50 Stupid Decisions Made in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’

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Published Oct 25, 2021

Each year, Halloween rolls around and brings with it cooler weather, original costumes and a number of ways to satisfy that seasonal sweet tooth. However, the one thing we love most about this time of year is the sense of nostalgia the holiday brings.

There’s no denying that some of our favorite memories include trick-or-treating (hitting the corner house twice, because it had the best candy), swapping our favorite treats with friends and then stuffing as much sugar in our faces as we watched our go-to spooky flicks, specifically 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.

As we are just days away from October 31st, we decided to revisit the film that pretty much shaped the way we look at horror movies. However, 24 years after its release, some things simply don’t hold up in this teen slasher film, which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe. Mainly, that the hour and a half seems to be an endless string of stupid decisions made by the main characters and even the murderer.

Keep reading for 50 of them.

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1. David Egan sitting and drinking on the rocky cliff overlooking the ocean.

2. Helen (Gellar) entering into the beauty pageant to be Croaker Queen. Julie (Hewitt) isn’t wrong when she calls it a “sexist overload.”

3. When Julie chooses to be mean to her friend Max, someone she’s known since grade school.

4. Ray’s (Prinze) choice to tell a scary story while at bonfire on a dark beach. Hello foreshadowing.

5. Julie losing her virginity on the beach (simply just doesn’t seem comfortable).

6. Letting Barry (Phillippe) be a drunk idiot in the back of the car...while driving on a windy road.

7. Not immediately going to the cops after they realize they killed someone.

8. ….Then taking it a step further and throwing the body into the water. Not to mention, they aren’t even sure if he is dead.

9. Barry jumping into the dark water to chase after Helen’s plastic pageant crown.

10. After receiving the original letter, Barry immediately running to Max, spilling the beans and threatening him with an ice pick.

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11. Max leaving the weapon out in the open after he was just threatened with it. Ultimately, this mistake cost him his life.

12. Barry not leaving the locker room when he hears a noise and then deciding to go looking for the trouble.

13. Then chasing after the car of the person that just stole his jacket.

14. And then only running in the middle of the road where a car can easily catch him.

15. Julie and Helen’s decision to go to the family members’ homes of the man they killed.

16. Then proceeding to pry into the Egans’ lives with all of their obvious questions.

17. Not leaving the driveway right away and leaving their cigarettes showing that they didn't in fact have car trouble at all.

18. Helen and her father being oblivious to a stranger entering their home.

19. And then sleeping through a botched haircut.

20. Julie leaving a dead body in the truck of the car.

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21. Helen participating in the parade with a target on her back.

22. Barry attacking an old fisherman on the dock (as if they needed to add assault to his rap sheet).

23. Trespassing on Missy Egan’s property (twice).

24. Constantly. Splitting. Up.

25. The murderer standing in broad daylight—deadly weapon in hand—for everyone to see.

26. Julia admitting to Missy that she was in the car that killed (or didn’t kill) her little brother.

27. Allowing that one contestant to sing at the new pageant.

28. The crowd ignoring Helen’s screams that someone is being murdered, even holding her down to stop her from going anywhere.

29. The policeman driving Julie home down the dark alley.

30. Then that same policeman stopping to see if the mysterious man was having car trouble.

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31. Helen screaming to distract the police man when he's about to get murdered.

32. The man with the hook never wearing any gloves. Seriously? Hasn’t he ever heard of fingerprints?

33. Helen keeping her heels on while trying to run away.

34. Elsa taking her sweet time to unlock the door while her sister is franticly screaming about being followed.

35. Leaving all of the lights off at Shrivers.

36. Elsa not running or fighting back but just standing there waiting to get hooked.

37. Helen not finishing her call to the police.

38. Helen standing in a dark room full of mannequins where the killer could be (and is) hiding in plain sight.

39. Then ending up in another dark and terrifying alley alone.

40. No one realizing the name of Ray’s boat is “Billy Blue” sooner.

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41. Julie getting on a stranger’s boat rather than trusting Ray.

42. And not jumping off the boat ASAP to swim back to the dock.

43. Then dropping the fireworks that could have been her only weapon.

44. And screaming to her ex-boyfriend as he’s about to be murdered.

45. Julie leaving the door to the ice fridge practically open for the murderer to get in.

46. The killer’s hand getting stuck in the rope.

47. Julie and Ray continuing to lie to the police even after realizing that they actually didn’t kill anyone.

48. Not making sure that man is really dead. Didn’t they learn the first time?

49. Ray and Julie ultimately getting back together. Seriously, it’s time for them to try and move on with their lives.

50. Julie thinking it's a good idea to open a note addressed to her. Never again.

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Alexandra Hough

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