10 Horror Movie Franchises That Went Out With A Whimper

6. I Know What You Did Last Summer

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a major '90s favourite, and while follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer wasn't quite as good, it was still a fun, light popcorn horror. As such, hope was high that the long-confirmed third film - I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer - would nicely round out a solid slasher trilogy.

The problem is, I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer ultimately spent years spinning its wheels in development hell. Plans for I'll Always Know were announced as far back as 2000, with the focus to be on Jennifer Love Hewitt's Julie James, Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Ray Bronson, and Brandy's Karla Wilson as they once again found themselves in the crosshairs of the hook-wielding Ben Willis.

Unfortunately, delays and creative changes took away any momentum and the bulk of interest in the IP by the time I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer finally released in 2006. With zero returning protagonists, a change of setting, and turning the franchise's villainous fisherman into a supernatural figure... yeah, I'll Always Know was awful.

Still, one positive from this third movie was seeing horror fave Don Shanks - as in, a former Michael Myers - in the Ben Willis role, but that's about it in terms of niceties.

A new Last Summer is nowadays in extremely early development, although it remains to be seen whether this supposed 'legacy sequel' - think 2022's Scream - ever sees the light of day.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 18th Jan 2024