Get Hooked: 7 Days of Activities Leading Up to I Know What You Did Last Summer

It’s been nearly 28 years since the original I Know What You Did Last Summer was released in theaters, and the events that transpired in Southport, North Carolina still have us….well, hooked.

In celebration of the new movie coming out July 18th, we thought it would be fun to participate in a week of exciting and creative activities leading up to the film’s release. Let’s start with the essentials:

Day 1 (July 11th) - Watch The First 2 Films In The Franchise

Start the week off right by going back to where it all began. Get a refresher on Julie and Ray’s story, or if you’re a new fan, enjoy them for the first time. Familiarity with the franchise adds weight to the history of Southport, and also adds affection for our beloved returning characters.

If you’d like a podcast companion afterwards, our Hack or Slash hosts have covered these movies:

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

Day 2 (July 12th) - Create A Horror-Themed Summer Music Playlist

The darkness of horror and the radiance of summer allow for a complimentary contrast of moods, and evokes the imagery of sharing secrets or scary stories around the warmth of a campfire.

Bonus points if you use songs from the previous movie’s soundtracks. Some personal favorites of mine are Orgy’s Blue Monday, Type O Negative’s Summer Breeze, and of course, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s How Do I Deal.

My contribution to a group playlist would be The 69 Eyes’ I Know What You Did Last Summer. I know, it’s very on the nose.

Listen to the song


Day 3 (July 13th) - Gear Up

Not fishing gear! I guess you could if you wanted to, but I actually had merch in mind. Cavity Colors has officially licensed I Know What You Did Last Summer shirts and hoodies, so you can represent your long time fandom (and have it arrive by the 18th).

We’re not sponsored, they just have comfortable tees.


Day 4 (July 14th) - Read Up On Lois Duncan’s 1973 Novel

Fans of the original 1997 movie may have been surprised to see in the credits that the film was adapted from author Lois Duncan’s novel of the same name. The movie is loosely based on the novel’s story, and there are some changes, but it’s worth giving credit where credit’s due to the book that started it all, and giving reverence to the origins of this thing we all love.

The novel was re-released in 2010 and is available at online retailers if you want to dive in beyond wiki pages and story synopses. It could be fun to compare and contrast, share thoughts with friends, and have a discussion with other fans about what you like that was different, and what you’re glad was kept the same.

Day 5 (July 15th) - Write Down a Secret and Choose What To Do With It

Keeping in line with the themes of the film, we all have things we don’t share with other people. Famously the public art project PostSecret gave people an anonymous way to share something private and mail it in via decorative postcard.

With that in mind, on this day feel free to write down something you’ve never told anyone. You can choose what to do with it, whether it’s sharing it with a friend you trust, or burning it, or ripping it up and throwing it away. You decide what you’re comfortable with.

Day 6 (July 16th) - Roundtable Theorycrafting, Speculation, Desires, and Trivia With Friends

Longtime fans have been eagerly anticipating this movie’s release ever since it was announced, and with that anticipation brings a lot of questions and hopes. Here are some examples of questions I’ve been thinking:

-Based on cast interviews and getting a sense for each character's personality, who do you think you’ll identify with the most?
-How do you think Ray and Julie will feel about each other?
-Will there be a surprise cameo?
-Which actor would you bring back from a past movie if you could?
-Any early killer predictions based on vibes?

Day 7 (July 17th) - Go To An Early Screening of the Movie

This last one is a given. If you’re as excited as I am to see the new film, you might feel inclined to check out an early Thursday screening. Theater’s have been creating items like collectible cups and popcorn buckets to entice people to come see movies on the big screen, and I Know What You Did Last Summer is no exception.

Regal Cinema’s will have color changing cups and a tackle box for popcorn, furthermore, AMC Theatres will have a set of “Killer Postcards” in line with the movie’s theme.

Despite the “timed” nature of this post, ideally most of these activities will be evergreen. So even if you come across this list long after the movie has been released, you’ll find something that gets you in the spirit for this franchise.