I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

A group of partying teens are on cruise going on a graduation summer trip during the 4th of July.
While the driver isn't paying attention on the road they accidentally hit a fisherman on a cliffside road. They all think he's dead and decides not to tell the police about it as they fear all of them will be framed for murder so they dump his body off a dock and promise to keep a deep dark secret about the incident.
All of them try to carry on with their lives a year later and one of the teens named Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) returns to home after college for a summer break. She receives a letter in the mail box with a threatening note saying "I Know What You Did Last Summer" as she freaks out and her old friends receive the same thing so she gathers them all up as they stopped speaking to one another since that incident with the drowning of the fisherman.
They try to solve the clue as to know witnessed this crime but while they do one by one they become targets for a killer who sent the message. Could the fisherman still be alive?

The film has lots of fantastic, dark, mysterious, psychological and overall effective directorial moments in this piece.
A perfect shot on a big cliff by the sea with someone sitting on the ledge feeling suicidal.
We see a perfect set of everyone partying out after graduation with a band playing and all and a good appearance by supporting actor Max Neurick acting insecure with Julie James and then Barry William Cox was bullying him as a brawl almost breaks out. All this looked very effective and a good look at teens partying out.
The discussions with all the main people having a bonfire at a beach looked very natural.
The camera shot on Barry looked terrific when he is up on the top of a driving car screaming and acting crazy in a swerving highway with Ray Bronson driving fast. Suddenly BAM!!! We quickly see a body being hit which makes you jump for sure.
Everone's reactions were great at what to do with this situation.
We spot a nice camera shot on them dragging the victims body to a pier with mist flying around.
You really jump when this victim grabs Helen's arm and everyone screams which is a perfect reaction.
We see a nice shot on the victim in the water lifelessly and then his eyes open wide.
There is a nice shot on Julie James a year later looking troubled and not saying much when she has a discussion with her mother in their home together.
There is a good and intense discussion involving Julie, Helen and Barry when they discuss the threatening letter.
Max's murder scene was nice and fast while being stabbed by a hook and being quickly dragged away.
There's an awesome shot on Barry being hit by a car and driven at the end of a pier.
We see a nice and dark shot on Benjamin Willis dressed in a black fisherman's coat in the house of Helen's while she is occupied doing something and he takes out his hook.
The camera shot looked good and suspenseful when Benjamin walks up the stairs to a room while Helen later on walks up the stairs herself not realising that he is in the house.
There's good concerned reactions on Julie while driving in her car spotting a fisherman's hat in the backseat of her car and even more curious of the thumping in the trunk of her car.
We spot a scene with Benjamin chasing after Helen and the shots looked excellent and terrifying too. There are many moments where you will jump caused by his actions.
We see a great battle involving Julie and Ray Bronson against Benjamin on a boat as the fightings really looked well choreographed.
There's a perfect ending scene involving Julie in a shower room which leaves a door open for a sequel and will trip you out too leaving a door open for a sequel.
Bottom line is when I saw the trailer and found out it was by the same makers as Scream I had to go and see this film but I was not as impressed with it but watching it on video a decade later I enjoyed it. It was very mysterious and you wonder who is behind all these killings and the suspense is wonderful in it. I found that this film was borrowed heavily from R.L. Stine's young adult novels like Fear Street.

