Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
No movie genre is more impactful than the horror genre. Playing on the emotion of terror, it lures audiences in, captivating them by playing on their deepest, darkest fears.
Hi, I’m Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons, and I’m a horror movie addict.
I can pinpoint exactly when I got hooked on the genre. It was Halloween night, 1998. I was 12. Growing up in a conservative household, I wasn’t allowed to watch movies outside of the Disney catalogue, although by that age, my sheltered world was slowly opening. I was allowed to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer if another family member was watching too. So, when I was strolling through the New Releases section of my local video store, I was surprisingly drawn to a dark cover featuring the faces of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe. Immediately identifying Sarah Michelle Gellar because of my love of Buffy, I grabbed the last copy on the shelf and ran to find my mother, who was sure wouldn’t let me see it. Colour me surprised when she said yes.
My folks were heading out to a party that night, leaving my bestie and I alone. The moment the front door closed behind them, off went Cinderella and in when I Know What You Did Last Summer.
To say I was terrified would be an understatement. I had never witnessed anything like it before and the overwhelming feeling of dread that built up inside me was enough to ensure that I didn’t sleep that night.
Twenty-four years later, I am still traumatized by the events of that first viewing, although my love for the movie has continued to grow each year. Now an annual viewing pleasure on July 4th, I Know What You Did Last Summer remains a cornerstone of 1990’s slasher movies.
This October, I Know What You Did Last Summer turns 25, so to celebrate, I thought I would dive into one of my top 13 lists and give you all 13 reasons why this movie got me hooked, and how it’s continued to be a staple of my horror collection.
This is your only warning – there will be spoilers ahead.
13: The Location
Southport, N.C. - Home of the Croaker Queen pageant, this sleepy seaside town is the backdrop for the terror that bestows our teen protagonists. But that’s not the only location that is showcased in this 90’s slasher. The beginning of the film shows the ocean and a winding mountain road. This was Jenner, California and may seem familiar to die-hard film buffs. Alfred Hitchcock introduced us to that stretch of road before way back in 1963 with The Birds.
A majority of the film was made on location in North Carolina in either Southport or Burgaw. Both towns still embrace their horror history with pride, often hosting I Know What You Did Last Summer events during the spooky season or around the 4th of July.
This year, on the 25th anniversary of the movie’s release, Harrel’s, a.k.a the Shivers general store, are hosting a special screening of the film. So, if you find yourself in Burgaw, swing by and relive the memories of I Know What You Did Last Summer.
12: The Chase
Slasher movies love to have a chase. Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) all had a protagonist running at full speed away from the antagonist.
Throughout the duration of his stalking, the Fisherman targets Helen more than Julie, cutting her hair off during the middle of the night, following her to the pageant where he succeeds in killing Barry, before detouring her police escort down a darkened alley. It is here where the chase begins.
Taking a page from the horror history notebook, the Fisherman kills the police officer set to protect Helen while she’s trapped in the back of his car. She manages to smash out the back window and begins to run towards her family-owned store with the Fisherman close behind her.
As she stands outside the store, banging on the door to get her sister’s attention, the Fisherman closes in, his slow, methodical walk menacing.
But that’s not where the chase ends. It continues through the alley behind the store after a confrontation inside. Helen throws herself out of a 3rd story window onto a pile of discarded trash before limping her way through the narrow alley. Following the sounds of the fireworks, she heads towards the road. Her paranoia getting the better of her, she stops. It’s because of this moment of fear where the Fisherman gets the upper hand and succeeds in killing her.
With high tension rivaling that of the original Halloween chase between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, this moment is etched into horror movie history.
11: The Supporting Cast
With the likes of Anne Heche, Johnny Galecki, Stuart Greer, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and Deborah Hobart, the supporting cast did their job ten-fold. Creating memorable characters, they provided enough red herrings to keep audiences guessing.
The older this movie gets the more predominate the supporting cast become as they forge their own career paths.
Johnny Galecki earned his accolades as Dr. Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory. He has since returned to the horror genre with an appearance in Rings (2017).
Anne Heche had already began making a name for herself before I Know What You Did Last Summer rolled around with roles in Volcano (1997) and Donnie Brasco (1997). She would return to horror a year later in the Psycho remake.
Despite them moving on to bigger and better things, we will always have Last Summer to remember them by.
10: Julie James – Jennifer Love Hewitt
Okay, this is controversial but hear me out. Jennifer Love Hewitt was riding high on Party of Five at the time of I Know What You Did Last Summer. In fact, her casting as lead protagonist, Julie James, could be a nod to her Party of Five co-star Neve Campbell being cast in Scream (1996) as badass final girl, Sidney Prescott.
