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Just because you know what I did last summer doesn’t mean we have to still bring it up. Growing up, summer nights have been sold to us as nights with friends we will never forget, but in reality they are often fun memories that we quickly move on from. Only those who are hellbent on fantasizing nostalgia continue to bring them back. 1997 was not a terribly longtime ago regardless of what Gen Z may have you believe, but in their defense it is long enough to have forgotten or honestly care about the events that transpired. One of those summer nights includes the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” directed by Jim Gillespie and adapted from Lois Duncan’s novel. The film in its place in history is a peculiar one as it is too well known to be considered a cult classic and yet not well received enough to be considered a landmark horror. In fact riding the successful coattails of 19996’s “Scream” often made “Last Summer” be seen as a lesser cousin film. And yet it contains all the staples of 90’s teen slashers, rebellious horny teens, a killer soundtrack and name making faces in its quite attractive cast. Oh and not to mention a killer on the loose in a ridiculous getup. It may seem like harsh criticism at times but trust this critic when they say the original movie is a total blast. So twenty eight years later and two sequels (one disowned sequel that is) later I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER hits theaters in a legacy sequel that, wait for it, actually treats the legacy part with the utmost respect. A film directed with such love and admiration for the past while also acknowledging the future is here and nostalgia is often just dumb. A film riddled with Gen Z lingo that may stick out for some but actually feels natural since it is very much guided by a fresh batch of attractive and lovable talent. And even when it finds itself in obligatory legacy territory it always finds proper ways to implement the past without feeling like a gimmick for ticket sales. Sure millennials of today may flock to see Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. back running from the Fisherman but director Jennfier Kaytin Robinson brings this satisfying series into fresh light while also knowing that your old fishing hometown will always have you on the hook.

Everything can change over one summer. For Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) and her friends this summer means a wedding. Her best friends Teddy (Tyriq Withers) and Danica (Madelyn Cline) are getting married while Ava and the other core member of their group Milo (Jonah Hauer-King) have broken up leaving a very uneven balance amongst the friend group. It also doesn’t help that they abandoned their fifth wheel friend Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon) after her family lost everything financially. This is Southport after all and image is everything, which is why Danica and Teddy need the perfect wedding provided by Teddy’s chief of police father (Billy Campbell). And while a new generation is now reaping the benefits of Southport’s pristine tourist town very little has changed. Ava and her gang are capital S spoiled which gives them very little worry about driving their G-Wagon Mercedes way over the speed limit on the deadliest road in town. Kaytin Robinson doesn’t take long to get to the moment that will define her new character’s lives. A near death experience for the gang leads to the death of a travelling passenger and just like in 1997 a secret is promised to be kept for the rest of their summers. LAST SUMMER is obviously familiar in its setup but once much like the first film its strongest aspect is the cast of young performers. Chase Sui Wonders’ leads with more than enough compassion and worry while Withers and Hauer-King carry enough mystery and frustration that have you wanting to believe their innocence when bodies start dropping but with enough devious attitude that they could very well be a killer. And then there is Madelyn Cline, who has had great success on Netflix’s “Outer Banks” as a misunderstood spoiled princess. Cline is not just the MVP performer she gets to carry both the weight of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen Shivers (right down to the diva voice) while also using such innocence and naivety to bring some of the film’s most hysterical and campy moments. But even with that humor there is such a sincerity to Danica that you also start to see that Robinson and co-screenwriter Sam Lansky use Danica to clear up some of the errors that plagued the original film. It is less fan service and more self-reflection of a beloved film that didn’t always hit the mark.

But even with an enjoyable cast with true chemistry I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER exists to send these young adults to the chopping block. A year after their intended secret was formed, Ava has returned to Southport jaded and unsure how to reconnect with her friends who have moved on in various degrees. Danica with a new man, Teddy a drunken recluse and Stevie implementing her way back into the group as Danica’s right hand woman. But all this is hard for Ava to take in when a mysterious murderer in a fisherman sleek starts hunting them and other townspeople down leaving a bloody mess in their wake. While LAST SUMMER certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its chase sequences (does it need to?) it certainly feels like a welcomed return to watch people flee for their lives in a time where modern horror actively avoids these moments. It also helps that LAST SUMMER remembers the key element to successful 90’s slashers in that making the cast likeable makes the kills all the more impactful. Even a tossed in character of a wannabe influencer with a murder podcast (Gabbriette) gets enough love and laughs that your fear for her life and anyone who crosses paths with that cloaked and dagger fisherman. But even with the new faces Robinson is determined to get us back to the past with the return of Julie James (Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.). Julie now a college professor has done her best to avoid both Southport and the trauma that has followed her for decades while Ray, a bar owner (and Julie’s ex-husband) is hellbent on reminding people of the past violence the town wants to ignore. It is an intriguing balance that feels appropriate to who their characters would eventually become. Robinson and Lansky’s script never feels like it betrays its legacy characters but instead brings them into today showing how they most likely would grow up even when the film takes some drastic turns. Turns that may or may not overshadow the entirety of the film but for this critic felt completely acceptable and pretty enjoyable.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER still wants to be the party film of this summer and aided by a killer soundtrack which includes, Reneé Rapp, Bully, Chloe Slater (the pop punk girls reign high here) it really feels fresh and youthful. This younger energy often causes the film to find itself at a standstill in some of its more attempted darker moments. A subplot involving a cultish like church is rushed while its mysterious whodunnit may be obvious but that doesn’t become as big of an issue as the shortened final act that feels too relied on what’s next to come. Thankfully these shortcomings are limited because of the enjoyable connection that comes from its new cast especially when its more dominate female friendship aspect takes control. After all even the 1997 film was about whether you could still remain friends even after doing something horrible together. Robinson has a charming answer to that question while also slashing its way to its final argument that trauma is forever, talking about it will help, but more so the past will never forget so maybe all that joyful nostalgia isn’t as happy as you remembered.

B+

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER IS IN THEATERS JULY 18