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31 for 31 (Part 2): I Know What You Did Last Summer
A 1990s Slasher Classic that still holds up today
The mid-1990s saw a resurgence of the slasher film. The new trend began with the highly successful Scream franchise, and several other films came out to take advantage of it. Some were successful and sparked their own franchises, while others are better left forgotten.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of the films that was a hit and sparked its franchise. Even though Rotten Tomatoes gave it 46%, this is one film my wife and I watch yearly. Of course, she likes it primarily for Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Ryan Phillippe (then again, it also has Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar). It was a quartet of teenage crushes for a particular generation.
The film is loosely based on a 1973 novel of the same name. It follows the four friends mentioned above, and a night of partying and reckless driving leads to a hit-and-run. Instead of going to the police, the group disposes of the body and makes a pact to never speak of the event again.
Fast forward a year, and the friends have coped in different ways. Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is depressed; Barry (Ryan Phillippe) is an angry jock who pretends like the events never happened; beauty queen Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) works at her sister’s clothing shop instead of leaving…