Julie wasn’t my favourite character in this film by any means. But her character arch was complex. The only one of the four mains to show immediate remorse and wanted to do the right thing when confronted with the reality of their situation, Julie fought to do what was right.
Her rational, yet quick thinking served her well throughout the course of the movie, particularly during the final act as she attempted to hide from the Fisherman. Her guttural screams are chilling, making her more than worthy of being a modern-day Scream Queen.
9: Billy Blue
“Do you remember his name?”
“Billy.”
“Did he have a last name?”
“Blue. Billy Blue.”
Missy Egan gave one of the more important red herrings to our leading ladies after letting them know that a young man had swung by not too long after the death of her brother, David, to pay his respects. The man said his name was Billy Blue and, if you weren’t paying too close attention to the film, it would be easy to miss Ray’s reaction when Julie and Helen mention visiting Missy themselves.
It isn’t until towards the end of the movie that we finally see the reason as to why Ray was so shady. The boat he works on is called Billy Blue and upon that reveal, we learn that Ray went to visit Missy as he wanted to know who they had hit on the road that night.
After Julie learns of the boat’s name, she instantly assumes that it’s been Ray behind the terror they’ve endured which leads to her racing down the docks to try and escape him. It’s this misunderstanding that leads to one of my favourite moments of the film where Ray gets clotheslined by a wayward arm from what seems to be a helpful stranger.
8: The Boys – Ray Bronson and Barry Cox
Two for one in this entry. The two leading men, Ray and Barry (played by Freddie Prinze Jr and Ryan Phillippe) were the catalysts for the events of this movie. Ray kicks off the events by telling an urban legend of a psycho with a hook for a hand. While the origin of the story gets debated among the teens, Ray is insistent that his version is the true story. Ray is more level-headed and, thanks to Barry’s level of intoxication, is the designated driver of the car. Barry, despite his obvious love of booze, was a fully fleshed out character. A jock with an addictive personality, Barry starts out as a typical sullen teenager who is more known for thinking with his fists and not his brains. He holds an unspeakable influence over the others so when the accident occurs, he convinces them all to dump the body. No body, no crime.
Upon first viewing, I was surprised by how easily swayed Ray was, citing no family or money to get him out of the trouble they found themselves in. Even now, it still amazes me that Barry was so persuasive.
But it is the growth of both characters that lands them at the number 8 spot. Known for his hostility, Barry showed a softer side as the movie progressed, comforting Helen after her close call and protecting her during the parade. Despite having broken up with her, Barry’s gentle side always came out around her.
As for Ray, his growth showed him becoming more introverted. He stayed in Southport, working the docks. The guilt of the night got the better of him and he found himself doing research to determine who they struck with the car that fateful night. He keeps to himself, hoping to distance himself from the events that are occurring. But it’s his resilience during the final showdown that shows the strength of his character.
And speaking of final showdowns…
7: The Final Showdown
Slashers are renowned for having an unknown killer stalking their victims without revealing who they are until the final act. I Know What You Did Last Summer is no different. But this showdown is the stuff of nightmares.
Unmasking Ben Willis, father of Susie Willis, as the Fisherman, Julie found herself stranded on his boat and heading out to sea. With no way to get off the vessel, Julie had to use to brains to outwit the enraged killer.
Playing a game of cat and mouse, Julie maneuvered her way throughout the boat with Ben menacingly chasing her. Even when Ray boarded the boat, he proved no match for the experienced Fisherman. Dispatching of Ray quickly, Ben’s attention returned to Julie.
Like most killers during this era of horror movies, Ben is outsmarted by the protagonists, but his fate is left ambiguous to allow a return at a later point in time.
6: It’s Just An Urban Legend…
As I mentioned earlier, the movie begins with the teens sitting around a fire on the beach, swapping versions of the urban legend, The Hook. The tale of a guy and girl making out in a car only to hear there’s a maniac on the loose with a hook for a hand. The girl gets freaked out and wants to leave, so they do. When they get back to the girl’s house, the boyfriend discovers a hook attached to the passenger’s door.
We all know the legend, and while it is foreshadowing the events that were to follow, we can thank Barry for giving their victim-turned-killer, Ben Willis, the idea to use a large hook.
As they take the body to the docks, preparing to dump him into the water, Julie asks if they should check his wallet to see who he is. Barry’s response of “Let’s just pretend he’s some escaped lunatic with a hook for a hand and we’re doing everybody a favour” can be considered directly responsible for what was to follow.
