The I Know What You Did Last Summer Franchise is based on a book by Louis Duncan under the same name written in 1973. However, for fans of the books, there were some pretty dramatic adaptation decisions, such as it becoming a slasher film instead of a slow mystery. Still, the movies were well-loved and became cult classics. Their fan base is still going strong, and they recently just made a TV show based on the movie as well.

But you may be wondering if the show is better than the movie, and which movies are the best. Do they get progressively worse or better, and is the TV show adaptation worth watching? This list has you covered!

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1 I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)

Despite the second movie being a flop, eight years later, an attempt was made to revive the franchise with I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. This one is technically a continuation of the first two but set years later, such that the original story is now nothing more than a horror story for the current main characters.

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This time, it is a group of teens that are in Colorado. Like the original, the murders occur exactly a year after a tragic accident they were all involved in, and the killer wields a hook.

This movie features a new writer, director, and cast. Originally, it was meant to be a direct continuation of the first two movies in the franchise, but it got pushed to the side for a while, and a whole new script was written in its place.

However, despite the attempt to make it fresh and new, it didn’t do well at all, actually ranking at the bottom of the whole franchise. Part of this could be due to the limited timeline. They had two weeks to pick a cast, figure out locations, and set up a schedule.

People found the acting to be bad, and the plot twist to be redundant and surprising only because they were so nonsensical.

Also, despite being part of the series, it takes some liberties that make it stand out from the rest and feel like a whole different movie, and not in a good way.

Metascore: 21

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%

IMDB Score: 3.4

2 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

     Distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group

I Still Know What you Did Last Summer is the sequel to the 1997 movie. It features much of the same cast and continues the story from where the first movie ended.

The surviving teens from the first movie are trying to move on with their lives, while still haunted by the memories of the killer.

Trying to put everything in the past, one of the teens ends up going to a resort, where she finds the horror isn’t over. It is set about two years after the first movie.

Despite being a direct sequel, the second movie didn’t do nearly as well, showing a dramatic drop in scores from fans and critics both. Some of the cast was replaced, leading fans to be disappointed with the continuation, but that doesn’t seem to be all that is wrong with it.

Reviews list problems like poor acting, bad script, and unnecessary and redundant plot twists, so this movie appears to be an all-around flop with no way to pinpoint any particular thing to fix.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 7%

IMDB Score: 4.7

3 I Know What You Did Last Summer TV Show (2021)

Beating out both of the sequels, the TV show I Know What You Did Last Summer came in second as far as the best part of the franchise.

It is a short series, only lasting eight episodes with little chance of a second season. However, it wrapped up well and could be ended where it did without any problem.

Some people were upset because, though it goes by the same name, it is pretty different from the movie.

It is a bit more drama based and slow-paced, which mimics the original book better than the slasher movies, though it still added a lot that the movies didn’t. But it was still engaging, and actually a lot better than the sequels, according to critics and fans alike.

Part of the reason it turned out so well could have been the fact that even the cast was unaware of who the killer was until the end, so the suspense, confusion, and shock were all real.

Parents be warned, though this show is listed as TV 14, it features a lot of nudity and sex that some parents of teenagers may not be happy about.

Despite being the second-best part of the franchise, the show was canceled due to overwhelmingly bad reviews, and it might signal the end of the franchise.

Metascore: 45

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

IMDB Score: 5.3

4 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

     Distributed by Colombia Pictures

This is the first movie in the series. While it is based on the book, it is only loosely based, so even if you’ve read it, you can still be surprised by how the movie plays out.

The first I Know What You Did Last Summer is focused on a group of four friends that have to face a killer with a hook a year after they went through a tragic accident together.

Despite getting mixed reviews initially from critics and fans alike, it was a successful box-office hit, remaining number one at the box office in the United States for three weeks in a row.

There is a pretty big cast involved in the movie, featuring people like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Bridgette Wilson, and more.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary, there was even a recent reboot including scenes never seen before.

Metascore: 52

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%

IMDB Score: 5.8