Julie receives a letter that says "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER!" Panicking, Julie goes to see Helen at Shivers, a department store where she works. Julie shows Helen the letter and they decide to visit Barry. After going over the incident, Barry accuses Max. The trio go to see Max (Johnny Galecki), but Barry insists on going in the factory alone. Barry persuades Max to go into the back room and angrily attacks him, telling Max he should keep his mouth shut. Julie finds Ray working on the docks. Ray tries to make up with Julie but she runs off.
Inside the factory, Max is brutally murdered with a meat hook to his neck by an anonymous figure in a raincoat. The killer attacks Barry next, running him over with his own car, but he lives.
Julie arrives at the hospital to see Barry and finds Helen and Ray there. Julie believes the man they hit was named David Egan, because a newspaper article a few weeks after the accident mentioned his body washing up on shore. Helen and Julie go to visit Missy (Anne Heche), David's sister. Missy tells them she had a visit from a man claiming to be David's friend named Billy Blue.
As Helen goes to sleep that night, a figure enters her room with a pair of scissors. The next morning, Helen wakes up with the crown on her head with most of her hair cut off and the word "SOON" written on her mirror.
Julie gets a call from Barry, who tells her to come to Helen's. On the way, Julie hears rattling in her trunk. She opens the trunk to find it full of live crabs and Max's dead body. She shuts the trunk, runs to Helen's and brings her and Barry to her car, but the body and crabs have disappeared. Julie is convinced the killer took the body and that they are not safe.
Later they run into Ray back at the house, in which Barry punches Ray in the face, fell to the ground and tells them he got a letter. Julie decides to see Missy again while Helen and Barry watch each other's backs at the parade.
Julie meets Missy again and Missy admits that David committed suicide that night. David had been wracked with guilt after accidentally killing his fiance, Susie, in a car accident on the same road on the same night a year before. Missy shows Julie an alleged suicide note written in the same style as Julie's letter from the killer. Julie tries to explain that she was in a car that hit and killed David that night, but Missy becomes irate and tells Julie to leave.
At the Croaker pageant, Helen sees Barry murdered by the killer during a performance of Irene Cara's "Fame". A police officer (Stuart Greer) drives Helen home. The killer lures the cop into an alley and kills him.
Helen runs to the store where Elsa is working, but the killer finds both of them and, whilst Elsa is locking the back door, he kills Elsa. Helen manages to elude the killer by jumping out of the window into a dumpster and she flees through the back alleys to the parade. Helen then turns around and is then stopped by the killer who shoves her into a stack of tires and slashes her to death, her screams are to no avail as the noise of the parade drowns them out.
Julie goes to see Ray on his boat and tells him the story, but he does not believe her. Julie notices the name on his boat is "Billy Blue", the same name used by David's friend who had visited Missy, and accuses him of the murders. He chases her but is knocked unconscious by a man who tells Julie to get on his boat. The man is Ben Willis (Muse Watson), a fisherman who is revealed to be the murderer. He murdered David Egan after Ben's daughter, Susie, died in the car accident Missy told Julie about. Ben blamed David and killed him a year later, making it look like a suicide. On the way home, Ben was hit by the group.
Willis then pulls out the hook and proceeds to chase Julie. In a room full of ice, Julie finds Helen and Barry's bodies. Ray climbs aboard and is almost killed by Ben, but is caught in the boat's net. Then ensues an old fashioned fisticuffs between Ben and Ray, the latter administering a fairly hearty and heartfelt beating to Ben. He climbs back aboard and saves Julie. Ben gets his hand caught in a rope and Ray hoists him into the air where Ben falls into the ocean.
On land, Ray tells Julie that the reason he went to see Missy was because he was guilty and had to know who they hit. He tells her he loves her and they embrace. When a policeman asks for any reason why Ben would want to kill them, Julie and Ray both say they don't know. Ben's body is not recovered.
A year later, Julie is in her sophomore year of college and is planning a trip to New York with Ray. Julie receives a cell phone call from Ray as she is in the bathroom turning on the shower. She steps out to take the call, and she receives a letter resembling the one she had got from Ben, but it only contains a pool party invitation. Julie returns to the bathroom, which has now filled with steam. On the shower door, "I STILL KNOW" is written. Ben jumps through the shower door and Julie screams.
