HOLLYWOOD—The horror genre is suddenly seeing a boom again similar to what transpired in the late 90s early 00s after 1996’s “Scream” reinvented the genre. I would argue it started with 2018’s “Halloween” that saw the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. That was soon followed by 2022’s “Scream” which saw the return of legacy characters Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette).
Upcoming horror flicks expected in 2023 include “Scream 6,” “Evil Dead Rise” and the upcoming “The Exorcist.” Well you can add another 90s horror franchise to the mix, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” If there was ever a movie that catapulted my love of horror it was this 1997 classic, that I still hold dear in my heart as the movie that just delivered so many jump scares, I haven’t experienced that in a cinema ever. Yea, I was precocious and young at the time, but it was such a fun treat in the theater to see people jumping, screaming and yelling at the movie screen. That is the thing about horror, it is best with an audience to feed off that energy.
The sequel, 1998’s, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” was a satisfying sequel, not as great as its predecessor, but it cemented Jennifer Love Hewitt as a scream queen. Well, Deadline reported news on February 6 that both Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are in talks to return for a sequel in the franchise. However, rather it’s a continuation of the second film in the franchise or a direct sequel from the first movie is under lock and key.
Let’s completely forget about that third entry I’m sure no one knows about or even watched because it doesn’t matter. This is very interesting as I suspect the return of these two legacy characters have to be connected to a new batch of characters, and Julie James (Hewitt) and Ray (Prinze Jr.) either have a kid or kids together or separate kids who get entangled in some sort of mystery, that involves a killer wearing a slicker and utilizing a hook to take out characters.
Interesting plot if it were true, but I’d rather see the return of Ben Willis, the infamous fisherman, who might be a bit older if he returned and wanted to continue his reign of terror. Hell, if Michael Myers at 60 can brutalize people, why the hell can’t this guy. The movie is still in development, but I am so thrilled with this news considering I just caught the original on TV last week and recalled how much I loved the movie as a teen. No release date on the sequel has been announced. The movie is being directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, with a script from Leah McKendrick, with original producer Neal H. Moritz slated to return.
The original film was written by “Scream” creator Kevin Williamson which is based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, which I read the entire book people in middle school and it was a great one.
