Ready to feel old? “I Know What You Did Last Summer” celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this week! Directed by Scotland-born Jim Gillespie and penned by “Scream” screenwriter Kevin Williamson, the classic teen slasher flick first hit theatres on October 17, 1997, becoming an instant hit with viewers, eventually raking in a total of $125 million worldwide! As Gillespie recounted to Digital Spy in 2017, “It was meant to be kind of a stand-alone revisit of those classic ’80s horror films. It worked! The movie was number one three weeks in a row. It just clicked with the audience. The title clicked and everything just seemed to work. Third week was Halloween weekend and it was number one in its third week. I couldn’t believe it stuck there for three weeks.”
Based upon Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel of the same name, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (currently streaming on Paramount Plus) tells the story of recent high school graduates/best friends Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen Shrivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who accidentally hit and kill a man while driving on a desolate road late one July night shortly before they are to leave for college. The foursome decides to cover up the death, dumping the body in the ocean, and vow never to speak of it again. But the secret, of course, doesn’t stay buried. Upon returning home at the conclusion of their freshmen year, an anonymous villain donning a fisherman’s slicker and a metal hook begins to terrorize the teens, claiming, “I know what you did last summer.” As detailed by Screen Rant, “The ingredients were basic. Gather together a group of attractive rising stars, toss in a masked or hooded psycho, and have most of the characters meet their demise at the psycho’s hands — or knife, or machete, or other trademark weapon. Films like this were easy to make, but difficult to make well, which is part of why ‘IKWYDLS’ proved so popular. It’s genuinely good.” Two sequels were eventually released, as well as a streaming series produced by Amazon Prime in 2021. None fared as well as the original, though, which remains beloved today, especially amongst those who grew up in the ’90s.
Gloomy and haunting from the jump, “IKWYDLS” takes place and was primarily shot in North Carolina, with a few scenes lensed on California’s northern coast. Gillespie and production designer Gary Wissner looked to two classic thrillers for the film’s visual inspiration – John Carpenter’s original “Halloween,” which took place in the fictional Haddonfield, Ill., and Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” which was set on the fictional Amity Island. Of the latter, Gillespie told Digital Spy, “There’s lots of stuff that nods to ‘Jaws;’ Fourth of July parades, all those things . . . I wanted the waterfront to have a New England feel, and ‘Jaws’ was that.”
Southport, a seaside enclave situated on North Carolina’s picturesque eastern shore, provided filmmakers with the perfect small-town backdrop for the movie’s harrowing action. Thoroughly idyllic, the tiny burg (which measures a scant 3.8 square miles) is the last place one would expect a deranged hook-wielding killer to be roaming around terrorizing local teens.
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Image Credit: Columbia Pictures -
Image Credit: Google Captured against a host of attractive sites, one of the film’s most memorable locations is the pitched-roof clapboard residence where Julie lives with her mom, Mrs. James (Deborah Hobart). Purported to be at 309 Short St. in the film, the dwelling is actually numbered 209 Short St. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.) Nestled on a narrow one-way street lined with leafy oaks just a stone’s throw from scenic Yacht Basin (where the Intracoastal Waterway, Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean converge), the house is one of Southport’s most historic. (Bonus – the Fishy Fishy Cafe, which played Porter’s Stowaway Tavern in the pilot episode of the ABC television series “Revenge,” is just steps away at 106 Yacht Basin Dr.)
In real life, Julie’s pad is known as the McKeithan-Ford House. According to a National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, the “boxy two-story frame” structure was built by local carpenter and city alderman Moses McKeithan circa 1900 for his son, Fred. It was then acquired by the Ford family in 1917, who proceeded to own it through at least the 1980s. The two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,650-square-foot property most recently sold last July for $659,000 after initially hitting the market the previous October at a slightly higher $725,000. Per listing materials, at the time of the sale, it had only changed hands twice since initially being built over 100 years prior. As such, countless original details remain intact.
As MLS photos attest, the interior is a charming array of stained glass windows, pine flooring, pressed tin ceilings, etched glass transom windows, exposed brick, mantled fireplaces, a cadre of built-ins and handsome wainscotting. All of the home’s original Southport bow trim, described by the Southport Oak Island Chamber of Commerce-Welcome Center as “a trademark of our coastal craftsmen,” still frames the many doors and windows. The listing information further details that an original “one-of-a-kind pocket door off the living room” is also still in place.
Pleasant living spaces consist of a formal dining area, a living room, a family room, a kitchen and an enclosed porch configured as a quaint office at the time of the listing. Eagle-eyed readers should also take note of the “IKWYDLS” poster proudly displayed on the second-level landing in the MLS pics.
The exterior features two additional porches, one on the lower level and one on the upper, both offering stellar views of Yacht Basin’s gorgeous shoreline. There is a rear garden, brick patio and potting shed on the premises, as well. The property is also within walking distance of all of Southport’s main attractions, including the downtown area’s many shops and restaurants.
Zillow estimates the dwelling’s current worth at just over $850,000, which is somewhat of a bargain considering its status as a veritable piece of horror movie history!
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Image Credit: Columbia Pictures -
Image Credit: Google The McKeithan-Ford House appears several times throughout “IKWYDLS” as the spot Julie retreats to while being continually terrorized by the crazed fisherman.
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Image Credit: Columbia Pictures The home’s real interior also figures in many scenes. It is in the living room that Julie teaches Helen the wonders of using a search engine. Ah, the ‘90s!
Horror fans will be delighted to see that the property’s richly colored walls and handsome detailing still look much as they did onscreen in 1997!
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Image Credit: Columbia Pictures Interestingly, Barry’s residence from the film, a sprawling waterfront stunner located about a mile and a half east of the McKeithan-Ford House at 220 River Dr., changed hands in August 2021, exactly a month after Julie’s! So last summer appears to have been a genuine “IKWYDLS” real estate fire sale!