I Know What You Did Last Summeris a slasher released in 1997, a decade filled withnumerous horror successes. The movie is written by Kevin Williamson, the mastermind behindScream, and some of the plot is based on a book by Lois Duncan. The movie follows four high school friends who get into an accident where they hit a man walking on the road. Believing he’s dead, the group throws his body into the water, swears one another to secrecy, and tries to move on with their lives. However, one year later, a man in a raincoat branding a creepy hook starts stalking them, making it clear he knows what happened.
This leaves the four racing to find out the identity of the man they hit while trying to stay alive as the people around them are brutally murdered. They try to investigate and learn more about the man they hit, sending them on a journey that breaks their trust in one another. The movie went on to inspire sequels,I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,andI’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. There’s also aPrime Video seriesloosely based on the films and original novel.
Here’s a guide to the cast and characters in Jim Gillespie’sI Know What You Did Last Summer.
8Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James
One of the main characters inI Know What You Did Last Summeris Julie James, played byJennifer Love Hewitt. Julie is the main protagonist in the movie and the true glue between the friend group. She has an on-and-off relationship with Ray, though the two go on to marry in the franchise, and isthe love interestof Max during this movie. Julie is the character who feels the most guilt after the accident, which leads to her becoming The Fisherman’s main target. She is the first to receive a note from the killer and the one most desperate to figure out who is taunting them.
Jennifer Love Hewitt became the face of the franchise after appearing in the movie’s first two films, winning several awards for her performances as Julie. She is also known for her role as Sarah on the seriesParty of Fiveand Melinda onGhost Whisperer. Her recent work includes the series9-1-1and season ten ofCriminal Minds.
7Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson
Ray Bronson is Julie’s boyfriend inI Know What You Did Last Summerand one of the friend group characters. He was driving Barry’s car the night of the accident, but his willingness to keep the group’s secret put a wedge in his relationship with Julie. The two separated for a year between the accident and the killer’s return, where he spent timeworking as a fishermanbeside Max Neurick. He also has a complicated relationship with Barry, who ends up turning on him and accusing Ray of being the killer.
Ray is played byFreddie Prinze Jr., an actor known for his role in the 1999 romantic comedyShe’s All That. He’s also appeared inScooby-DooandScooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashedas Fred, alongside Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Linda Cardellini. Today, Prinze has a podcast with Jeff Dye titledWrestling With Freddie.
6Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers
Helen Shivers is a main part of the movie’s friend group and dating Barry Cox. She’s an aspiring actress who moved to New York City after the accident but moved back home after struggling to achieve fame in the city. While she’s a bit superficial, Helen is a good friend to Julie and Ray and tries to warn her sister, Elsa, about the murders. She appeared in the town’s Croaker Queen Pageant Talent Competition as the host after winning the year prior, which is where she ends up witnessing Barry’s murder.
Sarah Michelle Gellarstars inI Know What You Did Last Summeras Helen Shivers. Gellar met her future spouse, Freddie Prinze Jr., on the set of the film, and the two went on to star in twoScooby-Doomovies together. She’s also appeared in horror films likeScream 2andThe Grudge, along with numerous other movies and TV series.
5Ryan Phillippe as Barry Cox
Barry Cox is a part of the friend group in the movie and the owner of the car that hits the pedestrian. While he’s close with the three main characters,he’s violent, aggressive, and an all-around bad friend to Julie and Ray. His true colors really shine when he chokes Julie after the accident and later punches Ray, believing he is the killer. Barry is loyal to Helen, whom he supports in her acting and beauty pageants. He’s one of the characters who are tormented by the killer before his death, even landing in the hospital after being hit by his own car.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: Why We Don’t Need Another Sequel
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a horror franchise. But, frankly, it should never have been one, and we really don’t need yet another sequel.
Barry Cox is played by actorRyan Phillippe, who later starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar inCruel Intentions. He’s also appeared in the 2006 movieFlags of Our Fathers, the USA seriesShooter, andMacGruberon Peacock. Phillippe is also set to star in the upcoming horror comedy Saint Clare as Timmons.
4Johnny Galecki as Max Neurick
One supporting character inI Know What You Did Last Summeris Max Neurick. Max is in love with Julie, even though she’s dating Ray, which leads to conflict between the two men. He also has a strained relationship with Barry, whose excessive drinking habits are hard to tolerate. Even with these issues and stumbling upon the group the night of the accident, he manages to work alongside Ray as a fisherman. His death only adds to the group’s suspicions of the killer’s identity, as it occurs right after he is Barry.
Max is played byJohnny Galecki, an actor known for appearing on the seriesThe Big Bang Theory. Galecki also appeared on the seriesRoseannefor five years before returning as David for four episodes ofThe Conners. His most recent film roles includeA Dog’s JourneyandRings.
3Bridgette Wilson as Elsa Shivers
Elsa Shivers is Helen’s older sister who owns a department store. She’s a minor character in the movie, though she acts as an antagonist towards her sister, whom she’s always trying to compete with. Elsa’s greatest pleasures include being rude to Helen and always being right, though she’s nicer to Julie than her sister. Unfortunately for Elsa, herJuly 4th shiftat the family’s store would be her last. She faces off against The Fisherman, only to have her throat slashed and her body dumped in the bathroom.
Bridgette Wilsonplays Elsa inI Know What You Did Last Summer. Wilson’s career started with modeling and competing in pageants before she moved on to acting and singing. Some of her most popular roles include Lisa inSanta Barbara, Ginger inSaved by the Bell, and Veronica Vaughn inBilly Madison.
2Anne Heche as Melissa Egan
Melissa “Missy” Egan is a minor character inI Know What You Did Last Summerand the sister of David Egan. The group reaches out to her, believing they hit her brother that night, only to realize he had left a suicide note behind. David claimed the guilt ofsurviving a car accidentwhere his girlfriend, Susie, was killed drove him to end his life. Yet, when Missy shows them the note, Julie realizes the handwriting is suspiciously similar to the note she received from the killer.
Anne Hecheappears as the eclectic Melissa Egan. Heche was an actress with numerous credits in film and television, having starred in productions like the daytime soap operaAnother World,where she won three awards, and the comedySix Days, Seven Nights. Heche was involved in a fatal car accident in 2022 at just 53 years old.
How 2023’s Horror Movies Proved Everyone Wrong
While we may not get a horror Academy winner in 2023, this year’s selection of horror films certainly proved everyone wrong.
1Muse Watson as Benjamin Willis
The antagonist and villain inI Know What You Did Last Summeris Benjamin Willis. Ben is a fisherman and, unfortunately, the person walking down the coastal road the night of the accident. His body was thrown into the water, but he was far from dead. Ben decidesto take revengeon the group who hit him and ends up appearing in both theI Know What You Did Last Summersequels to continue his killing spree. He’s sometimes just referred to as “The Fisherman” and is an incredibly abhorrent character who’s willing to hurt anyone who crosses his path.
Benjamin Willis is played byMuse Watson. He portrayed the character inI Know What You Did Last SummerandI Still Know What You Did Last Summer,while Don Shanks was The Fisherman in the third installment. Watson is best known for his work onNCISas Mike Franks and for appearing on 19 episodes ofPrison Break.
