Ahhh… the 'Teen Slasher Movie.' What better way is there than to spend a late Saturday night huddled up with you're significant other, watching a movie where teenage boys and girls get hacked to pieces by a hook wielding maniac? Well, I'll tell you. Huddling up with your significant other while watching THREE movies where teenage boys and girls get hacked to pieces by a hook wielding maniac. And that's just the opportunity Sony / Columbia Tristar is giving us this month with the release of the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" collection box set. That's right, the marketing mavens at Sony / Columbia Tristar decided to take two of the better slasher flicks from the 1990's ("I Know What You Did Last Summer", "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer") and put them together with an all-new, straight-to-video sequel ("I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer") to give us a complete trilogy in the Hook Man saga.

The only problem with this is that the original two films were above average horror films for the time, while this new third installment is rather tepid in comparison.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" created a mythos based on the Urban Legend of the Hook Man. According to the film, it all started when four teenagers accidentally hit someone with their car. Instead of doing the right thing and calling the police, they decide to dump the body into the ocean. Anyone who has EVER seen a horror movie knows that this is a big no-no. Thinking that they got away with the accidental killing, each one of the teens gets an ominous note stating, "I Know What You Did Last Summer." And one by one they begin to get picked off by killer who comes to be known as the Hook Man.

This first film in the series was actually a tad bit better than a lot of the other horror films of its type. The acting was pretty good, the effects were fairly gruesome and the legend of the Hook Man spawned a slew of sightings around the country. The only part of the movie that was a little hard to deal with was watching Sarah Michelle Gellar actually lose to the killer, after seeing her kick so many demon butts in "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

A couple of years later, the two survivors (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinz, Jr.) returned in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" to face the Hook Man all over again. This time they are joined by Brandi and Mekhi Phifer as the four find themselves at a posh resort in the midst of a heavy storm. But if the Hook Man has it his way, it ain't the storm that will be the death of our heroes. For this film, the mantle of director was taken up by Danny Cannon, who previously helmed the underrated "Judge Dread." Under his direction, this sequel turned out to be not quite as good as the original, but still worth the time to watch.

So, what do you do when you have a successful movie and a sequel? Wait seven years and create a direct-to-video addition in order to turn it into a Trilogy. "I'll always Know What You Did Last Summer", has little in common with its predecessors beyond the idea of the Hook Man. None of the stars return, so the cast is entirely new. It seems this new group of teenagers stage a little prank based on the legend of the Hook Man and it causes the death of one of their friends. They continue the tradition of hiding the body and not telling the cops, and one year later find themselves ceremoniously picked off. This last film is straight-to-video because it deserves to be. Unlike the first two films, which were very stylish in their approach, this film seems more like a low-grade B-movie. It's not horrible, but it's no where near as good as the others.

I do think it is a good idea to offer all three of the films together in one set however, because if you don’t already own any of them you can grab them at a discounted price. The down side though is if you are heavily into special features, the DVD copy of the film in this set has only the barest bones included. There is a standalone DVD release out there that has a bunch of features that are not offered here. On the other hand, if you already own the first two movies, and are obsessed with completing the set, "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer" is also available by itself.

As for the aforementioned special features, the first film only has a directors commentary, the sequel has 'Making of' Featurette and a music video by Jennifer Love Hewitt (back when someone erroneously told her she could sing), and the third installment includes a commentary and its own 'Making of ' Featurette.

In spite of the deficiencies of the third film, this set is still worthwhile in that it offers a fairly good version of the Hook Man legend… and lots of teenagers getting their just desserts.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Directed by: Jim Gillespie
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Bridgette Wilson
Extras: Commentary by Director
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
MPAA Rating: R

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Directed by: Danny Cannon
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr, Brandy Borwood, Mekhi Phifer, Muse Watson
Extras: Making of Featurette, Music Video - Jennifer Love Hewitt "How Do I Deal?"
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
MPAA Rating: R

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Directed by: Sylvain White
Starring: Sally Ann Brooks, K.C Clyde, Torrey DeVitto, Ben Easter, Star LaPoint
Extras: Making of Featurette, Director's Commentary
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 8/15/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating:
Website

We'll give I Know What You Did Last Summer Box Set Collection a B.