The "slasher boom" of the late 90's brought us a whole slew of slasher films, both good and bad. I Know What You Did Last Summer was the first to come out in the wake of the surprise success of Scream and is still one of the best known of the time. 88 Films has gathered all three film in the series together for the first time and given them the respect they deserve.

Studio: 88 Films
Release Date: October 17th, 1997 (I Know What You Did Last Summer) (theatrical),

November 13th, 1998 (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) (theatrical),

August 22nd, 2006 (I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer) (video),

December 15th, 2020 (blu-ray)
Run Time: 101 mins (IKWYDLS),

100 mins (ISKWYDLS),

92 mins (IAKWYDLS)
Region Code: B (locked) (all three films)
Picture: 1080p (2.40:1 aspect ratio) (IKWYDLS and ISKWYDLS),

(1.85:1 aspect ratio) (IAKWYDLS)
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

               English LPCM 2.0 (all three films)
Subtitles: English SDH (all three films)
Slipcover: No
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe (IKWYDLS)                              Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr, Brandy, Mekhi Pfifer (ISKWYDLS)

Brooke Nevin, David Paetkau, Torrey DeVitto (IAKWYDLS)

Written by Kevin Williamson (IKWYDLS)

Trey Callaway (ISKWYDLS)

Michael Weiss (IAKWYDLS)
Directed by Jim Gillespie (IKWYDLS)

Danny Cannon (ISKWYDLS)

Sylvain White (IAKWYDLS)
Rating: BBFC: 15 (horror violence) (IKWYDLS)

BBFC: 18 (strong violence and horror) (ISKWYDLS)

BBFC: 18 (strong bloody violence) (IAKWYDLS)

BBFC: 18 (package as a whole)

THE FILM(S)

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997)

The biggest problem I have with IKWYDLS is that it isn't very much fun. The slasher films of the 80s were fun. They gave us characters we could relate to and they gave us some very inventive kills. Here we have a film that takes itself WAY too seriously, gives us characters that are either assholes or completely unbelievable as people. There could have been some fun had the filmmakers treated the film as if the kill scenes were fight scenes in martial arts films. The kill scenes are what we come to a slasher film for and I would have gone easier on the filmmakers had they tried to give us inventive kills, but all of them are a variation on someone getting hooked. They could have added a little something to them or made them gorier, but they are all just lame. There is some good filmmaking going on here, but the kills needed to be a lot better with characters that we actually care about for me to like this.

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1998)

Wow! What a big step up from the first film. I have seen this before, but only when it first came out back in 1998 so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I really liked this. It probably has something to do with the fact that Kevin Williamson had nothing to do with the film. The characters are much better here. I liked the addition of Brandy and Pfifer to the mix as they seemed like real people and not stuck up jackasses. There was one scene where Pfifer makes fun of Love Hewitt that I could have done without, but that is small scene in a big film. The setting was also much more interesting than one-note fishing town of the first film. Even though there were less people on the island than in the town the first film took place, it felt much more alive and brimming with action. I also liked the fact that the film leaned much more into the slasher realm than the first film did. There are scenes of genuine surprise and the cinematography leads to much more horror than the first. The kills are also much bloodier here and I liked that. I like blood and gore in my slasher films. I am going to say it: I liked ISKWYDLS. It is a much better film than the original and is actually a fun watch.

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2006)

As much as I didn't like the first film, it can't hold a candle to how bad this third and thankfully last entry is. The film has that desaturated look that all the horror films were going for in the aftermath of SAW, but it doesn't fit the mood of the film. It worked in a film like SAW, but here it just makes the film look cheap. The characters are even more insufferable here than they were in IKWYDLS. I just wanted them all to die. The filmmaking here is really standard stuff without anything standing out. I did hate all of the flash edits that are all over this film. I feel bad for those who have eplipsy. The reveal at the end of the film would have made sense had the film taken place where the other film was located or, I don't know, SOMEWHERE NEAR A BODY OF WATER. Having this thing take place in the middle of the country where there are no fishermen was a braindead idea. This whole film was a braindead idea.

THE PICTURE AND THE SOUND

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

This is an older transfer that Sony has been using for the better part of a decade. It's not a bad transfer. Colors are strong as is the detail. There are a lot of night scenes here and the black levels are just right, not too deep to the point a crushing, but not too light either. There is one scene in the film where a character is being killed where a video effect has been added that makes it stick out from the rest of the film. I don't know if this is how that scene is supposed to be, but it is very distracting. Both the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks sound good here with dialogue coming through nicely and the score being nicely balanced.

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Another older transfer from Sony. This one isn't as good as the one for the first film. It starts out looking really good, good colors and high amounts of detail, but the transfer gets worse as the film goes on. By the end, the colors are much more muted and the detail takes a slight step down. This isn't a bad transfer by any means, but it is a bit disappointing after the strength of the first film's transfer. The 5.1 and 2.0 tracks both sound good here. Dialogue is crisp and clean and the sound effects have some nice weight to them.

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

This is actually the best transfer of the whole package and I think it is only because it is the newest film in the set. The film has a desaturated look to it, so the colors are not very vibrant here. Lots of greyscales, which look great. There is a nice layer of grain here and detail is also nice. Blood also looks nice. The 5.1 and 2.0 tracks here are just like the others in the set. They get the job done. Dialogue is crisp and clear and the foley work shines through most of all.

