I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997)
Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Philippe. Directed by Jim Gillespie from Kevin Williamson's script.
Rating: 2 out of four stars.
Review and article by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly For more reviews, go to www.nuvo-online.com and click on "film."
With teen scary movies, the most relevant consideration is the Jump Factor. Plot, style and character-development are all well and good, but audiences go to these kind of films for the same reason they visit haunted houses; to have someone spring out of nowhere and shout "Boo!" "I Know What You Did Last Summer," the latest offering from "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson, delivers the scares on a regular basis, including one "Boo!" that rates a full 10 on the Jump Scale. Williamson and director Jim Gillespie were determined to make "I Know What You Did Last Summer" more than just another slasher film. Working from Lois Duncans novel, they create an effective creepy mood, as four teens, returning home from a night of partying, hit a man with their car on a desolate stretch of road. Faced with possible manslaughter charges, they decide to dump the body into the sea and keep the tragedy a secret. Guilt from that night destroys their bond, and the kids stay far away from each other until a year later, when one of them receives a letter stating "I know what you did last summer." Set in a Carolina fishing village, "Last Summer" establishes a distinctive atmosphere and boasts characters better defined and far smarter than most in this genre. Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Party Of Five"), Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), Freddie Prinze Jr. (outstanding in "The House Of Yes"), and Ryan Philippe ("White Squall") are effective in the lead roles, but the most memorable performance comes from Anne Heche as a loved one of the victim. With an odd gait and even odder mannerisms, Heches disturbing character is like the sister of that kid with the banjo from "Deliverance." Shes a creepy hoot. After a number of well-stage scenes, particularly the initial accident and a riotous teen beauty pageant, "Last Summer" stumbles towards the end, falling into far too ordinary genre clichis. Still, the film is a fun diversion, and never fails to shout "Boo!" at just the right moment.
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"I Know What You Did Last Summer is a departure from Scream, said Kevin Williamson, who wrote the screenplay for both films. "Scream was sort of a comedy horror film, set outside of a genre that it poked fun at and paid tribute to, all at the same time. This film is the movie Scream was parodying, it sits right inside of the genre. In the wake of Scream, I wanted to see if a straightforward horror story could be done again, if a level of wit and sophistication could be brought to it and if we could make a really good scary movie that didnt rely on the gimmick of self-aware, self-reflexive pop culture references." In "I Know What You Did Last Summer", based on Lois Duncans novel, tragedy strikes when four young people are driving home from a night of drinking on the Carolina coast. While speeding down a winding stretch of road, their car slams into a man. Standing over the body of the stranger, the youths consider the ramifications of the accident and make a fateful decision to dump the body into the sea and keep the nightmare a secret. Cut to one year later, when one of the now-scattered group receives a letter saying "I know what you did last summer." The situation forces the estranged teens to reunite, as they try to discover who is stalking them.
The film stars four hot young actors, Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Party Of Five"), Sarah Michelle Gellar (TVs "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), Freddie Prinze Jr. ("The House Of Yes") and Ryan Phillippe ("White Squall"), but most of the attention at a recent press gathering in L.A. focused on writer Kevin Williamson. His clever script for the smash hit "Scream", the first horror film to break the $100 million mark domestically, revived the moribund genre. "When Scream hit we said Oh brother, everyones going to expect a comedy here and this film is serious. Last Summer is a morality tale about four kids who make a decision they think will preserve their future that actually destroys it. It talks about how deadly secrets are, that secrets can kill you. This is not a comedy." Director Jim Gillespie agreed, adding "Its not a slasher film, really. Its a throwback to the Hitchcock type of thriller. I wanted to do things in a more subtle fashion, to let the audience use their imagination a little bit more. Its also a character study. Thats what draws the audience into the film, getting to know the kids. Everything hinges on the accident. Its a five minute scene and the acting is critical. If that scene didnt work, then nothing else would. Thankfully, I had a great script and four extremely talented young actors to work with." Williamson is proud of the scripts character development, saying "I tried to infuse it with savvy, to keep it smart, not to give it the stick characters we see walking through the Friday the 13th movies." Despite the emphasis on character development, both men recognize that the scare factor is crucial. Gillespie explained, "Because the film is character, rather than plot driven, it requires a certain number of scares every few minutes, otherwise you lose the attention of your audience. Younger audiences expect you to keep the scares coming fast. "Its funny, with this kind of film theres always one moment that you think is a medium level scare and that turns out to be the biggest scare of all. You jump and then you resent it because its complete manipulation. But that manipulation is part of the fun." Williamson is still amazed at the level of "Screams" success. "I sat down and said All right Kevin, stop being an artist, youre unemployed and starving, be a businessman. I looked around to see what was missing, whats wasnt happening in the film market, and decided to take a shot at scary movies. I wrote Scream to draw attention to itself. I thought if people saw it they might think I had a voice for something else. Then it sold. Who could have dreamed all of this would happen." "Scream 2 opens in December and Im very proud of it. I saw the finished film the other day and its scarier than the first one, it rocks. I just hope audiences will appreciate what weve done with I Know What You Did Last Summer. The approach may be more traditional, but I guarantee this film will make you jump!"
review and article copyright 1997, Ed Johnson-Ott
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