Released on June 6, 2025, I Know What You Did Last Summer marks a revival of the iconic 1997 slasher classic. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and penned by Leah McKendrick, the film is produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures and features a mix of new blood and legacy faces. Madison Iseman takes the lead as Julie James, alongside Spencer Neville, Ezekiel Goodman, and Brianne Tju. Original cast members Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return in supporting roles, connecting the reboot to its cult predecessor.
This 2025 film follows a familiar plotline: after a tragic hit-and-run incident, a group of friends makes a pact to keep it a secret—until an ominous figure begins hunting them down one year later. This film review unpacks whether this updated take on the slasher formula cuts deep or merely scrapes the surface.
Genre:Horror
A Modern Update That Doesn’t Fully Modernize
Watching I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) in a packed cinema on opening night brought back a distinct kind of thrill. There’s something nostalgic in seeing the foggy docks, frantic calls, and cryptic letters unfold under a neon-washed 21st-century aesthetic. And yet, despite the technological updates and fresh-faced cast, the core of this 2025 movie still feels rooted in late-’90s logic—sometimes to its benefit, other times to its detriment.
The film attempts to explore Gen Z anxieties—social media toxicity, performative grief, and trust in the digital age—but these elements remain surface-level. The script tries to modernize character dynamics and inject moral ambiguity, yet the plotting plays it surprisingly safe. The characters still whisper secrets in dark corners, hide blood-stained clothes, and never call the police. That might be tradition, but it also feels like a missed opportunity for true innovation.
Cast Performances – Solid, But Rarely Surprising
Madison Iseman, taking over the mantle of Julie James, delivers a grounded performance, balancing vulnerability with a growing sense of dread. She’s perhaps the most compelling figure in the film—both emotionally and narratively. As Julie unravels under the pressure of the group’s dark secret, Iseman anchors the film’s tension, making even the quieter moments count.
Spencer Neville and Brianne Tju are serviceable as emotionally fraying friends harboring guilt, though their arcs follow predictable trajectories. Ezekiel Goodman, playing the group’s moral wildcard, occasionally injects energy, but lacks the layered menace or charisma that could have made his role more memorable.
The return of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. is a nice touch, handled with respectful restraint. Their inclusion isn't played for gimmick but woven into the narrative in a way that makes sense—even if their screen time is relatively brief.
Direction and Style – Atmosphere Over Innovation
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson brings visual flair to the reboot, leaning into stylized tension and striking coastal cinematography. Night scenes shimmer with wet asphalt and mist, evoking the Pacific Northwest’s moody gloom. The film’s pacing, however, is uneven. Early buildup is handled well, teasing paranoia and guilt effectively, but once the kills begin, the suspense often gives way to predictable genre beats.
The 2025 film maintains the essence of a traditional slasher, with slow reveals, POV shots, and a mysterious antagonist. But it rarely breaks from form. Even the kills—while more graphic and choreographed than the 1997 original—lack distinctiveness. There’s little that will lodge in the mind the way the hook-wielding killer once did. Sound design and score hit all the expected horror notes, but rarely innovate beyond them.
Social Commentary with Dull Edges
Unlike a recent franchise reimagination like 28 Years Later or even the pop culture-savvy remix of 2022’s Scream (side note: both Wes Craven and Gillespie’s original films were written by Kevin Williamson), I Know What You Did Last Summer doesn’t successfully subvert its storyline nor glean anything remarkable by setting it in our current era. Even Julie’s climactic dismissal of nostalgia lacks cutting commentary: If not motivated by outright nostalgia, why dredge up characters and plotlines that were all perfectly fine remaining in 1997?
The potential was there. The film flirts with discussions about digital guilt, cancel culture, and the permanence of online mistakes, but these ideas never form the thematic spine of the movie. Instead, they serve as window dressing—buzzwords that never fully integrate into the slasher fabric.
Nostalgia: A Double-Edged Hook
One of the defining traits of the 2025 film is its clear reverence for the original. There are subtle callbacks—recreated shots, iconic lines, and even a familiar rain-soaked prom setting—that will satisfy longtime fans. But this reliance on familiarity often overrides the film’s ability to surprise. It wants to pay tribute, but in doing so, it restrains itself from forging its own path.
This is especially evident in the way tension is built. We’re not wondering what will happen—we’re wondering when the inevitable happens. That may work for comfort horror, but for a slasher to succeed in 2025, it has to deliver more than just shadows and shrieks. The stakes must feel real, and the fear must evolve with the audience.
Final Verdict: Serviceable but Safe
In the end, I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) is a competent, sometimes enjoyable slasher that lacks bite. It hits familiar beats with updated aesthetics but rarely dares to deviate from the formula. As a nostalgic experience, it checks the boxes—teen drama, coastal dread, secrets unraveling under duress. As a 2025 movie, though, it struggles to say something new.
Sitting in the theater, I found myself entertained but not enthralled. The crowd reactions were strongest during moments that referenced the past, not during the film’s original turns. That says a lot.
For fans of the genre and the franchise, this will likely be a passable watch. But for anyone hoping for a reinvention or subversion of the slasher genre, this reboot doesn’t quite cut deep enough.
Film Rating: 3/5