I Know What You Did Last Summer

Twenty-seven years after the Tower Bay murders, the hook-wielding Fisherman returns in this legacy sequel that ignores the 2006 direct-to-video entry and picks up directly after I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson directs a script she co-wrote with Sam Lansky and Leah McKendrick, based on Lois Duncan's original novel. The story moves the action to Southport, North Carolina, where a new generation of friends finds themselves entangled in a cover-up that mirrors the sins of the past.

Madelyn Cline leads as Danica Richards, whose engagement party sets the tragedy in motion, with Chase Sui Wonders as Ava, Sarah Pidgeon as Stevie, and Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers rounding out the friend group. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return as Julie James and Ray Bronson, now divorced and carrying their own scars. Sarah Michelle Gellar pops up in a dream sequence as Helen Shivers, a treat for longtime fans.

Shot in Australia and Los Angeles, the production kept its budget lean at $18 million and went on to gross over $64 million worldwide, proving the franchise still has commercial pull. The film leans into holiday horror, setting its carnage against Fourth of July fireworks, and tries to balance nostalgic callbacks with a fresh whodunnit. Critical reaction has been split, with some praising its character work and others calling it a scare-free retread, but the box office suggests audiences were curious enough to show up. [edit]

On July 4, 2024, Ava Brucks returns to her hometown of Southport, North Carolina, for her best friend Danica Richards' engagement party. The celebration brings together a tight-knit group: Ava, Danica, Ava's ex-boyfriend Milo, Danica's fiancé Teddy, and Stevie, who has just left rehab. After the party, the five drive to a cliffside lookout to watch fireworks. On the winding road, Teddy accidentally forces an oncoming truck off the cliff, killing the driver, Sam Cooper. Panicked, Teddy convinces the others to swear secrecy, and his powerful father, Senator Grant Spencer, covers up the accident. The cover-up fractures the group; Danica and Teddy break up, and they all drift apart.

A year later, for the Fourth of July weekend, the estranged friends return to Southport. Danica receives a note reading "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Soon, a killer in a fisherman's slicker with a hook begins murdering them one by one, mirroring the 1997 Tower Bay killings. As the body count rises, Ava seeks out Julie James, now a professor, who reluctantly offers advice. Ray Bronson, working at a local bar, also gets pulled into the investigation, convinced the old evil has resurfaced.

The survivors race to uncover the identity of the new Fisherman, all while grappling with the guilt of their shared secret. The killer seems to know their every move, and the group realizes they are being hunted not just by a madman, but by the consequences of their own actions. The trail leads to a confrontation at sea, where the true orchestrator of the murders is revealed, and the survivors must fight to stay alive.[edit]