Secrets Don’t Stay Buried: 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Comes Roaring Back!
- Sei Kurei
- Jul 29
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 31
But Does It Pack the Punch We Crave?
There’s a chill that hits different when an old ghost comes knocking.
Especially when that ghost wore a slicker, dragged a hook, and hunted down four teens with a deadly grudge and no patience for second chances.
Now, nearly three decades later, I Know What You Did Last Summer is back — reimagined, reloaded, and ready to scare a whole new generation who think a killer doesn’t check your TikTok. The 2025 reboot slashed its way into the spotlight with the same promise the original delivered: secrets have a price. But here's the catch — while it revives the essence of the '90s slasher heyday, this version tries to do more. Sometimes it works. Sometimes… not so much.
So what exactly did they do this summer — and should we care?
Let’s dive into what this reboot got right, where it lost the thread, and how the return of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt reminded us what real screen presence still looks like.
The Story: Sharper, Smarter… But Less Soul?
The reboot doesn’t stray far from the bones of the original: a group of friends covering up a fatal accident, only to be stalked by someone who knows their deadly secret. But this time, there’s a darker psychological edge. Instead of relying on jump scares and moody fog shots (though those still appear), the story leans into trauma, guilt, and how social media can twist a truth until it becomes a weapon.
On paper, this is a solid upgrade. The pacing is tighter. The mystery deepens. There are breadcrumb clues that hint at a bigger twist — and yes, there is one. A good one, actually.
But where the reboot falters is at heart.
The original 1997 film worked not because it was flawless, but because it gave you characters you could connect with. Their fear felt earned. Their mistakes were stupid but human. In the reboot, the characters are sharper, more calculated, more “woke”—but oddly less relatable. It's like watching an emotional crime scene from a distance. You see the blood, but you don’t feel the wound.
In trying to be smarter, the reboot lost some of the messy charm that made the original stick in your gut. It plays like a well-produced puzzle — satisfying, sure, but a little cold.
Strength:
Updated themes around digital identity, public shame, and generational anxiety hit relevant notes.
Mystery elements are more layered and intellectually engaging.
Direction and cinematography feel elevated and mature.
Weakness:
Emotional weight doesn't land as deeply.
The characters’ bond feels less lived-in.
Tries so hard to subvert tropes, it forgets why they worked in the first place.
The Characters: A Mixed Bag of Screams and Strategy
The reboot brings us new faces — diverse, smart, and emotionally complex. A new group of summer secret-holders?
Let's dive into each character:
• Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders), the haunted center of the story. She's this generation's Julie — layered with guilt, grappling with trauma, and trying to keep the truth buried without losing herself. She anchors the emotional tension, and while her performance hits many of the right notes, there’s a restraint that sometimes keeps us at arm’s length — we see the storm in her, but don’t always feel the rain.
• Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline), giving us major Helen Shivers energy — all confidence and gloss on the outside but slowly unraveling behind the eyes. She’s not the leader of the group, but she's magnetic. Her descent into fear and self-preservation feels earned, but you almost wish the script gave her more space to dig deeper into Danica’s fragility.
• Milo Griffin (Jonah Hauer-King), the golden boy with a twitchy conscience and a secret he buries deep. He fills the "Ray" slot, but with a bit more charm and a little less emotional depth — serviceable, but missing the quiet storm that made Ray unforgettable.
• Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon), the quiet observer of the group— all edge and empathy, ready to snap if pushed too far. Think of her as the moral radar, the one who sees everything but says little. She’s sharp, but her arc doesn’t hit as hard as it could’ve.
• Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers), Ava’s fiancé and the son of a wealthy real estate developer, but the film doesn’t paint him as a villain. In fact, he’s surprisingly likable, and the story encourages you to care about him. According to Withers, Teddy is the type of guy who simply “makes sense”—he’s grounded, level-headed, and brings a sense of calm while everything else is falling apart. But that doesn’t mean he’s off the hook. His background and some well-meaning but impulsive decisions play a big role in how the chaos starts. He ends up being a solid foil to the rest of the group, especially as their secrets begin to surface.
All played well. All textured. But somehow, the chemistry doesn't quite snap. You want to care for them. You really do. But there’s something performative in the writing — like every line is trying to say, “Look, this isn’t your mom’s horror movie.” And yet, it kind of is. Just with better lighting.
The original cast — Julie, Ray, Helen, and Barry — were a mess. But they felt like real teens. Dumb, reckless, beautiful in their contradictions. Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) was the reluctant moral compass. Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) was the quiet one with layers. And even though their choices were often questionable, their fear hit the screen hard.
What the reboot gains in polish, it loses in gut instinct. You don’t root for survival — you observe it.
Character Strengths:
Modern character archetypes are smart and socially relevant.
Backstories feel more fleshed out.
More inclusive and representative cast.
Weak Points:
Emotional payoff is diluted by cleverness.
Chemistry lacks spark.
Their bond doesn't grip you the way Julie and Ray’s story did.
The OG Comeback: Sarah, Freddie, & Jennifer Still Own the Hook
Let’s be real: the second their names dropped, that chill hit again. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt — the original survivors — are back. But not in the “oh, look, we’re dead in the first 10 minutes” kind of cameo.
These three are woven into the story with real weight.
Freddie’s Ray is now a man haunted by his past, not just the accident but everything that followed — and you believe it. He walks like a man who’s been hunted. His presence is quieter now, but no less powerful. In fact, there’s a scene midway through where he confronts Lex, and the gravity of his silence is louder than any scream.
Jennifer’s Julie? She’s older. Wiser. But still carries the twitchy alertness of a woman who once faced death — and lived to question why. She doesn’t dominate the story. She supports it. Anchors it. When she steps into the frame, the reboot suddenly remembers what fear tastes like.
Sarah Michelle Gellar holding a hook alongside her crown is iconic, evoking memories of her role as Heaven Springs in the original film. It's a cameo that truly leaves a mark.
Their return isn’t just fan service. It’s emotional memory.
They remind you why this franchise mattered in the first place. It wasn’t the hook or the scream — it was the consequence and the character they portrayed. Well, what can you say? It's the OG we're talking about. Whenever I see them throwing lines with each other in this reboot, I feel like I am watching Julie and Ray in the '97 movie again.
And in a world where reboots often ignore legacy for shock value, this choice — to honor their characters’ pasts and integrate them with care — was a rare win.
Final POV: The Fear Hits Different
Does It Pack the Punch We Crave?
