Nostalgia can mean big business in the entertainment world. From the return of long off the air television shows, to the continuation of movie franchises, it feels like production houses are constantly looking for the next old thing to bring back. While some have been very successful (2018’s Hallowe’en was refreshing), others have flopped horribly. Those flops make us question if the past should stay buried (it’s best not to remember 2023’s Scream VI at all). The latest is the return of the hit 1997 Jennifer Love Hewitt film I Know What You Did Last Summer and it’s 1998 sequel, and while it isn’t terrible, it doesn’t really offer anything new.

Let us know if you’ve heard this plot before. A group of young friends decide to party on July 4th, and along the way are responsible for the death of an innocent due to their negligence. They decide to keep it a secret amongst themselves that they were responsible, and go on about their merry lives. A year later a vicious killer stalks them to get revenge for what they’ve done, leaving messages along the way to let them know they know their horrible secret.

I Know What You Did Last Summer will fill you will nostalgic memories of the first two films in the series. But it spends too much time doing so. It could have brought new twists to the table, instead of rehashing what they’ve done before. The twists they do have, are so obvious and predictable that everyone in the theatre are able to see them well before they throw back the curtain. It doesn’t matter if you go in knowing what happens or not, because spoilers can’t ruin a surprise that doesn’t surprise anyone. While the plot may not help make the movie enjoyable, the cast does.

On one hand you have returning cast members Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., who deliver the right amount of nostalgia. They don’t take center stage, but instead play supporting roles that are just what the film needed. On the other hand, new cast members Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders really steal the show. They add the right mix of humor and fight. In other words, they play the roles the original cast played almost 30 years ago. Unfortunately even good casting can’t save this film.

The biggest issue with I Know What You Did Last Summer is that it doesn’t scare you. The whole reason these movies are supposed to exist is to make you jump, or look over your shoulder when you are heading home to a dark house. This film doesn’t do that. There are exactly zero jump scares (which are lame to begin with), and nothing that make you want to cover your eyes. It just exists, which isn’t enough by any stretch of the imagination.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is not a terrible film, but it’s not a good one either. You won’t feel cheated if you see it, but you won’t remember it ten minutes later either. Nor will you be talking about it with your friends. You’ll simply have gone to the movies, for the sake of going to the movies.