Julie James (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

Last updated
Julie James
I Know What You Did Last Summer character
Julie James.jpeg
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James in I Know What You Did Last Summer
First appearance
Created by Lois Duncan
Portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt
In-universe information
GenderFemale
Occupation
  • High school student
  • College student
Significant otherRay Bronson
Origin Southport, North Carolina
StatusAlive

Julie James is a fictional character in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. The character was created by American writer Lois Duncan and appears in her 1973 suspense novel I Know What You Did Last Summer . In the story, Julie is a young woman whose friend group is involved in a hit-and-run accident. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt portrayed Julie in the Kevin Williamson-scripted feature film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), in which she is the final girl. She returns in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998).

Contents

In 2018, Bianca Giselle portrayed the character in the musical parody I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Unauthorized Musical that premiered at the El Cid in Los Angeles. Over the years, the character has received generally weak reception because of her role in the film, with many arguing that other characters in the story were more compelling and should have survived over Julie.

Appearances

Literature

Julie originates from Lois Duncan's 1973 suspense novel I Know What You Did Last Summer . She is a high school senior who was involved in a hit-and-run accident of a cycling boy with her boyfriend Ray Bronson, and friends Barry Cox and Helen Rivers. One year later, she receives a sinister note alluding to a past tragedy involving herself and her group. Despite Ray's attempts to reassure her, Julie's instincts drive her to seek answers, further reinforced when she visits Helen, hoping for comfort and support. She suggests visiting the Greggs, the family of David, the boy who died in the accident, in search of clues. During their visit to the Gregg household, Julie engages in conversation with Megan, David's mother, hoping to glean information about the mysterious note. Through their conversation, Julie learns more about the impact of David's death on the Gregg family, deepening her empathy for their grief. Julie's resolve is further tested when Barry is shot and left paralyzed. She supports Ray as he grapples with guilt and tries to convince Barry to break their pact of silence. As the tension escalates, Julie's instincts lead her to suspect Collie, a new acquaintance of Helen's, as the perpetrator behind the threats. Her suspicions are confirmed when Collie reveals himself to be David's brother and attempts to harm her. In a climactic confrontation, Julie finds herself in mortal danger as Collie, now revealed as Bud, attempts to kill her. Through sheer willpower and determination, Julie survives the ordeal, rescued by Ray's timely intervention. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, Julie undergoes a profound transformation, emerging as a resilient and courageous young woman. Her unwavering determination to uncover the truth and confront her fears ultimately leads to her survival and newfound strength.

Film

Julie makes her cinematic debut in the 1997 film. On the Fourth of July, her friend Helen Shivers wins the Fourth of July Croaker Beauty Pageant and after celebrating, Julie and Helen go to the beach with Julie's boyfriend Ray Bronson and Helen's boyfriend Barry Cox. While driving on the byway, they accidentally run over a pedestrian. They decide to dump the body into the sea and never talk about what happened. One year later, Julie left Southport, North Carolina, and receives a letter that reads "I know what you did last summer!". Returning to her hometown, she reunites with Helen, Barry, and Ray, telling them that the man they hit was named David Egan and that his death was labeled an accidental drowning. When a hook-handed killer begins to menace the town, Helen and Julie visit David's sister Missy for more information, but Julie is overcome with guilt and leaves. Julie returns to Missy's, only now with suspicion of a man named Billy Blue. Missy tells Julie that David killed himself and Julie figures out that David wasn't the man they hit, and that another man named Ben Willis is likely the culprit. Ben tricks Julie into boarding his boat before undocking it. Ray catches up to their boat and saves Julie by cutting Ben Willis's hand off and sending him overboard.

