Last Summer is a 2011 American Slasher 3D Horror film written by Stephen Susco and directed by Chris Cunnigham starring Michael Rady, Genevieve Cortese, Matthew Settle, Billy Crudup, Naturi Naughton, Ian Somerhalder, Kieran Culkin, Shirley MacLaine, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Amanda Bynes and Kaley Cuoco. The film serves as the fourth instalment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise though ignores sthe storyline of the third direct to video film entirely instead following on directly from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
The film is distributed by Screen Gems and was made on a vastly bigger budget then it's three predecessors.
Actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt, Singer/Actress Brandy Norwood and actor Freddie Prinze Jr. all return reprising their respective roles from the previous I Know What You Did Last Summer films.
The film was shot centrally in Madras, Oregon and on certain sound stage sets created by Screen Gems in colloboration with the Weinstein Company and Village Roadshow.
The film was originally set to be written by Kevin Williamson the infamous creator of the Scream franchise (the writer of the first, second and fourth instalments of that series) who had helmed the screenplay of the first I Know What You Did Last Summer and had been the creator of the hit teenage WB series Dawson's Creek.
However as of April 16th, 2010 writer Stephen Susco who had helmed the screenplay of Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On Remake The Grudge and it's sequel stepped in to write for the film.
Director Cunnigham was attached to the project immediatley on recommendation of Williamson who joined the crew as an executive producer and Screen Gems.
The film was released after a large theatrical marketing campaign on July 4th, 2011 and grossed well above it's budget and garnered a mixed to positive reception from critics.
The film was awarded with a Saturn Award Nomination for Best Horror/Thriller film 2011 (losing out to the David Fincher American remake of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) as well as Saturn Award Nominations for Best Performances of the genre from actors Cortese and Crudup respectively.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc Format on November 11th, 2011 and Digital Copy and Ultra-Violet format on January 16th, 2012.
Summary
The night of 4th of July 2010 six Southport youths heading up the windy mountain roads surrounding Dawson's Beach through a storm come to make collision with a slicker dressed man brandishing a fisherman's hook.
The six youths come into a panic and are joined on the road by a fellow Southport High alumni, a snobby unliked rich girl and the group find themselves faced with the dilemma of manslaughter through the further taken actions of one of the group: Laker Stalk.
The group desperate to protect each one's own individual future agree to cover up the incident, only to a year later on the week leading up to the 4th of July 2011 have a maniac dressed in the same fisherman slicker they saw that night wielding the same sharp silver hook the man they hit that night come after them.
Plot
The film begins with Julie Bronson (Jennifer Love Hewitt) heading to an appointment with her advertising agent Susan Granger (Chelah Horsdal) who is to promote her set up councelling group for survivors of psychopaths.
Julie arrives at Susan's office and is appaled to see the set up the billboard design of her cowering before a fisherman in a slicker with the message "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
Julie in an argument with the superficial Susan tears up her set up posters throughout the building before exiting dramatically and calling now husband Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) who operates as a simple fisherman still in Southport.
That night Susan prepares to lock up the building bidding goodnight to all the employees departing apart from the janitor.
Susan comes into her office to find a cut up sketch of the billboard image reading For Julie before she is attacked by a fisherman slicker dressed figure wielding a sharp, silver hook.
Susan attempts to flee from the Fisherman as she throws a plant through her office window and flees out into the corridor pass-coding herself from door to door until she reaches where the janitor is mopping up.
Susan being cornered turns a circle and stashes herself in a storage closet.
The Janitor comes into the corridor with the storage closet and Susan only seeing his shadow at first believes him to be the fisherman and backs further into the closet out of sight only to catch a glimpse of the janitor Anson and then prepares to run out only to have the Fisherman attack within the closet and burst out, Susan is then thrown through a door before being stabbed in the back of the head multiple times by the hook.
Julie after meeting up with Ray is coerced into returning to the Advertising Agency to try and console with Susan over today's earlier incident but upon returning discovers a dead Susan at the same time janitor Anson does.
Julie then proceeds to dial 911 and upon seeing the message left in Susan's office reading For Julie comes to then tell the authorities to dispatch to her and Ray's before calling his mobile only to have it go through to message prompting her to depart just before authorities arrive at the advertising agency.
Ray meanwhile returns home and after engaging in brief conversation with neighbor Mike Horris is killed by the Fisherman who breaks into the Bronson house and leaves in Ray's individual Master Bedroom Bathroom the message Welcome Aboard Ray.
