The horror genre, or more specifically, the slasher genre, is attempting at a comeback whether we want it to or not. What's interesting this time around is that, unlike the completely brain dead flicks of the 1970s and 80s, horror films of today are written and presented with complete logic, which is somewhat commendable. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a perfect example of this as it's relatively plausible, but all the logic in the world can't make up for using every cliche in the book.
The story starts off like any horror movie as we meet our main characters - four GenXers living in a small fishing town on the North Carolina coast (none of them have Southern accents though). The first 15 - 20 minutes rushes to define the one-dimensional characters and establish some kind of back story.
First there's Julie (Hewitt), the generic strong-willed-girl-in-a-horror-movie. Then there's her friend Helen (Gellar), the blonde bimbo, and her boyfriend Barry (Phillippe), the short-tempered jock. There's also Julie's boyfriend Ray (Prinze Jr.), the quiet, sensitive guy. Let's not forget Max (Johnny Galecki), the jealous outsider who will become the first suspect once things get rolling.
It's the fourth of July and after Helen wins a beauty contest, the four drive out to the beach, drink a little, fool around, tell the urban legend of "The Man With The Hook," and on the way back accidentally run over a man. They realize if they go to the police they could be charged with manslaughter, so they decide to throw the body into the ocean even though he doesn't seem to be entirely dead (my first clue was when he opened his eyes and tried to strangle them). Everything that had happened up to this point had been believable and entertaining, but then you really have to wonder why they believe their plan will work.
We then flashforward to one year later as Julie returns home from college and receives an anonymous letter (hence the title). The four get together and try to figure out who could have sent it. They're convinced it's Max, but the most obvious suspect is always the first to die.
The mid-section of the film showed promise. The gang does some detective work which is quite interesting and realistic in the way they go about it (using the Internet), and it seems like the killer (someone in a slicker and rain hat with a hook but no face) might be a relative of the person they ran over. But this is a horror film, not a mystery, and soon we're back to scenes of the killer turning corners before the kids see him and hiding in shadows and closets. The killer messes with their heads, often hurting them physically, but doesn't always kill them.
Much like he did with his screenplay to "Scream," writer Kevin Williamson makes it seem like almost anyone could be the killer. Unfortunately, once we realize this the cliches start kicking in full throttle, such as the killer standing behind someone and killing them with hundreds of people around. Or the chase scene where the killer walks, but the victim runs and never seems to be able to get away. Then there's stuff that's idiotic such as when regular people are killed, or the victim who tries to get into and out of a building with locks on the inside!
The ending is the worst of the cliches - a supposedly suspense finale on a fishing boat with lots of places to hide but nowhere to run. There's a fist fight, a heroic rescue, and a revelation of the killer and their motives. In the end justice is served.... or so it seems.
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" ultimately fails because it tries to have the best of both worlds - as both a plausible horror film and a horrific plausible film. But as they old saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
By : Chad Polenz
Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating: 0
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMERDirected by Jim Gillespie Hearing that "I Know What You Did Last Summer" comes from the word-processor of Kevin Williamson, writer of last year's surprisingly smart "Scream," could entice you to take a look at this teens-in-peril thriller. Alas, the sophomore jinx has struck hard: Though "Summer" eventually runs through most of the cliches of its genre, it's noticeably lacking in the witty spins "Scream" put on such material. Call it a case of tired blood. "Summer" begins with a beach party gone wrong. High school grads Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) spend the night of July 4th whooping it up, but they have little to celebrate when they accidentally run down a man on their way home. Terrified of being held on murder charges, the four decide to dump the body in the ocean, only to find their crime resurfacing a year later, as a mysterious stalker begins terrorizing them and sending ominous notes that seem to warn of impending doom. From this point on, you can probably play it by ear, since Williamson's script has no major surprises lurking in it. The resolution of the story falls flat, partially because it's completely unbelievable and partially because the killer turns out to be the most obvious suspect. And while any cod in the audience will undoubtedly shiver at the sight of a murderer in fisherman's garb, it looks pretty silly to us land-lubbers. Throughout, Hewitt and Gellar scream with conviction, Phillippe preens and Prinze basically does a lot of blank-eyed staring (he's much better in "The House of Yes," in which he actually has a character to play). The only interesting performance comes from Anne Heche, playing the inscrutable near-albino sister of a murder victim. What she's doing in this trifle is anyone's guess, but she brings some much-needed spookiness to what's essentially an "Afterschool Special" with a body count.
By : James Sanford
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