Julie returns in the film's 1998 sequel. With the first anniversary of the events of the first movie, Julie has become increasingly paranoid, but her spirits seem lifted when she and her new friend Karla win four tickets to the Bahamas, enough for them, Karla's boyfriend Tye, and one more person. Julie initially wants Ray to come, but he declines and Julie instead invites her other friend Will Benson. While karaoke there, Julie receives a message on the karaoke machine, reading "I still know what you did last summer." When people start being murdered, Julie starts seeing visions of their corpses, and when she asks to leave she is told that an upcoming storm means that that is not possible. The killer tries to tie a tanning bed shut with Julie inside, but she is saved by her friends. With all the hotel staff being murdered, the group is ambushed by the killer, who is revealed to be Ben Willis, who survived the first movie, and Will, who is revealed to be his son. Julie is saved by Ray again, who just arrived on the island and takes down Will. Julie then shoots Ben to death. The next morning, Julie, Karla, and Ray are rescued from the island.

Julie in set to return in a 2025 sequel. [1]

The character was spoofed in the 2000 parody film Scary Movie . The character Cindy Campbell, played by Anna Faris, was based on Julie and Sidney Prescott. Jennifer Love Hewitt appeared in a cameo in the Boy Meets World episode And Then There Was Shawn in which she parodied a scene where Julie shouts in the 1997 film. [2] [3]

In 2018, Bianca Giselle was cast in the musical parody I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Unauthorized Musical that premiered at the El Cid in Los Angeles. [4] [5]

Reception

Julie is generally considered a weak final girl character due to her incompetence, passive behaviour, and lack of redeeming qualities compared to other characters in the franchise, most notably Helen Shivers, Ray Bronson, and Karla Wilson. Writing for Bloody Disgusting in 2017, Trace Thurman wrote that “Julie James is a terrible Final Girl”, arguing that the character Helen Shivers should have filled the role, saying “Helen is a much deeper and [more] likable character. Julie is boring and useless”. [6] In 2021, WhatCulture listed Julie as one of 5 horror movie characters who should have died, arguing that she is “one of horror's weakest final girls” and that “Helen Shivers is far more likeable and entertaining than the film's actual protagonist”. [7] Jack Pooley of WhatCulture also believed Julie is difficult to root for, as “she's just not particularly likeable or interesting”. [8] In 2021, Amanda Bruce of Screen Rant criticised Julie's lack of initiative, writing that “Julie doesn't actually get to do much fighting. More often than not, it's her high school boyfriend who fights her battles after she's done her best to confront the bad guy”. [9] Jacki Billings of PewPew Tactical criticised Julie in the first movie, calling her a “damsel in distress”, but praised her development in its sequel, writing “In the second film, Julie comes a little more into her own”. [10] Daric L. Cottingham of reckon argued that in the sequel, Karla Wilson was a more interesting character, writing “While Julie is the main character, it’s Karla who shines throughout the movie”. [11]

Kate Hudson of Pajiba wrote “Julie is an OK final girl, it’s just that Helen would have been better”. [12] Shaun Stacy of SlashFilm praised Julie's characterisation, writing “Julie is highly resourceful; she's a survivor even if she doesn't always want to be, and that's more realistic than anything else we had seen in a horror film in a long time”. [13] Hewitt's role in the film led to her being considered a scream queen. Josh Sorokach of Decider praised the actress's scream, writing “Sidney Prescott may be tougher, but the true queen of scream is Jennifer Love Hewitt”. [14]

Desirae Gooding-Nieves of CBR criticised Julie's character in comparison to Helen's, writing, “By granting Julie the unearned and predictable status of final girl, I Know What You Did Last Summer fails to cement itself as anything unique or surprising”. [15] Victoria Rose Caister of Game Rant said, “She puts herself in unnecessary danger in a way that comes across far more idiotic than heroic”. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Michelle Gellar</span> American actress (born 1977)

Sarah Michelle Prinze is an American actress. After being spotted by a talent agent as a young child, she made her film debut at age six in the television film An Invasion of Privacy (1983). A leading role in the short-lived teen drama series Swans Crossing (1992) was followed by her breakthrough as Kendall Hart on the ABC soap opera All My Children (1993–1995), for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.

<i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1997 American slasher film

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr., with supporting roles played by Johnny Galecki, Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche, and Muse Watson. The first installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, it is loosely based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan. The film centers on four teenage friends, who are stalked by a hook-wielding killer one year after covering up a car accident in which they supposedly killed a man. It also draws inspiration from the urban legend known as "the Hook", as well as the slasher films Prom Night (1980) and The House on Sorority Row (1982).