Cast:
See also: List of I Know What You Did Last Summer characters
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James,
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers,
Ryan Phillippe as Barry William Cox,
Freddie Prinze, Jr. Ray Bronson,
Bridgette Wilson as Elsa Shivers,
Anne Heche as Missy Egan,
Muse Watson as Ben Willis,
Johnny Galecki as Max Neurick,
Stuart Greer as Officer David Caporizon,
Production:
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The film was shot over 50 days beginning on March 31, 1997. Shooting began in Southport, North Carolina and ended in Bodega Bay, California where the car accident was filmed.
Music:
The film produced two soundtracks. One of them featured the score composed by John Debney, while the other contained various rock songs found in the film.
Score:
I Know What You Did Last Summer (Original Motion Picture Score)
Film score (Digital download)/Audio CD by John Debney
Released
October 7, 1997
Length
50:44
Label
Super Tracks Music Group
A New Beginning (Julie's Theme) 1:52,
Barry's Underwater Adventure 2:33,
Homecoming 0:53,
Crabhouse Gaffing 1:10,
Someone's Watchin'/Chased 3:26,
Missy's Story 2:10,
The Houseguest 1:57,
A Little 'Trim'/Trunk Surprise 3:12,
His Name Was.../Car Trouble 3:29,
Hiding the Body 3:15,
In Pursuit of Helen 2:50,
The Note 1:39,
Gaffing Barry/Missy's Home 3:19,
No Escape For Helen 2:32,
Julie Discovers the Truth 3:21,
The Night Softly Whispers 1:49,
Fond Memories 0:43,
Julie Takes a Cruise 2:56,
Taking a Stand 1:09,
Final Confrontation 4:03,
Julie Takes a Shower 1:20,
Soundtrack:
I Know What You Did Last Summer (The Album)
Soundtrack album (Digital download)/Audio CD by Various
Released
October 7, 1997
Length
51:14
Label
Sony Music
"Hush" by Kula Shaker (2:55),
"Summer Breeze" by Type O Negative (4:57),
"D.U.I." by The Offspring (2:26),
"Kid" by Green Apple Quick Step (3:17),
"This Ain't the Summer of Love" by L7 (3:09),
"Losin' It" by Soul Asylum (3:01),
"Hey Bulldog" by Toad the Wet Sprocket (2:31),
"My Baby's Got the Strangest Ways" by Southern Culture on the Skids (3:59),
"Waterfall" by The Din Pedals (3:47),
"Clumsy" by Our Lady Peace (4:27),
"One Hundred Days" by Flick (3:40),
"Great Life" by Goatboy (3:50),
"2 Wicky" by Hooverphonic (4:44),
"Don't Mean Anything" by Adam Cohen (3:43),
"Proud" by Korn (3:17),
Reception:
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of comments were positive. In another review, Metacritic reported an aggregate score of 52 out of 100. Critic Roger Ebert wrote in his review, "The best shot in this film is the first one. Not a good sign."
Jennifer Love Hewitt was praised for her performance as Julie James by an Entertainment Weekly columnist stating that Hewitt knows how to scream with soul.
Home Media:
I Know What You Did Last Summer has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. Special features include an audio commentary by the filmmakers, a 'making-of' featurette, a music video and a short film directed by Jim Gillespie.
Awards and nominations:
Year
Ceremony
Category
Result
1997
ASCAP Award
Top Box Office Films, John Debney
Won
1998
Saturn Award
Best Horror Film
Nominated
1998
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
Favorite Female Newcomer, Favorite Actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Won
1998
Favorite Supporting Actress - Horror, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Won
1998
Favorite Actor - Horror, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Nominated
1998
Favorite Actress - Horror, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Nominated
1998
Favorite Supporting Actor, Ryan Phillippe
Nominated
1998
IHG Award
Best Movie
Nominated
1998
MTV Movie Awards
Best Breakthrough Performance, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Nominated
1998
Young Artist Award
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Nominated
Source: Wikipedia
Text from this biography licensed under creative commons license
Source: Wikipedia
Text from this biography licensed under creative commons license

