4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Home » 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

Sep 25, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

It’s the Fourth of July and four friends are celebrating their final summer together in the small seaside town of Southport before they head off to colleges in different states. Newly-crowned Croaker Queen Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her boyfriend quarterback Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe), and Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and her boyfriend Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) enjoy drinks and telling ghost stories by a campfire, followed by some romantic time on the beach. As they are driving back home late at night, they accidentally strike a stranger in the middle of the road with their vehicle. Rather than going to the police, they decide to cover up what they’ve done in order to protect their futures, making a pact to never speak of the incident ever again. However, on the one-year anniversary of the incident, the teens start receiving ominous messages stating “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and soon find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac dressed like a fisherman in a black slicker and rain hat. Now they are desperate to figure out who knows their secret so that they can stop him before they literally take what happened to their graves.

The immense success of Scream is what really kicked off the major resurgence of the horror film in the late 1990s. Writer Kevin Williamson followed up the success of Scream with I Know What You Did Last Summer, which is more of a straightforward horror movie rather than Scream‘s sometimes comedic, more self-aware take on the genre.

Before I checked out Sony’s new 4K release, it had been well over 10 years since I last watched I Know What You Did Last Summer, so I was going into it somewhat fresh, unable to remember the details or even who the killer turns out to be. The film still holds up very well. Other than some older phone and computer technology, this movie could have easily taken place today. It has all the makings of a classic slasher film, though, it’s nowhere near as gruesome as most slasher flicks, with just a couple bloody scenes here and there. However, the tension and feeling of danger is still always present for the main characters, and the story takes several twists and turns that keep you guessing the identity of the killer, and who will survive their wrath. The fisherman with a hook makes for an iconic and creepy killer. I found myself just as engrossed in the mystery and nervous for these main characters as I did the first time around 25 years ago.

The young cast is great, featuring many folks who went on to have great careers. Only Jennifer Love Hewitt was on a hit series (Party of Five) at the time, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer had only started airing a couple weeks before this film was released, and the guys were hardly household names at this point in their careers. But all four actors really bring these characters to life, turning what could have been just one-dimensional slasher stereotypes into well-rounded characters you care about. It’s easy to see why they all went on to do so many more films and TV shows. The cast also includes several other recognizable faces, such as Bridgette Wilson as Helen’s overbearing older sister, Anne Heche as a somewhat odd and suspicious young woman, and Johnny Galecki as a townie with a crush on Julie.

Even this early in his career, Kevin Williamson proves that he is great at writing both teen drama and horror, and here he combines the two perfectly. We even see some references to what’s to come, with the beach being named “Dawson’s Beach”. Director Jim Gillespie also does a great job, especially with this being his feature film directorial debut.

To celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, Sony has released I Know What You Did Last Summer on 4K UHD for the first time, featuring a scan from the original camera negative, and presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision. The Blu-ray release already looks quite good on its own, but the new 4K release provides a noticeable improvement over its HD counterpart. There is an uptick in detail, especially in faces, and in the textures on signs and buildings. The colors are also enhanced with the Dolby Vision, particularly the blue glow of the nighttime sky. Darker scenes look excellent, and still maintain a lot of detail.

This release also sports a brand new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The film opens by panning over the ocean, with the sounds of crashing waves (and a pulsing rock song) filling the room. This is followed by the sounds of fireworks overhead. There is generally a pretty solid use of the stereo and surround channels throughout such as the car spinning out after hitting the mysterious stranger, or speeding off the side of the screen. There is also a generally immersive ambiance throughout, such as the sounds of wildlife in outside shots, or the cheering audience at the beauty pageant. While the score and soundtrack often fill the room, dialogue is primarily focused on the center channel.

The 4K disc includes three new bonus features—5 minutes of deleted scenes/alternate ending, a new 30-minute interview with the director, and a new 15-minute interview with star Muse Watson. The deleted scenes are in rough shape, looking almost like a VHS copy of a copy, but it’s still nice to see them included. The two new interviews are a welcome addition, though it would have been great if they had been able to get the four main cast members as well. None of the bonus material from the previous home video releases has been ported to the 4K disc. However, the included Blu-ray disc is identical to the disc from the 2008 release, even down to a dated promo for Blu-ray that plays when the disc loads. The Blu-ray contains contains an audio commentary from the director and editor, the short film the director used to land the job directing this movie, a 27-minute documentary from 2003 on the making of I Know What You Did Last Summer, a music video, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The 4K and Blu-ray discs reside on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, placed inside a glossy carboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:52)

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Czech Dolby Surround, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Hugarian Stereo, Italian 5.1, Portuguese 5.1, Spanish (Castilian) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Latin American) Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (Parisian), French (Québécois), German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2:39:1
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Potuguese, Thai, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Korean

Digital (Limited time offer):

4K digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:
The new bonus material is only available on the 4K disc (these are marked with an *) while original bonus material is only included on the Blu-ray disc, which is identical to the previous 2008 release.