Ray is thrown down onto the upper balcony and is stabbed continously with the hook before toppling off the upper balcony and bleeds to death in Julie's arms as she comes home.
Julie then armed with a gun makes pursuit of the Fisherman who renders frightened neighbor Mike unconsious and takes off in Ray's truck.
Julie follows and the two come out to the windy roads bending near Dawson's Beach. We then see Julie's car smash off to the side and as blood pours down at her face she looks out from her windscreen to see fireworks which read Happy 4th Of July 2010 before the start credits start over the rushing water and roads then Southport streets.
We then come to a group of Southport High pre-seniors Reece Matthews a brilliant academic and athletic, his beautiful headstrong girlfriend Amanda who possesses a widowed alcoholic mother, Amanda's blonde Croaker Queen artist bestfriend Alice Himbry, Alice's passive aggressive quarterback boyfriend Laker Stalk.
The group are headed for Dawson's Beach after discussing the Southport Fisherman murders of 1998 and the survivors Julie James and Ray Bronson who had once gathered there along with Fisherman victims Barry Cox and Helen Shivers prior to running over the fisherman who would come to kill them the following 4th Of July.
The group then head for Dawson's Beach but heading up the windy mountain roads coming on out of the outskirts of Southport a rainstorm and their blaring music causes them to make collision with another vehicle sending it off to the side before making contact with a fisherman figure.
The group then depart from the car and come to see an unconsious Julie Bronson/James in her car and as Amanda and Reece prepare to call in the police Laker seizes the phone and a van comes parading into their car.
Stepping out from the car is fellow pre-senior Larena Smith and comic relief friend Truman Phillips.
As Julie starts to regain consiousness and Amanda and Reece ask Larena to call the paramedics and authorities Laker along with a threatened Alice places the hit supposedly dead Fisherman's body in the trunk of the smashed up vehicle before rolling it off the cliff.
Laker then brings forth now they are all accomplices to manslaughter and the prospect of reporting the collision with the Fisherman is out of the question.
Out of bringing forth the problem with what will happen to each of their future's now including Larena and Truman they call in simply the crash with Julie Bronson and do not report the collision with the unknown fisherman whom Laker and Alice proceeded to spiral off the side off the cliff.
Cast
- Michael Rady as Reece Matthews
- Genevieve Cortese as Amanda Richardson
- Matthew Settle as Lance Chamberwell
- Billy Crudup as Duncan Evans/ Benjamin Willis Jr. / The Fisherman
- Amanda Bynes as Daneka Lund
- Naturi Naughton as Larena Smith
- Ian Somerhalder as Laker Stalk
- Kaley Cuoco as Alice Himbry
- Kieran Culkin as Truman Phillips
- Lizzy Caplan as LaShawne Marks
- Norman Reedus as Phillip Marks
- Shirley MacLaine as Romola Richardson
- Ving Rhames as Sheriff Marhilik Eastman
- Meagan Good as Deputy Shuritta Shore
- Jay Ellis as Deputy Hakeem Jansen
- Brian Cox as Walter Nasley
- Shailene Woodley as Olivia-Sarah Vemerez
- Philip Winchester as Deputy Blaine Allen
- Bitsie Tulloch as Deputy Jane Vemerez
- Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie Bronson
- Brandy Norwood as Karla Wilson
- Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson
- Chelah Horsdal as Susan Granger
- Lynne Thigpen as Audrey Smith
- John Ashton as Lars Stalk
- Jimmy Smits as Kurt Stalk
- Barbara Flynn as Helen Matthews
- Mimi Kennedy as Connie Stalk
- Dennis Waterman as Robert Matthews
- James Faulkner as Lyle Marks
- Nathalie Baye as Ellen Marks
- Troy Evans as Jedidah Phillips
- Marianne Muellerleile as Alison Himbry
- Gregory Itzin as Neighbour Mike Horris
- Vincent Vescio as Patygoer Tom
- Juliya Chernetsky as Partygoer Tina
- Leyla Milani as Partgoer
- Jessica Caban as Partygoer
- Dane Davenport as Partygoer
- Chris Jai Alex as Partygoer
- Ryeowon Jung as Partygoer
- Mikey Post as Partygoer
- Gabe Grey as Partygoer
Soundtrack
- In The Dark- DEV
- Paradise- Coldplay
- The Show Goes On- Lupe Fiasco
- Rocketeer- Far East Movement feat Ryan Tedder
- This Is Where It Gets Good- Eels (End Credits Song)