The acting is seems to pull through okay as the young adult cast are good with their emotions on keeping a dark secret about the murder.
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Julie James) really could gain a reputation in other horror films with the part she played in the most frightened one of all the partying teens the night the tragedy happened and was believeably emotional too with ther part as the innocent one. She pulled it off well trying to hold back her tears on what happened in a later scene taking place a year later. Her shocked reaction looked great after reading a letter she got saying "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and trying not to say anything about it after reading it. She was great going into hysterics after she discovers what's in her trunk of her vehicle. She really knew how to act intense and terrifyed when she finds some way on escaping from the killers evil grasp. She also had nice frightened expressions beforehand after she discovered that she was in the killer's boat.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Helen Shivers) looked beautiful in her performance and proved she can gain a reputation as a movie star than a TV star on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that's what she just did. This film is a big step for her for sure. There's perfect reactions on her after she wakes up realising that her hair is cut and really knew how to scream after seeing the lipstick writing on her mirror and lunges her energy very powerfully while smashing her mirror. She was great freaking out while the onscreen killer is chasing after her
Ryan Phillippe (Barry William Cox) lived to play a nasty teenage drunk in the film as he had the most energy in the film. He was great by going nuts by manipulating everyone not to say a word about the hit and run incident. Looked believeably monstrous when he grabs someone by the throat to force her to forget what they did. He really was great with his aggressions after he hears somebody's word about the murder they did. Looked good by grabbing his fellow actor while holding a hook and threatening him at his work.
Freddie Prinze Jr. (Ray Bronson) seemed to pull off well by playing an innocent but mysterious pretty boy next door type of fellow.
Bridgette Wilson (Elsa Shivers) was wonderful as a stuck up older sister of Helen's bringing her role to life. She showed a nice arrogant attitude with someone else when she enters a store too as you just feel like avoiding her smart remarks.
Anne Heche (Missy Egan) really stood out with her eccentric and mysterious attitude as the sister of the suicidal boy.
Johnny Galecki (Max Neurick) can prove to wear hats in other projects than just in the sitcom Roseanne as a dweeby type to a strange kind of guy who seems threatening.
Muse Watson (Benjamin Wills) really did great as a crazed older man in the film playing a great killer.

There is a hook stabbed in a teen's chin
The hook is also stabbed in an officers stomach
A hand is chopped off
Some blood here and there

The music composed by John Debney is very suspenseful sounding with great classical trumpet and violin playing along with great slamming sounds here and there.

Ray: What can I do for you Max?
Max: You can wipe that my-shit-don't-stink grin off your face.

Sheriff: Oh, and did this killer use his hook to cut all your hair off?
Helen: No, he used scissors, asshole.

Elyssa: Is the dried-out, washed-up has-been having a moment?

Helen: We should have a plan. Angela Lansbury always had a plan.

Helen: By that time I'll just be finishing my two year contract with Guiding Light coinciding with your first year as starting quarterback for the Steelers.
Barry: Cowboys.
Helen: Then we can elope to Europe, or the Caymans, wherever, where I'll let you impregnate me with the first of 3 children before you head off to rehab. Then we can live happily blah blah blah.

Helen: Well Bob, at summer's end I plan on moving to New York where I'll pursue a career as a serious actress. It's my goal to entertain the world through artistic expression. Through art I shall serve my country.

Julie: Barry, stop!
Barry: No! Wake up, Julie. He's behind all this! How many fucked up fisherman are out there?
Ray: Look, he's after me too! I got a letter.
Barry: You got a letter? I got run over, Helen gets her hair chopped off, Julie gets a dead body in her car trunk, and you get a letter? Oh, that's balanced!

Julie: We need help.
Barry: I'll say. You two should look at a mirror sometime. You look like shit run over twice.

Helen: Come sit in the back. I'll let you do things to me.

Ray: I never knew her breasts were so... ample.

Barry: [sarcastic] Ooh, I know what you did last summer? What a crock of shit.

[the killer threatens Julie with his ice hook]
Ben Willis: Happy Fourth of July, Julie!
Julie: Please, it was an accident.
Ben Willis: I know all about accidents, and let me give you some advice: when you leave a man for dead, make sure that he's really dead!

Helen: You little shit-stick-mayberry-ass reject. There has been a murder, and you are going to fry in hell if you don't do something about it.

Ben Willis: You in some kind of trouble child?
Julie: Yes, yeah I'm in a lot of trouble.
Ben Willis: That's a shame, being that it's the 4th of July and all. Kids like you should be out having fun. Drinking, partying, running over people, getting away with murder, things like that.