THE PACKAGING

THE MENUS

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

THE FEATURES

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Commentary by director Jim Gillespie and editor Steve Mirkovich

Commentary by The Hysteria Continues! Another winner from the guys over at The Hysteria Continues. They start out by talking about their first experiences with the trailer for the film and the actual film. They talk openly about what they like about the film and what they don't like and they put the film into the context of when it was first released, which is something that many reviewers simply don't do. They also talk extensively about the book on which the film is loosely based on, what is the same and what is different, and whether the book is better or worse than the film.

My Own Summer (43m 3s, HD, 1.78:1) An interview with Jim Gillespie. He begins with the beginning of his career, moving through the ranks until he directed his first short film. This got him meetings in Hollywood which led to him almost directing the first X-MEN film. He then talks about his time trying to get the directing gig for SCARY MOVIE (which was renamed SCREAM). He talks about how he didn't really change anything from Kevin Williamson's script except for removing a scene that Williamson repurposed for SCREAM 2. He speaks about the challenges of shooting the scene where the fisherman is run over by our heroes and how the townspeople hated the film crew because the filming was loud and intrusive. He also hated the coda ending to the film. He fought the studio and pushed off shooting the scene until the last possible minute. He said that the test audiences hated the scene. He wanted to kill Jennifer Love Hewitt as a fake-out that would set up the sequel.

He Knows What You Did (15m 25s, HD, 1.78:1) An interview with Muse Watson. Began acting in college. He fell in love with it and fell into film because he realized that he wasn't going to be able to make a living acting on stage. He started out as a teamster and moved his way up the chain to where he could buy trucks that the studios would rent because he was working on their films. He said that he was making enough money that he could sit at home and wait for the call for him to come in and act. He tells a really good Kris Kristofferson story. He got the part in IKWYDLS in a very short period of time. He was scared to take the role because being a villain in a slasher film didn't translate to bigger roles in mainstream films.

Director's Short Film "Joyride" (10m 10s, SD, 2.40:1, 4x3) The electrifying journey of a cable repairman at the hands of two lunatic joy riders. In the middle of night, in the middle of winter and, yes, in the middle of nowhere. A nice little thriller with some really good filmmaking on display. I can see why people reacted so positively to this.

Director's Short Film "Joyride" with Audio Commentary (10m 10s, SD, 2.40:1, 4x3)

"Making of" Featurette (27m 4s, SD, 1.33:1) This is your standard making of that appeared on the first DVD back in the day. It is all surface-level information with nothing being examined too deeply.

Music Video - "Hush" (2m 56s, SD, 1.33:1) Performed by Kula Shaker

Original Theatrical Trailer (2m 12s, HD, 2.40:1)

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues! Justin begins by admitting his love for the film with everyone agreeing with him. Eric even says that it might be better than the first one (I agree). We learn that Love Hewitt, Prinze Jr, Brandy, and Mekhi Pfifer were contractually obligated to return for IAKWYDLS, but were never held to that. They talk about how the film fits into the slasher genre more than the first film does and give plenty of facts along the way. The first film's commentary track from the gang is better, but this one is still pretty good.

"He Still Knows What You Did" (11m 59s, HD, 1.78:1) Interview with Muse Watson. Found out about the sequel while he was in South Africa filming From Dusk til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. Talks about shooting with Jeffrey Combs and how he had some heart trouble while filming. The dirt that he falls into at the end was made of crumbled chocolate cookies. They stayed at a separate resort while filming where they had a run of the place. He pranked Jennifer Love Hewitt by leaving a "I Know" note in her suite. Love Hewitt freaked out because she thought that it was a fan that left it as she was having a problem with some overzealous fans.

Making Of Featurette (5m 39s, SD, 1.33:1) Standard making of fluff.

Music Video - "How Do I Deal" (3m 29s, SD, 1.33:1) Performed by Jennifer Love Hewitt

Trailer (2m, HD, 2.40:1)

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Audio Commentary by director Sylvan White

Audio Commentary by Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz

Making of Featurette (26m 39s, SD, 1.33:1) You know this was released in the mid-2000's because of the fake hard rock soundtrack and freeze frames every time they introduce someone new. Oh and the fire background on the title cards.

Trailer (1m 31s, HD, 1.85:1)

Also included in this set is a 44-page booklet with 2 essays (one on IKWYDLS by Emma Platts and one on ISKWYDLS by Jimi Fletcher with not one word written about the third film) and a ton of photos, a double-sided poster featuring the brand new artwork on one side and the first film's theatrical poster on the other side, and 6 postcards featuring stills from each of the films.

THE WRAP-UP

The I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER trilogy is a wildly uneven series. The first film is pretty bad with characters that are just unlikeable and very little in the way of creative kills. The second film is a step up from the first film and accomplishes everything the first film should have done. The third film is a hot mess and everything that slasher films in the 80's strived not to be. This blu-ray set from 88 Films is really nice. The picture and sound quality are what we have come to expect from Sony licensed property, which isn't bad. The set really shines in its special features including two wonderful commentaries from the guys over at The Hysteria Continues as well as some really cool interviews on the first film.