<i>Scary Movie</i> 2000 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream queen</span> Actress known for her work in horror films

A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Isabelle Adjani, Sarah Paulson, Vera Farmiga, Jamie Lee Curtis, Taissa Farmiga, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Melissa Barrera, Naomi Scott and Linnea Quigley.

<i>Cant Hardly Wait</i> 1998 American film

Can't Hardly Wait is a 1998 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. It stars an ensemble cast including Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, and is notable for a number of "before-they-were-famous" appearances by teen stars. The story takes place at a high school graduation party.

<i>I Still Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1998 slasher film

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1998 slasher film that is the sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and the second installment in the franchise of the same name. It is directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson, who reprise their role from the first film, while Brandy, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Cobbs, Matthew Settle, Jennifer Esposito, Jack Black, Jeffrey Combs, and John Hawkes also star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karla Faye Tucker</span> American murderer (1959–1998)

Karla Faye Tucker was an American woman sentenced to death for killing two people with a pickaxe during a burglary. She was the first woman to be executed in the United States since Velma Barfield in 1984 in North Carolina, and the first in Texas since Chipita Rodriguez in 1863. She was convicted of murder in Texas in 1984 and executed by lethal injection after 14 years on death row. Due to her gender and widely publicized conversion to Christianity, she inspired an unusually large national and international movement that advocated the commutation of her sentence to life without parole, a movement that included a few foreign government officials.

Jennifer Chambers Lynch is an American filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker David Lynch, she made her directorial debut with the film Boxing Helena in 1993. Following a troubled production, the film was a critical and commercial failure, with Lynch receiving a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director. The negative reception to her feature debut and controversy surrounding its release led to Lynch taking a 15-year hiatus from filmmaking.

"Treehouse of Horror X" is the fourth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the tenth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Halloween 1999. In "I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did", the Simpsons cover up a murder and are haunted by an unseen witness. In "Desperately Xeeking Xena", Lisa and Bart gain superpowers and must rescue Xena star Lucy Lawless from the Comic Book Guy's alter ego The Collector, and in "Life's a Glitch, Then You Die", Homer causes worldwide destruction thanks to the Y2K bug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final girl</span> Trope in slasher horror films

The final girl or survivor girl is a trope in horror films. It refers to the last girl(s) or woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. The final girl has been observed in many films, notable examples being Psycho, Voices of Desire, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Alien, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and Terrifier 2. The term "final girl" was coined by Carol J. Clover in her article "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film" (1987). Clover suggested that in these films, the viewer began by sharing the perspective of the killer, but experienced a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.

<i>Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th</i> 2000 American film

Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th is a 2000 American direct-to-video parody slasher film directed by John Blanchard. The film stars Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tom Arnold, Coolio and Shirley Jones. Several mid- and late 1990s teen horror films are parodied, as are slasher films from the 1970s and 1980s, including the Scream films, Friday the 13th (1980), Halloween (1978), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), as well as other films and television series outside of the horror genre. Although many different films are parodied, the film follows the plot of Scream (1996) very closely. It is often compared to Scary Movie, a commercially successful spoof from the same year, which had as a working title Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween.

<i>Ill Always Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 2006 American slasher film

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer is a 2006 American direct-to-video supernatural slasher film that is the third installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, but does not have any of the cast returning from the first two installments, thus making it a standalone sequel. It is directed by Sylvain White and written by Michael D. Weiss. It stars Brooke Nevin, David Paetkau, Torrey DeVitto, Ben Easter, and stuntman Don Shanks as the Fisherman. The film instead takes the basic myth of the series with a new set of characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Christensen</span> Final Destination franchise fictional character

Wendy Christensen is a fictional character in the Final Destination franchise. The character, created by James Wong and Glen Morgan, and portrayed by actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, serves as the protagonist in Final Destination 3. Outside of the films, the character also appears in the novelization of Final Destination 3.

