“I Know What You Did Last Summer” Cameos Explained: All About the New Movie's Shocking Reveals (Including One That Teases a Sequel!)
- - - “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Cameos Explained: All About the New Movie's Shocking Reveals (Including One That Teases a Sequel!)
Keith LangstonJuly 20, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Jennifer Love Hewitt in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997).
I Know What You Did Last Summer has slashed its way back into theaters after 27 years, and while fans know that franchise staples Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. both return to star in the movie, there are also a few secret cameos to shock audiences.
The new movie, out July 18, is set in the present day, picking up over 25 years after the 1997 massacre and the subsequent killing spree in the Bahamas. Now, Julie (Hewitt) teaches about trauma at a university a few hours away from the town of Southport, while Ray (Prinze Jr.) still lives there running a dockside bar.
But one 4th of July, a new friend group of twentysomethings accidentally cause the death of a motorist in Southport and one year later, they get a threatening letter saying, “I know what you did last summer.”
As the carnage resumes, both Ray and Julie are called in to help, making I Know What You Did Last Summer a true legacy sequel. But they aren’t the only familiar faces in the film.
Here’s everything to know about those epic cameos everyone is talking about in I Know What You Did Last Summer!
Warning: I Know What You Did Last Summer spoilers ahead!
Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
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Sarah Michelle Gellar attends the premiere of 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' on July 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California ; Sarah Michelle Gellar in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997).
Not only did Sarah Michelle Gellar reprise her role as Helen Shivers in the movie, but she’s also heavily referenced throughout the new film. In fact, one of the characters, true crime podcaster Tyler (Gabriette Bechtel), wears a shirt with her face on it and even revisits the scene of her gruesome murder (which doesn’t end well for Tyler either).
Plus, new character Danica (Madelyn Cline) shares many similarities to Shivers, at one point even saying that she was once crowned the town’s Croaker Queen, just like Shivers was in 1997. Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson told PEOPLE those similarities were intentional. She said that everyone in the original has a “proxy” in the new cast, and for Shivers, it’s Danica.
After numerous references, fans finally get a full cameo from Gellar in a dream sequence. In the scene, Danica falls asleep and has a horrible nightmare that involves her dead fiancé and Shivers.
“We wanted to bring Madelyn and Sarah together on-screen, and I'm so excited about the results,” Robinson said. “I feel like it’s just so fun. We recreated the Croaker Queen crown – that is an exact replica of the crown from the original movie. I really went for it in trying to create this David Lynch-y Helen Shivers dream sequence.”
During the scene, Shivers holds the killer’s iconic ice hook and tells Danica about death. As a product of Danica’s own guilt and fear, Shivers also brings up the accident and reminds Danica that she created this horrible situation with her lie. Then, Shivers begins to rot away before Danica suddenly wakes up, shaken by what she’s just seen.
Gellar’s husband, Prinze Jr., told PEOPLE he was really thrilled about the cameo.
“We were all really excited for audiences to get to see that,” he said, while also admitting he knew about the cameo for a long time. “It's nice to know a secret, and to know how well-received it's going to be, months and months before it ever goes out there.”
Karla Wilson (Brandy)
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Brandy Norwood at the Special Screening of "The Front Room" on August 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California ; Brandy Norwood in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997).
Another shocking cameo came after the film ended in a mid-credits scene. Brandy earned her Scream Queen title from starring as Julie’s college roommate Karla in 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. In the film, she joins Julie for a lavish vacation in the Bahamas after winning a radio contest. But things go horribly wrong, and instead of an idyllic Caribbean getaway, the trip ends in bloodshed.
In the new film, Karla appears in the mid-credits scene, watching a newscast about the fresh string of killings in Southport. While that alone would have been a fun easter egg for fans, the scene ends up getting way more intense and even sets up the film for a sequel.
Karla hears a knock on the door, and it turns out to be Julie. She arrives with an envelope, and inside, there’s a photo of her and Karla with a note that reads “This isn’t over.” Karla looks up and asks, “So, whose a-- do we have to kick now?” and Julie responds, “I was hoping you’d say that.”
The scene’s obvious sequel set-up was no accident either. Both the director and Hewitt have said they’re all-in for a second movie. Robinson told PEOPLE, “To me, the fun of bringing back this franchise is kind of following the rules of the first two movies. So it always felt the most right to bring Brandy back to set up a sequel that she would then be in.”
Hewitt is also excited about the idea of a sequel. “Let's leave no mystery," the actress told PEOPLE, “if there's a seat, I'm there. If they'll have me, I would love it.”
She also spoke about how much she loved reuniting with “The Boy is Mine” singer. Hewitt said, “We were just so happy to be back together, and I think she really felt like I did, just so deeply grateful for this opportunity. It's just so fun.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
