Latest news with #slasher
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cult horror hit getting ‘meaner' sequel after flipping slasher genre on its head
Cult horror hit In a Violent Nature is getting a 'meaner' sequel, two years after flipping the slasher genre on its head. The ambitious horror movie was noted for telling its story through the eyes of a killer named Johnny, with the synopsis stating that it 'flips the script on traditional slashers, inviting you to witness the rampage from the monster's eyes'. It received a passionate response after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 – and a follow-up has been lined up for release in 2026. Variety reports the sequel will start production in September, with filmmaker Chris Nash returning to write and direct. In a Violent Nature received mixed reviews from critics, but has since generated a cult fanbase among horror audiences. The Canadian film first screened as part of Sundance's famous 'Midnight' strand, which is where films such as The Blair Witch Project, Hereditary and the controversial Dashcam first premiered. Bloody Disgusting called the film 'a fascinating arthouse horror experiment that plays more like a minimalist slice-of-life feature with a grim, gory twist', with Polygon adding: 'It's a rare treat and a fantastic exercise in taking a genre in the opposite direction that everyone else has tried.' However, those who enjoy faster-paced filmmaking were left somewhat frustrated: the film, inspired by the arthouse tradition known as 'slow cinema', features longer takes and has no musical score. Nash, who named Tree of Life director Terence Malick as an inspiration, described this as a 'slower, more methodical, more deliberate' way to 'follow characters through a scene'. 'In a Violent Nature demonstrated that there continues to be a yearning for new perspectives in the horror landscape,' head of AMC Networks' Film Group Scott Shooman said. 'We knew immediately that this distinctive take on the slasher would enthral fans and are glad to see the community embrace a new slasher icon in Johnny. 'In a Violent Nature' is getting a sequel (IFC Films) 'With the sequel, we aim to prove that Johnny can be bigger, meaner, and his kills can only get more impressive.' Producer Peter Kuplowsky said the movie was 'originally conceived as a meta-sequel within a fictional slasher series, so we were always imagining mayhem beyond the scope of the original film'. 'We are thrilled to return for a new chapter and are excited to deploy Johnny as a conduit to further experiments in the genre.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer' red carpet reunites Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar and more
Iconic '90s stars have called — and we're hooked. Twenty-eight years after the 1997 slasher 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' hit theaters, the cast of the sequel stepped out for its premiere at LA's United Theater on Broadway on Monday. Along with new faces, including Madelyn Cline, Lola Tung, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Chase Sui Wonders, the crowds got a blast from the past. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. — who starred in the original project together — turned the premiere into date night. Prinze Jr., 49, reprises his role as Ray Bronson in the sequel. Gellar, 48, played Helen Shivers, who died in the OG movie. The original Kevin Williamson-written film followed a group of four friends who accidentally kill a man. One year later, they're stalked by a hook-wielding killer. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe rounded out the cast. Phillippe's character, Barry William Cox, was also murdered. The sequel, 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,' was released in 1998. According to Sony Pictures, the 2025 movie follows five friends who 'inadvertently cause a deadly car accident' before they 'cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences.' However, 'a year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they're forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer…and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.' Despite not being in the project, Gellar still came out to support her husband of 23 years. She donned a strapless, Oscar de la Renta butterfly mini dress and matched the carpet with a blue and orange color scheme. The 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' star accessorized with an orange leather clutch, orange pumps, and kept her long, blonde hair down. Prinze coordinated with his other half, sporting a navy blue linen suit and loafers. In October 1997, the pair walked the carpet for the original horror movie separately at the GCC Galaxy Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. Gellar and Prinze first met on the set of 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' but didn't start dating until 2000. 'History repeating itself! Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. at the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER premiere in 1997 and again in 2025,' Gellar's friend, Evan Ross Katz, wrote on Instagram beneath a side-by-side shot from both carpets. Jennifer Love Hewitt, who stars as Julie James in the slasher franchise, also stunned on the red carpet. The actress, 46, wore a Rachel Gilbert black dress embellished with jewels and matching closed-toe heels. Unlike her brunette character, the scream queen rocked ginger-red hair for the big night. She joins Prinze Jr. onscreen for the new film. Gellar had another nostalgic run-in on Monday night. The 'Ringer' actress posed with her 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' co-star, Seth Green. Their reunion comes five months after Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's little sister Dawn Summers, died at age 39. Gellar is currently in production for the reboot of the hit mystical drama series. In May, the 'Cruel Intentions' alum announced that Ryan Kiera Armstrong will play the new slayer. The show is set to be the next chapter in the Buffyverse. Gellar, meanwhile, spoke out in October about not returning to the 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' franchise. She simply told People at the time, 'I am dead.' 'My best friend [Jennifer Kaytin Robinson] is directing it, so we joke that I have an unofficial job, which is I am continuity,' Gellar explained. 'So I'm always the one telling her, 'Well, that would happen, or that wouldn't happen with those characters,' so I do have kind of an unofficial job title.' Earlier this month, Prinze Jr. weighed in on reuniting with Hewitt on the project. 'Whatever a high school union feels like, that's what it felt like,' he expressed to People. 'You have no idea what's changed, what's the same. You're excited to show what you think you're better at. You hope they notice it. It was all those things.' Due to the tight filming schedule, 'there just had to be trust that each of us cared enough to put the work in,' Prinze Jr. continued. 'I didn't have any reason not to trust her. I know how much this character means to her. She puts everything into this girl and always has since the first movie.' Hewitt, for her part, had some reservations about re-joining the cast. 'I'll be super honest, I had total anxiety for 48 hours before [filming] because I was like, 'Can I do this? Am I going to pull this off?' It's a lot of pressure,' she told People in April. Despite her fear, the 'Holiday Junkie' vet was grateful to be asked back. 'As a female in Hollywood, in your 40s, sometimes you can feel forgotten about,' Hewitt confessed, noting that she felt 'really touched emotionally and honored that Sony would have me back, that the franchise would have me back, that Jen wanted me back, and that the audience wanted me back. It really felt like an honor. Stepping into her shoes again was really fun.' She added that the current cast is 'phenomenal.' 'It's for them to make it their own,' Hewitt gushed. 'And for me to stand by like a proud mom and say, 'It's yours now, take it and run and enjoy.'' 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' hits theaters on Friday. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer' Twists, Cameos & Credits Scene Revealed — Who Is The Fisherman?
I Know What You Did Last Summer As I Know What You Did Last Summer slashes its way into a new generation, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's requel has plenty of surprises in store for fans of the OG. More from Deadline 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Red Carpet: Cast Talks Keeping A Killer Secret Sarah Michelle Gellar Says She Won't Reprise 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Role In Sequel Film: 'I Am Dead' 'Superman' Soaring Past $200M+, 'I Know What You Did...' Doing $13M+, 'Smurfs' $12M Opening - Saturday AM Update The latest horror franchise to come back from the dead, amid the likes of Halloween and Scream, the followup to the 1997 slasher flick and its '98 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer takes some big swings with its killer reveal, as well as some top-secret cameos that longtime fans will appreciate. With Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles from the previous two films as survivors and high school sweethearts Julie James and Ray Bronson, nostalgia was inevitably going to be a major factor in this new installment, which also boasts a young cast of new potential victims (and suspects), including Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon. In addition to several Easter eggs—including a freight elevator, a parade float, a steamy gym locker room and a Scooby Doo reference—the sequel keeps longtime fans hooked with a few massive twists. Read on for some major SPOILERS about I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). Long live the Croaker Queen 'I am dead,' Sarah Michelle Gellar previously offered as a response to whether she'd reprise her role from the OG as Helen Shivers, following her family's set visit in Australia with husband and former co-star Prinze. A close friend of the director, it turns out Gellar was just playing coy about the fact that she makes a digitally de-aged cameo as Helen's snarky ghost in a dream sequence of the guilt-laden Danica Richards (Cline), a fellow former Croaker Queen. Her cameo follows some heavy references to the doomed beauty queen, including a visit to what was once Shivers Department Store. The moment earned a passionate response from the audience at the movie's world premiere this week in Los Angeles, and it's sure to have the same impact in theaters on opening weekend, ahead of Gellar's highly-anticipated return to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. College reunion Stick around for the credits, as a stinger brings back another survivor of the franchise, Brandy Norwood's Karla Wilson from the '98 Bahamian-set sequel, a cameo Robinson also teased. Reacting to the news of another vengeful massacre in Southport, North Carolina, Karla receives a menacing knock at the door. Could it be… Nick Fury? No, it's