The Notorious Sequel: ‘I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer’
When it comes to horror sequels to well-known slasher franchises, very few of them live up to the standard set by the first installment. According to the character Randy from Scream 2, “Sequels suck.” There is a Friday the 13th Part V or Prom Night 2 for every Halloween II or A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 that has been made. On the other hand, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, the concluding chapter in the I Know What You Did Last Summer trilogy, is widely considered to be the most notorious of all problematic sequels to slasher films. This fall will mark the debut of the sequel, released exclusively on home video in 2006 on Blu-ray for the first time.
What Is The Plot of ‘I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer’?
The plot of I’ll Always Know is four teenagers covering up the death of a buddy that occurred on an unfortunate Fourth of July celebration. The movie is an attempt to reproduce the enchantment of the previous film. They agree that they will cover it up and not notify the authorities. Similar to the first movie, the idea is not supported by all the characters, but the majority supports it. A year has passed, and now the four adolescents are being pursued by a murderer obsessed with exacting revenge because of their troubled history.
I’ll Always Know is a murder mystery slasher, much like the first two films in the series.
On the other hand, in contrast to the first movie, Kevin Williamson needs to pen the script for this one. Slasher fans have argued over where I Know What You Did Last Summer ranks among the rest of the giants of the subgenre throughout the past 25 years; nevertheless, there is one aspect that can never be contested: what Williamson contributed to the film. The famed author of Scream brought his wonderful sense of humorous characters, cutting language, and twisted suspense to the property, based on Lois Duncan’s book of the same name. Its second sequel lacks all of that and has very few connections to either of the first two movies in the series. It was decided not to bring back Jennifer Love Hewitt or Freddie Prince Jr., which would have been acceptable if the film’s extremely low budget, weak script, and artificially inserted supernatural elements weren’t so distracting.
I’ll Always Know is considered one of the worst horror movies ever created. It was a cash-in on a property already dead in the water, and it was unquestionably a product of its time; 2006 marked the peak of the direct-to-video sequel frenzy. At this point, numerous well-known properties, such as the Chucky and Hellraiser series, were receiving treatment of this kind. That in no way justifies the poor quality. On the other hand, this makes it the kind of fast movie you and your buddies can watch when it’s storming outside to pass the time and have fun. It’s one of the best examples of a movie that’s “so bad it’s good” ever filmed.
For this reason, it is satisfying to see Sony release the movie on Blu-ray. They have done an excellent job in the past of maintaining their back catalog on tangible media. They have a wide variety of releases. It was one of the best transfers of 2022 when I Know What You Did Last Summer was released on 4K to honor the film’s 25th anniversary the previous year. This September, the film’s first sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, will also be released on 4K to commemorate the film’s 25th anniversary. Even though most horror fans dislike the third and final film for various reasons, it is impossible to have an unfinished trilogy on physical media. If you do that, the person who killed the fishermen may come after you.
The Blu-ray release of I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer is scheduled for September 26, 2023. This is also the day that the 4K version of I Still Know is released.
***NEW TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT***
Coming to Blu-ray on 9/26
I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
The latest installment in the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” horror franchise features a hot young cast in a story about a group of small town teens who accidentally kill… pic.twitter.com/Mx1LNP4bf1
— Dawn of The Discs (@dawnofthediscs) August 8, 2023