I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Review
by "Steve Rhodes" (Steve DOT Rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)November 11th, 1998
I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
There is a scene, a few dead bodies into this week's slasher flick, that occurs when one of the minor characters has his hand nailed into the table with the killer's signature hook. As the mad slice-and-dice man chooses among the long blades to finish off his prey, the victim pleads for his life with a "No, seriously, don't do that." The movie's remaining dialog has the same level of sophistication.
It's now name-that-movie time.
Which movie featured a slow moving killer in a rain slicker, who gored his targets with a hook? Yes, it was I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Guess what? The serial murderer wasn't killed last time after all. He lives again in the sequel called I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. And he'll probably maintain his immortality as long as teen audiences keep flocking back for more.
The completely formulaic script by Trey Callaway is directed by the numbers by Danny Cannon. Frightening scenes, filmed in murky shadows and accompanied by creepy, ominous music, have surprises that are a careful mixture of evil and innocence. Sometimes there will be a bloody, dead body behind that door, but just as often it will prove empty.
The dead bodies once found will, of course, disappear when people come to investigate. And the person you least suspect will be one of the guilty parties.
The setup this time has the film's charismatic star, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James, going to the hotel from hell on a small island in the Bahamas during a rainstorm that cuts off all communication and transportation out. Along with Julie is her buddy Karla Wilson, played by Brandy Norwood, and two young men.
The hotel starts off with a staff of 5, but, as you can guess, their numbers will rapidly dwindle. The film should have been played for maximum parody but wasn't.
The director has no compunction about chopping up human bodies with less compassion than your butcher. But when it comes to nudity, he draws the line. In scene after scene he titillates the audience by making them think they will get a glimpse of Jennifer Love Hewitt nude, but nothing is ever shown. Swimsuit ads are more revealing.
Even if the killer shows no mercy to his victims, the director does. He calls a halt to the proceedings after just over an hour and a half.
I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER runs 1:36. It is rated R for gore, sexuality and some dope smoking and would be acceptable for most teenagers -- for whom the movie was obviously written.
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