Deleted Scenes* (5:06)
Collection of 7 deleted scenes, presented in very rough, fuzzy, low def quality (there’s even a disclaimer beforehand stating that the quality doesn’t reflect the filmmaker’s final work). Play All, or select from:
- Ray and Barry Discuss Their Future (1:28)
  The guys discuss their plans for the future, and how they’ll be heading off to New York and Boston with each other’s girls.
- Stick Together (:40)
  The foursome make a pact that no matter where they go or what they do, they’ll always stick together.
- Fisherman at the Door (:23)
  Max sees the silhouette of the fisherman in the doorway and seems to recognize him.
- Barry at Hospital (:42)
  As Barry lies in his hospital, doctors tell his father they think he tried to kill himself, but Barry’s dad is more concerned about his son’s injured throwing arm.
- Fishing Truck (:24)
  Julie, Helen and Ray walk down the street and see a fishing/crab truck.
- The Plan (1:06)
  At the parade Barry and Helen come up with a plan on how to look out for the killer in the crowd.
- Original Ending (1:27)
  One year later, Julie is away at school when her roommate hands her a letter. She is relieved that it is just a party invite, but then she receives an email that says “I Know What You Did Last Summer”.
“My Own Summer” — Interview with Director Jim Gillespie* (29:39)
Retrospective interview with director Jim Gillespie, who discusses his early love of film and how he worked his way up through the business starting as a runner. He talks about how his short film ultimately led to him getting hired for this film, the casting process, figuring out the look for the killer and the challenges of making the slicker and hat work in the summer, staying away from the book in order to concentrate on the script at hand, and adjusting some of the action to fit the filming locations. He also discusses changing the ending in post production, trying to avoid blood and gore, some of the changes made to the film after test audience feedback, the filming locations, the challenges of filming on the water, reshoots and alternate ending, audience reactions, the marketing, promotion and test screening process, and more. Some of this is a little repetitive to what the participants talk about in the 2003 featurette included on the Blu-ray. The featurette opens with a warning that it was recorded during Covid lockdown, and is not up to their normal standards. The picture quality certainly wasn’t 4K quality, but was still more than sufficient for an interview like this.
“He Knows What You Did” — Interview with Muse Watson* (14:43)
The actor talks about the challenges of playing a serial killer and conjuring this character, getting into film business by starting as a teamster and working his way up, getting mistaken for Kris Kristofferson on one shoot, how he got involved in this film, working with his stunt double and filming the action sequences, working with Sarah Michelle Gellar, the reactions to the movie, scaring some talkative audience members, and more.
Feature Commentary (1:40:53)
Originally recorded for the 2003 special edition DVD release, director Jim Gillespie and editor Steve Mirkovich provide an interesting and informative commentary throughout the film, sharing lots of behind-the-scenes tidbits and stories about the filming locations, process and challenges, the evolution of the film during the production, the cast, and more. Subtitles offered in French and Dutch on the Blu-ray.
Director’s Short Film: “Joyride” (10:10)
While driving home on dark and stormy night, an electric worker is carjacked and thrown in the trunk of his own car. Now he must figure out how to escape before he becomes the next bloody victim of these psychos on the run from the cops. Presented in 4:3 windowboxed format. In the optional commentary, director Jim Gillespie talks about the genesis and purpose of the film, as well as casting the short, the filming logistics, the editing, the audience reactions, and more.
“Now I Know What You Did Last Summer” Featurette (27:05)
Originally produced for the 2003 special edition DVD release, the cast and filmmakers talk about the genesis of the movie, casting the actors, balancing horror and humor, finding the right twists and turns for the story, working with the director, and more. They share a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about the development and evolution of the production. Includes clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Jim Gillespie, producers Stokely Chaffin & Erik Feig, writer Kevin Williamson, and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt (“Julie James”) & Anne Heche (“Missy Egan”). Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
Music Video: “Hush” Performed by Kula Shaker (2:56)
Music Video for “Hush”, written by Joe South, and performed by Kula Shaker. Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
Theatrical Trailer (2:19)
Presented in 4:3 windowboxed format.
Previews
Previews for “Blu-ray Disc™ is High Definition!” (2:36), 21 (2:33) & Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2:01).

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

I Know What You Did Last Summer still holds up quite well 25 years later. It has all the hallmarks of a classic slasher film, with a little less blood and gore, but still plenty of tension and a couple jump scares. There are some fun twists and turns to the story, and a talented, charismatic cast who have all gone on to have big careers. Sony’s new 4K release looks and sounds great, featuring a noticeable improvement over the previous Blu-ray release, which already looked quite good, and includes some new bonus material as well. If you haven’t picked this up yet, What are you waiting for, huh? What are you waiting for?!