Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Another violent and unnecessary sequel.

Movie R 2006 91 minutes
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 2 parent reviews

@@@
@@@ Adult
December 16, 2011
age 14+

unbelievably pathetic

This is probably the worst horror film I have ever, ever seen. There is nothing good to say about this film.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
90210fan
90210fan Adult
February 1, 2011
age 15+
Love it parents this movie is tOo gory let older kids watch it

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The only connection to the earlier movies in the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID series is a news clipping and a persistent teen legend about a boogey-man-like figure in a fisherman's rain slicker who kills young people harboring terrible secrets. A bunch of Colorado high-school seniors use the legend to play-act a public attack by the rain-slicker man in a crowded carnival on July 4. Their pointless prank leads to one of their circle getting killed, and the remaining foursome vow to keep their participation a secret. One year later, one of them, Amber (Brooke Nevin), receives the familiar anonymous note in text-message form: "I know what you did last summer." She rounds up the others to determine who could be harassing them, and soon the figure in a fisherman costume is slashing away at them again, never mind that the primary location is a closed-for-the-season ski resort, miles from the water (but still inky-black with shadows most of the time).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

The best laugh (and practically the only laugh) in this crummy sequel is the name of the production company: Original Films. The straight-to-video cash-in is pretty much a remake of the initial 1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer, with a dumb supernatural twist that succeeds at nothing but making you appreciate how good the first one was (and it wasn't even good to begin with).

While the first two movies had "whodunit" murder-mystery aspects with a feeble moral (always be honest about it if you've accidentally caused a death, or something like that), any attempt to deduce the marauder's identity here is ruined by the surprise at the climax that plunges the plot into strictly paranormal, ghost-story territory, where anything goes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what sort of scary movies teens prefer -- ones that are grim and dead-serious (like the hit Saw) or those that make wisecracks, like the later "Freddy" or "Chucky" flicks. What's the appeal of horror movies? Why are teens especially drawn to them?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate