A group of graduates had a fun evening at the seaside. As they are driving home, they run over a man they don’t know where he came from. Deciding that he is dead, and not wanting to cause too much trouble, they dump the body into the sea.
And exactly one year later, they receive a letter… Someone knows their secret. Someone knows what they did last summer!
4k movies reviews
Every year in America at least a few dozen works of fiction are published for teenagers that disturb, frighten, and at the same time captivate their audiences. In no small measure succeeded in this field unforgettable Stephen King, but it is worth recognizing that in addition to the King of horrors and have their account with the youth are also other authors, among which was Lois Duncan. Almost unknown outside his native country writer, however, managed to achieve some artistic results in the United States, becoming famous in the tumultuous ’70s, a series of intense teen thrillers, which the boys read in the evenings around the campfire or scared in the quiet night-time in his tightly closed room. Duncan’s best-known creation is considered to be the 1973 novel I Know What You Did Last Summer, but its true hour of fame did not come until decades later, when Hollywood functionaries, including Kevin Williamson, screenwriter of the ironic slasher Scream, took up the story of the boys’ confrontation with a mysterious stalker, setting a renewed edge to a somewhat tired past. Having studied Lois Duncan’s source material in detail, Williamson, who had gained some serious cinematic experience, felt that the original novel was too trivial and unable to make a splash on modern audiences hungry for thrills and killings that suddenly emerged in the course of the narrative. Perfectly aware that Duncan frankly would not like the fact that only general elements would be taken from her novel, on which a virtually different work would later be built, Williamson nevertheless continued to work hard, so as not to keep the producers waiting long and to allow director Jim Gillespie to start shooting as quickly as possible. And although Lois Duncan was absolutely frantic after the debut screening of the film, you have to admit that Kevin Williamson did an excellent job, managed to revive a long and somewhat outdated story, and once again made a very frightening admonition to all teenagers who are slow to admit their mistakes and thus put themselves under the knife, or rather the fishhook. So “I Know What You Did Last Summer” from 1997 is definitely a classic of the slasher, which tends to stick in the memory for a long time.
So the plot of the movie takes its origin in the holiday of the American Independence Day, which falls on the Fourth of July. A group of friends represented by Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray Bronson (Freddy Prince Jr.) go for a walk to the sea, where they will not be disturbed and nobody will spoil their evening. But returning home will bring a surprise that they never thought of. Passing through the deserted night road, the heroes did not notice on the road standing alone silhouette and hit a man who rashly thought he was dead. Not having any desire to explain to the police what exactly happened, the young men decide to get rid of the body as quickly as possible and go on as if nothing had happened. And it seemed that the accident would forever remain in the past, as suddenly, a year after the accident, the heroes begin to receive frightening messages that briefly and clearly say “I know what you did last summer.” Believing that this is someone’s prank, the guys are nevertheless well aware of how it may turn out and take up their own investigation. Having studied all the information they have, they presumably find out who promises them serious danger and can put them in the dock, but in this story really turns out to be too much hidden value. It is very likely that the man who was run over was in fact alive and has now set out on a path of revenge that is colored with crimson blood. And since it is impossible to call for help in this situation, Julie, Helen, Barry and Ray have to get out of their own trap. But no matter how much we wish them success, it is clear that not everyone will survive to see a happy ending.
Looking back on the astonishing success of “Scream” directed by Wes Craven, the makers of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” followed a similar path, but it is worth admitting that the story of a run-down man in a fishing suit lacks almost all irony and a slight comic serenity, while the tension reaches its climax and one never quite knows when the inevitable will happen. Jim Gillespie manages to create a frightening concentrated thriller that looks dynamic, its plot never stops, and the number of actually disturbing, frightening scenes goes beyond all limits. The authors do not seek to reveal to us in detail the image of the maniac, because in this story he symbolizes revenge itself, inadequate, embittered and refusing to compromise. We perfectly understand the feelings of someone who was unjustly thrown into the sea after a nighttime accident, but at the same time it is clear that this is far from being a bright man who got into a serious trouble, but a real psychopath, who got a reason to take a huge hook in his hand and rip open his emerging victims with it. And even though the young men responsible for the tragic accident refused to go to the police station to testify, which automatically turned them into criminals, they still evoke sympathy for themselves despite all the mistakes the writers had to make. And all because Jim Gillespie and Kevin Williamson have worked out the detailed characters of the leading characters in a particularly interesting way. There’s no arguing that at some points Julie and company behave quite typically like a teen movie, but the talented performances make them look like regular kids who do mischief and are also capable of feeling guilty at the same time.
Interestingly, I Know What You Did Last Summer is capable of scaring its audience even more than some classic horror film built on a constant display of scary moments. And for that we must fully thank Jim Gillespie, who skillfully used the script by Kevin Williams. Maybe this director didn’t have enough experience, but he realized his potential in full, giving us many chilling moments that are worth honestly admiring. The fishhook maniac is almost as good as his “Scream” counterpart, dashing forward to his victims like a battering ram, oblivious to any obstacles. This type of villain has the greatest ability to intimidate, as they do not change into long conversations, but act tough and impetuous, knowing exactly what needs to be done, not giving young people a chance to get out of the sinister game. And even though the film eschews the artistic smirk of “Scream” style, that doesn’t go against it at all. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” has its own special charm and is able to draw you into its story without a trace.
Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (74.1 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Atmos 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles
English SDH, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish.