Julie: Helen, we killed a man and ruined the lives of everyone he knew.
Helen: I don't think we were that powerful Julie, you're giving us way to much credit.

Barry: How do you know this is even related? You did a lot of things last summer.
Julie: Yeah, well, only one murder comes to mind.

Ray: See, no one gets me the way you do.
Julie: I understand your pain.

Julie: Guys... Hi... I'm on sexist overload as it is, kill the commentary.

Helen: Hey, its all about the hair. Don't you forget that. Especially when you become some big hotshot lawyer. Those professional types think its all about brains and ability and completely ignore the do
Julie: So, the do is vital, got it

Barry: A toast... to us, to our last summer of immature, adolescent decadence.
Helen: Somebody's buzzed.

Julie: I hate this, I really hate this. Your gonna go and your gonna fall for some head-shaven, black-wearin, tattoo-covered, body-piercing philosophy student."
Ray: That sounds attractive.

Barry: Nobody drives my car but me, you got that shit smear?

Julie: [to Barry] Can you say alcoholic?

Barry: We're going to go home now and never ever under any circumstances known to God- speak about this again. Is that clear? It's now a future therapy bill.

Max: You almost got that rich boy act down Ray.

Deb: Julie, get your white as death-chalky ass corpse in the car-now.

Julie: Please, it's a fictional story created to warn young girls of the dangers of having premarital sex.
Ray: Well actually honey, you know how terrified I am of your IQ but it's an urban legend, American folklore and they all usually originate from some real life incident.

Barry: Even if his body washes ashore in the next couple of weeks, he'll be eaten by crabs and small fish. Maybe we'll get lucky with a shark. Take him to the side.

Barry: We're going home now and never, ever, under any circumstances known to God speak about this again is that clear? It is now merely a future therapy bill agreed?
Barry: [screaming] Helen?
Helen: I'll never mention it again.
Barry: We make a pact, right here and now we take this to our grave.
Ray: Agreed.
Barry: Julie?
[Julie nods her head in agreement]
Barry: [livid] Don't you nod your head, you fuckin say it.
Julie: [somber] Yeah okay.
Barry: [Barry runs and grabs Julie by the neck pushing her against the car] We take this to our grave, let me hear it.
Ray: Let her go Barry.
Barry: You fucking say it!
Julie: Okay Barry, we take this to the grave.

Barry: We made a pact and we're keeping it.

Barry: Okay let's supposed someone was there that night, why send the letter one year later? Probably some crack fucking around... Max.

Max: Well go figure, I was just thinking to myself what ever happened to that Barry Cox?
Barry: [being very polite] Hey Max. Hey listen can we talk for a sec? In private?
Max: Oh what this isn't private enough for you?

Max: Mother fucker. Don't you test me mother fucker, I'll call the cops on your college quarterback ass.

Julie: Yeah but this is insane now Barry look at us, this secret's killing us.
Barry: I'm not going to the police and you're not either.
Julie: Barry please, we could put an end to it and maybe salvage some small fraction of a life.
Barry: And how do we do that? Huh? There was no accident Julie it was murder, your words remember? Murder. I say we find the fuck who's doing this and have a little one on one.

Helen: What happened to us? We used to be best friends.
Julie: We used to be a lot of things.

Helen: Yeah, Jodi Foster tried this and a skinner of a serial killer answered the door.

Elyssa: [to Helen] You and your hair, it's so pathetic.

Barry: What is it with you Ray? You were dogging us from the start weren't you? Always wanting to be our friend, always wanting to be one of us but you were too fucking jealous to handle it
Ray: Fuck you!

Barry: [to Ray] And since you bring it up... we all know *you* have a slicker.

[Barry has just seen the damage to his new car after hitting someone in the road]
Barry: [Almost besides himself from rage] FUCK! Can't you watch where you're going?
Ray: Hey, it came outta nowhere, I didn't see it!

Barry: This is probably some psycho with a hook for a hand... we're doing the whole world a favour.