The I Know What You Did Last Summer review reveals why this 2025 slasher sequel delivers genuine scares while honoring its legacy. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s confident direction brings fresh terror to familiar coastal nightmares.
What happens when you combine modern filmmaking techniques with classic slasher tension? You get horror perfection. I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025), directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, stands as one of the most effective legacy sequels in recent memory. This supernatural thriller follows a new group of friends who find themselves terrorized by a vengeful killer after covering up a deadly accident. While the film operates on familiar slasher territory, it succeeds because it never relies solely on nostalgia—every scare and revelation feels genuinely earned rather than manufactured.
Synopsis
When five college friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident during a summer getaway, they make a fateful decision to cover up their involvement and keep it secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their carefully constructed lies begin to unravel when someone starts stalking them with intimate knowledge of what they did last summer.
Led by ambitious pre-med student Riley (Madelyn Cline) and her loyal best friend Maya (Chase Sui Wonders), the group must confront not only their past mistakes but also a relentless killer who seems to know their every move. As the body count rises, they realize their only hope for survival lies in uncovering the truth about that fateful night and the mysterious figure hunting them down.
Plot & Themes
I Know What You Did Last Summer operates on a deceptively simple premise: guilt has a way of catching up with you when you least expect it. The car accident serves as the catalyst for exploring deeper questions about moral responsibility, the weight of secrets, and the price of covering up the truth.
The film’s genius lies in its psychological complexity. When the friends struggle with their decision to remain silent, Robinson never presents their choice as purely villainous. These moments work because the characters feel like real people making understandable, if ultimately wrong, decisions under extreme pressure.
Thematically, the movie explores how shared trauma can both bond and destroy relationships. The group succeeds in maintaining their secret not despite their guilt, but because that guilt becomes the foundation of their continued friendship—a poisonous bond that ultimately makes them vulnerable to their stalker’s psychological games.
Cinematography & Visuals
Director of photography captures the coastal Maine setting with atmospheric precision that serves the horror perfectly. The visual style emphasizes the contrast between the idyllic summer memories and the present-day nightmare, making every familiar location feel menacing through expert use of shadows and negative space.
The film excels in building tension through visual storytelling. The sequences showing the friends being watched demonstrate perfect horror cinematography. The camera creates an omnipresent sense of dread without relying on cheap jump scares or obvious staging.
Background details reward attentive viewers. During the flashback sequences, eagle-eyed horror fans will spot numerous clues about the killer’s identity happening simultaneously in different parts of the frame.
Acting & Characters
Madelyn Cline delivers a powerhouse performance as Riley, transforming what could have been a typical final girl into a complex protagonist wrestling with genuine moral ambiguity. Her portrayal of guilt and paranoia makes every moment of terror feel authentic rather than performative.
Chase Sui Wonders brings compelling vulnerability to Maya, serving as both the group’s conscience and their most loyal defender. Her chemistry with Cline creates a friendship that feels genuine enough to make their eventual conflict genuinely heartbreaking.
Jonah Hauer-King provides solid support as the group’s reluctant voice of reason, while Tyriq Withers brings unexpected depth to what could have been a throwaway character. Sarah Pidgeon rounds out the ensemble with a performance that balances likability with moral complexity.
The returning legacy cast members—Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.—integrate seamlessly into the new story without overwhelming the fresh faces or relying too heavily on fan service.
Direction & Screenplay
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s direction maintains perfect horror pacing throughout the film’s runtime. Coming from successes like Do Revenge, Robinson understood that modern horror requires both psychological complexity and visceral thrills. Every scare is given proper setup without sacrificing narrative momentum.
The screenplay by Robinson and Sam Lansky layers fear at multiple levels:
- Psychological horror that builds from character relationships
- Supernatural elements that reward careful attention to mythology
- Slasher sequences that feel fresh rather than derivative
- Legacy connections that enhance rather than overshadow the new story
The script’s structure follows classic slasher conventions while subverting them through genuine character development. This creates familiarity that makes the unexpected moments of terror land even harder.
Sound & Music
The film’s sound design perfectly captures the essence of coastal dread. Natural soundscapes—crashing waves, foghorn warnings, creaking pier boards—create an immersive environment that makes every quiet moment feel potentially dangerous.
The score enhances the horror atmosphere without overwhelming the natural tension. Musical cues support rather than telegraph the scares, trusting audiences to feel the fear through atmosphere and performance.
The use of silence deserves special recognition. Key horror moments are allowed to breathe without musical manipulation, creating genuine suspense that depends on visual storytelling and sound design rather than orchestral stings.
Conclusion & Verdict
I Know What You Did Last Summer succeeds because it respects both its legacy and its audience. Every element—from direction to cinematography to performance—works in service of creating genuine scares without sacrificing character development or narrative coherence.
Strengths:
- Madelyn Cline’s compelling lead performance that grounds the supernatural elements
- Excellent atmospheric direction that creates sustained dread
- Strong ensemble work that makes the friend group feel authentic
- Effective balance of psychological horror and slasher elements
Minor Weaknesses:
- Some plot revelations may feel predictable to genre veterans
- Occasional reliance on coincidence to drive certain story beats
This film remains essential viewing for horror fans and anyone who appreciates expertly crafted slasher filmmaking. I Know What You Did Last Summer works for audiences who enjoyed Scream (2022), The Black Phone, or X.
Rating: 8.5/10
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
MPAA Rating: R (for bloody horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content and brief drug use)
Starring: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr.
For more horror film reviews, check out our analysis of other contemporary slasher sequels. You can also explore the film’s connection to the original franchise at the Internet Movie Database.
Tags:
HorrorReview, Slasher, LegacySequel, Thriller, Mystery