<i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> (novel) 1973 novel by Lois Duncan

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1973 suspense novel for young adults by Lois Duncan. A film adaptation loosely based on the novel was released in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Love Hewitt</span> American actress (born 1979)

Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated (1989–1991). She had her breakthrough as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five (1995–1999) and rose to fame as a teen star for her role as Julie James in the horror films I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, as well as her role as Amanda Beckett in the teen comedy film Can't Hardly Wait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Campbell</span> Fictional lead character from the Scary Movie franchise

Cynthia "Cindy" Campbell is a fictional character from the Scary Movie franchise. Portrayed by Anna Faris and created by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the character first appeared as a high school student in Scary Movie (2000). In the film, whose main parodies are the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer franchises, Cindy shares a role similar to Sidney Prescott and Julie James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Iseman</span> American actress (born 1997)

Madison Elizabeth Iseman is an American actress. She is known for starring in the CMT comedy television series Still the King (2016–2017). She is also known for appearing in the psychological thriller film Fear of Rain (2021), the fantasy adventure comedy films Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), the comedy horror film Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), the supernatural horror film Annabelle Comes Home (2019) and the Amazon Prime Video horror television series I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021).

I Know What You Did Last Summer is an American horror media franchise owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and consisting of three slasher films and one television series based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan. The first installment was written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Jim Gillespie, and released in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Shivers</span> Fictional character

Helen Shivers is a fictional character in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. She was created by American writer Lois Duncan and originates from Duncan's 1973 suspense novel I Know What You Did Last Summer as a young woman involved in a hit and run accident. In this version, she is known as Helen Rivers. She was portrayed by actress Sarah Michelle Gellar in the Kevin Williamson scripted feature film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) as the Croaker Queen of the Southport 1996 Beauty Pageant. Her chase sequence with the killer of the film has been deemed iconic and has been described as toying with the audience's expectations.

The untitled I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel is an upcoming American slasher film directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Lansky after an initial draft by Leah McKendrick. It is the fourth film in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, serving as a sequel to I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The film stars Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Hauer-King and Chase Sui Wonders, with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles as Julie James and Ray Bronson from first two films.

References

  1. ↑ Kroll, Justin (December 13, 2024). "Jennifer Love Hewitt Closes Deal To Return For Next 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Movie At Sony". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ Alter, Ethan (4 October 2023). "How Jennifer Love Hewitt ended up in the 'Scream'-inspired episode of 'Boy Meets World'". Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Ringle, Daniel (31 October 2023). "Boy Meets World Still Has the Best Halloween Special". CBR. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Highfill, Samantha (12 September 2018). "I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Unauthorized Musical finds its cast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL Makes Its Way Back To Los Angeles". Broadway World. 12 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Thurman, Trace (10 July 2017). "Is Julie James the Worst Final Girl in Horror History?". Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Rennie, Madison (2 December 2020). "5 Horror Movie Characters Who Should Have Died (And 5 We Wish Hadn't)". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Pooley, Jack (10 June 2021). "10 Horror Movies That Chose The Wrong Survivor". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Bruce, Amanda (24 February 2021). "Horror Movie Final Girls Ranked From Least To Most Likely To Survive The Hunger Games". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Billings, Jacki (30 October 2023). "7 Best Final Girls of Horror [& Weapons of Choice]". Pew Pew Tactical. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "These 'Final Girl' horror films will get you in the spooky spirit". Reckon. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ↑ Hudson, Kate (31 October 2019). "Sarah Michelle Gellar was Done Dirty. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Had the Wrong Final Girl". Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Stacy, Shaun (17 September 2021). "The 15 Best Final Girls In Horror Movies Ranked". SlashFilm. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Sorokach, Josh (21 October 2016). "Final Girl Friday: Jennifer Love Hewitt's Julie James Is The True Queen Of Scream". Decider. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  15. ↑ Gooding-Neives, Desirae (21 April 2022). "I Know What You Did Last Summer Ended with the Wrong Final Girl". CBR. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ↑ Rose Caister, Victoria (26 June 2022). "5 Worst Horror Movie Heroes". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.