I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Is Already Repeating 2 Horror Requel Problems

I Know What You Did Last Summer’s legacy sequel is in the works, but it’s already repeating two of the biggest mistakes in horror requels. The trend of reboots, requels, and legacy sequels in the horror genre continues to grow strong, and now joining this wave is I Know What You Did Last Summer. Over two decades after the release of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, a legacy sequel has been announced to be in development, with original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. in talks to reprise their roles and lead this new story.

I Know What You Did Last Summer follows four friends – Julie (Hewitt), Ray (Prinze Jr), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Barry (Ryan Phillippe) – who, after an accident in which they ran over a man and dumped him (still alive) in the water, begin to be stalked by a mysterious hook-wielding killer. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer reunited viewers with Julie and Ray as they and their friends were terrorized by the same killer but now in the Bahamas. Plot details about the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel are currently unknown, but the plans for it are already repeating two big horror requel mistakes.

Related

I Know What You Did Last Summer Has A Horror Reboot Villain Problem

I Know What You Did Last Summer’s legacy sequel is already facing a big villain problem thanks to what happened to Ben Willis in the sequel.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Legacy Sequel Is Already Relying Too Much On Nostalgia

Speaking to Screen Rant while promoting her new movie Scrambled, writer Leah McKendrick teased a bit about what’s to come in the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel. Without revealing plot details nor whether Julie and Ray will be back to confront a new killer, McKendrick shared that it will be a treat for fans of the first movies. McKendrick revealed that the most iconic line from the first movie (Julie’s “what are you waiting for?!”) will be repurposed and there will be “so many Easter eggs and nods” for the fans of the first two movies, and that the project is safe in director’s Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s hands.

As nice as it will be for fans of the first movies to have references and Easter eggs to them in the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel, the project is already repeating the mistake of relying too much on nostalgia. Among the biggest complaints about horror requels is how much they lean on nostalgia and, as a result, how little they focus on the quality of the story and bringing something new to the franchise.

Rebooted sagas like Halloween and Scream went through this problem, but they managed to survive and expand even more thanks to how popular they are, which, unfortunately, isn’t the case for I Know What You Did Last Summer, so it’s not guaranteed to succeed even with all its Easter eggs and references.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Legacy Sequel Will Have To Retcon The Previous Movie

The I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel is also facing another problem, though this one is a narrative one. The ending of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer left viewers questioning if it was a dream or if Julie was finally caught by the fisherman, but with a sequel happening, this ending will have to be retconned. Retconning is another issue with horror requels, as these changes haven’t always been beneficial to the franchise – however, the ambiguity of the ending of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is playing in the sequel’s favor, and retconning can be great for the saga.

The ending of the previous movie might not be the only thing that will be retconned in the I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel, but that will depend on where the story goes. I Know What You Did Last Summer can find a way to avoid these horror requel mistakes and succeed, but for now, it’s at risk of facing the same criticism as other legacy sequels.