This Forgotten DTV Thriller From the Author of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is Now Streaming Free
I grew up in the era of Scream-inspired slasher movies. I’m biased, no doubt, but I consider many of them among my favorite horror movies of all time. They’re horror tea, just hot and cozy and innately comforting and secure. Scream is a classic, of course, but I’m just as fond of Urban Legend (and, forgive me, cute Jared Leto), German-riff The Pool, and the arrow-through-the-heart cuteness of Valentine.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is no doubt the most resonant of the post-Scream era. Adapted from the Lois Duncan novel of the same name (loosely adapted, I should note), I Know What You Did Last Summer was also written by Scream scribe Kevin Williamson, and in a lot of ways, it’s almost like an unofficial Scream sequel, what with the masked killer, meta commentary, and all. And like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer is getting the requel treatment with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. How will that work? We’ll find out, but right now, I’m more interested in another Lois Duncan adaptation I never knew existed. Now that I do know, I’m obsessed, and best of all, it’s streaming free.
Learn more about I’ve Been Waiting for You below:
Per TV Guide: When a California teen with an interest in the occult moves to a New England town, she finds that the town teens believe she is a witch sent to seek revenge on the descendants of the people who originally killed another witch 100 years ago. Things take a particularly deadly turn when they convince her to play a seer at a Halloween party where they will feed her information over an earphone about those who enter her tent, but she suddenly sees things beyond their knowledge or help.
Christopher Leitch’s adaptation of Duncan’s The Gallows is less flashy than I Know What You Did Last Summer, and not that the latter was necessarily acclaimed, but I’ve Been Waiting for You was a flop. Still (and this is very important to me), I’ve Been Waiting for You was a made-for-television movie. The film premiered on NBC in 1998, no doubt looking to target teen slasher fans. So, yeah, it’s been censored for release, but what remains is still a pretty gnarly, masked killer throwback.
I was informed of its existence by our Dread Central Managing Editor, Josh Korngut, who (rightly) suggested it gave massive Chad Collins Energy. It does. Is it going to change your world? No, but few things will. If you’re a fan of teen slashers, especially the 1990s variety, then I’m almost certain I’ve Been Waiting for You is going to resonate. It’s cheesy, goofy, tense, and features some faces you almost definitely know, including Sarah Chalke and Markie Post. We love to see it.
What do you think? Any plans to check out I’ve Been Waiting for You? The film is streaming online here. If you do check it out, or if you’ve already seen it, I’d love to hear what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
