Amazon's I Know What You Did Last Summer trailer makes a strong argument for teen murder

We're just saying: The streaming TV version of the slasher staple is running a little light on sympathetic characters

By William Hughes  |  September 24, 2021 | 1:04am
TV News I Know What You Did Last Summer
Amazon's I Know What You Did Last Summer trailer makes a strong argument for teen murder
Screenshot: YouTube

You’re not supposed to really like the characters from I Know What You Did Last Summer, obviously, given the whole “killed a kid while driving irresponsibly” thing. Still, though: You’d think the trailer for Amazon’s TV revival of Lois Duncan’s 1973 suspense novel would at least try to make some of its young cast seems vaguely sympathetic, or at least build enough empathy for them for audiences not to be actively rooting for the killer to get his or her hooks into them.

The new series stars Madison Iseman (playing twin sisters who cordially loathe each other), plus Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Ashley Moore, and Sebastian Amoruso, all of whom, it goes on to suggest, kind of, well, suck. That’s even before an ill-advised joyride ends with a kid getting killed, and the body disposed of in what they were probably hoping was a non-incriminating way; Iseman’s narration labels her friends “the worst people I know,” dubbing them “totally fake” and also drug-addicted sociopaths, which: Harsh!

Also, while we’re thinking about it: What the hell is happening here?

Is she eating noodles in the bathtub for a viral video? Is this a TikTok thing we don’t know about? Did Harmony Korine direct this sequence? In a trailer that’s all about teens getting murdered, it really is the weirdest damn thing on offer.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is being written and executive produced by Sara Goodman, who, not wholly surprisingly, given the overall vibes, came up on Gossip Girl before writing for shows like Outsiders and Preacher. Its biggest boost to its horror bona fides, meanwhile, is the involvement of James Wan, who’s both serving as a producer on the series, and directing its pilot. The series is set to debut on Amazon Prime on October 15, and will air its season finale on November 12.

Maybe it’s candy? It looks like it could be candy. (But then why is there sauce?) God damn, this is going to bother us.

 
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