Julie warning her with another letter she received, along with a throwback photo of them, featuring a red X over Karla's face. With a couple of new 'final girls' joining the franchise, Julie and Karla seem poised to team up against the remaining killer for another potential installment. Killer reveal Following a pretty similar plot and format as writer Kevin Williamson and director Jim Gillespie's feature adaptation of Lois Duncan's 1973 novel, Robinson and co-writer Sam Lansky took a big swing with the reveal of their requel's killer, one that no other horror franchise has taken, at least in recent memory. Avenging the death of her spiritual peer and sober buddy, Pidgeon's Stevie Ward reveals in her big menacing monologue that she decided to take revenge on the group of former friends who covered up his death, after previously deserting her during her darkest days. What first seems heartbreaking for Ray, who is established as Stevie's employer and father figure, soon turns out to be an even more shocking reveal. Coming face to face with Julie, he confesses to guiding Stevie's murderous impulses to take revenge on the gentrified town that erased the trauma he endured (and for which he has apparently never sought help) nearly 30 years before. With Julie and Wonders' Ava Brooks defeating Ray, his homicidal protege is still out there and ready to take revenge in another installment. Best of Deadline Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock) - Update 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer' Twists & Cameos Revealed — Who Is The Fisherman?
I Know What You Did Last Summer As I Know What You Did Last Summer slashes its way into a new generation, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's requel has plenty of surprises in store for fans of the OG. More from Deadline 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Red Carpet: Cast Talks Keeping A Killer Secret Sarah Michelle Gellar Says She Won't Reprise 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Role In Sequel Film: 'I Am Dead' 'Superman' Soaring Past $200M+, 'I Know What You Did...' Doing $13M+, 'Smurfs' $12M Opening - Saturday AM Update The latest horror franchise to come back from the dead, amid the likes of Halloween and Scream, the followup to the 1997 slasher flick and its '98 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer takes some big swings with its killer reveal, as well as some top-secret cameos that longtime fans will appreciate. With Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles from the previous two films as survivors and high school sweethearts Julie James and Ray Bronson, nostalgia was inevitably going to be a major factor in this new installment, which also boasts a young cast of new potential victims (and suspects), including Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon. In addition to several Easter eggs—including a freight elevator, a parade float, a steamy gym locker room and a Scooby Doo reference—the sequel keeps longtime fans hooked with a few massive twists. Read on for some major SPOILERS about I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). Long live the Croaker Queen 'I am dead,' Sarah Michelle Gellar previously offered as a response to whether she'd reprise her role from the OG as Helen Shivers, following her family's set visit in Australia with husband and former co-star Prinze. A close friend of the director, it turns out Gellar was just playing coy about the fact that she makes a digitally de-aged cameo as Helen's snarky ghost in a dream sequence of the guilt-laden Danica Richards (Cline), a fellow former Croaker Queen. Her cameo follows some heavy references to the doomed beauty queen, including a visit to what was once Shivers Department Store. The moment earned a passionate response from the audience at the movie's world premiere this week in Los Angeles, and it's sure to have the same impact in theaters on opening weekend, ahead of Gellar's highly-anticipated return to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. College reunion Stick around for the credits, as a stinger brings back another survivor of the franchise, Brandy Norwood's Karla Wilson from the '98 Bahamian-set sequel, a cameo Robinson also teased. Reacting to the news of another vengeful massacre in Southport, North Carolina, Karla receives a menacing knock at the door. Could it be… Nick Fury? No, it's Julie warning her with another letter she received, along with a throwback photo of them, featuring a red X over Karla's face. With a couple of new 'final girls' joining the franchise, Julie and Karla seem poised to team up against the remaining killer for another potential installment. Killer reveal Following a pretty similar plot and format as writer Kevin Williamson and director Jim Gillespie's feature adaptation of Lois Duncan's 1973 novel, Robinson and co-writer Sam Lansky took a big swing with the reveal of their requel's killer, one that no other horror franchise has taken, at least in recent memory. Avenging the death of her spiritual peer and sober buddy, Pidgeon's Stevie Ward reveals in her big menacing monologue that she decided to take revenge on the group of former friends who covered up his death, after previously deserting her during her darkest days. What first seems heartbreaking for Ray, who is established as Stevie's employer and father figure, soon turns out to be an even more shocking reveal. Coming face to face with Julie, he confesses to guiding Stevie's murderous impulses to take revenge on the gentrified town that erased the trauma he endured (and for which he has apparently never sought help) nearly 30 years before. With Julie and Wonders' Ava Brooks defeating Ray, his homicidal protege is still out there and ready to take revenge in another installment. Best of Deadline Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock) - Update 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer' Director on the Shocking Twist Ending — and a Few Other Surprises