I guess this just shows when standing over a supposedly dead body, be careful what you say…
5: “What Are You Waiting For?!”
If you didn’t automatically conjure up an image of Julie James standing in the middle of the road, spinning around with her arms outstretched upon reading that subtitle, then you clearly haven’t seen this movie.
When it comes to iconic moments, I Know What You Did Last Summer pales in comparison to other horror movies from the same era. But this scene, an afterthought and not scripted, has gone down in horror history as a rather iconic moment, regardless of how laughable it may be due to its over-the-top delivery.
According to Jennifer Love Hewitt, the scene was “Directed by a kid who won a contest to come on set and create a scene in the movie.”
Got to admit, that would be a cool bragging right to have.
4: Quotability
Written by Kevin Williamson of Scream fame, I Know What You Did Last Summer does boast some zingers when it comes to quotable lines. I know I’ve personally used “A twit with a wit” and “Shit-stick-mayberry-ass-reject” far more times than I’d care to admit. And don’t get me started on “Is the dried-out, washed-up has-been having a moment”.
Even my ex-partner got involved by quoting Ray and Julie’s love language lines of “See, no one gets me the way you do” – “I understand your pain.”
There’s a lot to like about the dialogue in this film. Some of the slang may be dated, but it’s just as impactful now as it was 25 years ago.
3: The Threats
It all began with seven words sent to Julie’s home address. I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Julie naturally assumes the worst, even going as far as to tell Barry and Helen “Only one murder comes to mind” when Barry informs her the letter might not be related to the accident.
The threats continued to escalate. Barry is stalked in the gym, his car keys stolen, before he’s run over with his own BMW. Helen had her hair cut while she was sleeping while Julie discovered Max’s body in the trunk of her car.
Clearly stalking the protagonists, the Fisherman made his intentions known. This was revenge.
By the time the final showdown occurred, Julie’s paranoia was in overdrive. But it’s the delivery of Ben’s final warning that is enough to send chills down your spine. “I know all about ‘accidents’ and let me give you some advice: When you leave a man for dead, make sure he’s REALLY dead!”
2: Ben Willis - Muse Watson
Did you really think I was going to create a list about I Know What You Did Last Summer and not mention Muse Watson as Ben Willis? After all, it is because of him terrifying me all those years ago that I became a horror fan.
During my annual live tweeting sessions of the movie, Muse often joins in, offering up tidbits from behind the scenes, including how he played his character as more of a grieving father than a rage-induced psychopath. His actions were deliberate, citing reasons behind each frightening moment. How did he turn off the lights in the Shiver’s store and manage to get beneath the plastic before Helen made her way down the stairs? Or why did he stalk Helen more, spending more time terrorizing her? The more he divulged about how he got into character, the more terrifying Ben Willis became.
His menacing delivery of his lines along with his intimidating physicality is the reason why Ben Willis will go down in horror history as a formidable foe, while cementing actor Muse Watson as a horror icon of the modern ages.
1: Helen Shivers – Sarah Michelle Gellar
Unpopular opinion: Helen Shivers should have been the final girl, not Julie James. She was more likeable and personally speaking, I felt more invested in her character development than I did with Julie.
Before the events of that fateful night, Helen was carefree, competing in the Croaker Queen pageant. Much to her delight, she won. Her plan was to leave her small hometown and take on New York as a serious actress. But we all know that didn’t work out.
After the accident occurred, Helen went into shock. It was this shock that caused her to be easily swayed by Barry’s determination to erase any of the evidence of the crime. A year on, it was easy to see despite trying to get on with her life, she was deeply affected by what happened. Using her knowledge of movies and television, she was able to get valuable, though misdirected, information out of Missy Egan, and her big heart was on full display when she told Julie how much she missed her.
Arguably, she was the Fisherman’s main target; having her hair savaged during the middle of the night, being chased through the town, witnessing the deaths of her ex-boyfriend, her police escort, and her older sister, she was tormented more than any secondary leading lady should be.
Brought to life by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Helen Shivers was a far cry from the capable Buffy Summers we all knew her as. She was the reason my parents allowed me to watch the movie in the first place because, to quote my father, “Oh Buffy’s in it? Nothing bad happens to Buffy.” Yeah, right.
And even though she has one of the most infuriating deaths in horror movie history (no, seriously, why did she stop running?! She was so close!), it’s hard to deny that Helen Shivers made I Know What You Did Last Summer a joy to watch.
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