10 Horror Movies That Changed Their Franchise
7. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer
Not only did I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer change its franchise, it essentially tanked it.
The initial plan for this threequel was for it to directly follow the prior two Last Summer pictures, picking things up again with Julie James and Ray Bronson as they once more find themselves in the crosshairs of a hook-wielding killer fisherman.
Due to various issues, it took eight whole years for I'll Always Know to finally arrive. And when it did, the film received a straight-to-DVD release, had zero to do with the first two movies or their characters, and took the franchise in a 'bold' new direction. That new direction? Why, that's to make the series' villain, Ben Willis, into a supernatural entity. So, rather than a standard slasher franchise, the Last Summer IP suddenly became a spooky, ghostly one.
Unsurprisingly, I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer was a total dud. As in, one of those total duds that you just remove from your memory and pretend that this franchise is merely just a two-movie affair.
Still, earlier this year saw rumblings of the franchise getting a 'legacy sequel' - think 2022's Scream - which if it does happen, will surely ignore absolutely everything to do with I'll Always Know.