[Editor's note: The following interview contains major spoilers for 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.'] One of the great delights of the new 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' for fans of the original is the movie's thoughtful, satisfying use of the first movie's stars: Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt don't just make perfunctory cameo appearances, they're integral components of the plot. Which leads to another great delight — and surprise — when Prinze turns out to be one of the movie's two killers. More from IndieWire 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' Has Slasher Fans Nostalgic for... Jack Black in Dreads? China Just Started Using AI to Animate Film Adaptations - Is Labubu Next? For co-writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, securing Prinze and Hewitt on board early was key — she ensured they were on board with the direction she wanted to take before even writing the script. 'There were some big swings with the characters, so those were conversations I had early on with them,' Robinson told IndieWire on an upcoming episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. 'I didn't want to run in a direction that one or both of them would have disliked.' Robinson was determined to craft versions of the characters that would feel like a natural evolution from where they began in the 1997 film, and was delighted when she met Prinze in a diner and found that he was quickly on board with his character crossing over to the dark side. 'It was not necessarily the pitch he thought he was going to get from me, but he was immediately on board,' Robinson said. The fact that Prinze was a huge horror fanatic who constantly recommended films to Robinson during production was an added bonus. 'I leaned on him hugely during this process.' That said, the greatness of Prinze's performance in the film comes from the fact that he plays his character without a shred of self-consciousness or winking at the audience — the revelation that he's the killer is as tragic as it is scary, thanks to the clarity and depth with which Prinze delivers his climactic monologue. 'He committed so hard,' Robinson said of Prinze in his final speech. 'That was the last thing we shot with him, and I was so taken aback. Everything was layered and deep and nuanced, and you could feel that pain. He executed it so beautifully.' While Prinze and Hewitt's appearances in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' were announced well in advance of production, Robinson and the studio kept a couple other performances by legacy cast members secret until release. Perhaps the biggest surprise was a cameo by Sarah Michelle Gellar; while the appearance is completely justified as part of a dream sequence, it nevertheless comes as a shock because Gellar gave interviews publicly proclaiming how ridiculous it would be for her dead character to return to the franchise. 'It was a very easy misdirect because neither of us have lied,' Robinson said. 'People say, 'Is she going to be in the movie?' and I say, 'She's dead.' And she is dead. It was fun to…obfuscate, but not lie.' Robinson had worked with Gellar on her previous movie, 'Do Revenge,' so when the director was offered 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' Gellar was her first call. 'I said, 'I kind of want to do this. Is this weird?' And she was so supportive. She was like, 'You have to do this.'' Another surprise cameo comes in the film's post-credits sequence, when Brandy returns as her character from 1998's 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.' Like Gellar, Brandy had been evasive in pre-release interviews, making her appearance more surprising — and, thanks to the way Robinson ties all the films in the series together, more satisfying. 'I always wanted Brandy in the film, but I wanted to make sure that it felt true to the story we were telling and the characters and the tapestry.' The fact that Hewitt's character had retreated into isolation due to her trauma gave Robinson the hook she needed to bring Brandy back. 'I liked that the events of this movie pushed her back to her former best friend, and now her potential partner in crime,' Robinson said. 'The movie had a reason to push you to Brandy and give you that prize at the end of enduring the experience of 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.' It gives you a fun moment of levity at the end, where you have someone commenting on the craziness that you just witnessed. It felt true and it felt right.' 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' is now playing in theaters. To make sure you don't miss the Jennifer Kaytin Robinson episode of Filmmaker Toolkit, subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Best of IndieWire The 16 Best Slasher Movies Ever Made, from 'Candyman' to 'Psycho' Martin Scorsese's Favorite Movies Include 'Eddington': 87 Films the Director Wants You to See The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in July, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal'
