List of I Know What You Did Last Summer characters
The following is a list of characters from the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Julie James
| Julie James | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Last appearance | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by |
Character Lois Duncan Developed for Film Kevin Williamson |
| Portrayed by | Jennifer Love Hewitt |
| Information | |
| Full name | Julie Nicole James |
| Aliases |
Angela (when speaking to Melissa Egan) |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation |
High school student (at Southport High; graduated) College student |
| Spouse(s) |
Ray Bronson (husband; 1999) |
| Location | Southport, North Carolina |
| Status | Unknown |
Julie Nicole James is a central character in both I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt. She was the only one who disagreed with dumping Ben's body and felt the guiltiest about the accident. She is Ben Willis' main target. She survives the events of the first film. In the second film, Ben had set up her, Karla and Tyrell, with the help of his son, Will. She again survives Ben's attack and kills him by shooting him many times. She and Ray got married a year after the Bahamas attack. In the end of the second film, she is hooked by Ben Willis (who is under the bed) and dragged under the bed. It's revealed in the next film that Willis came back from the grave as an undead being, and that is how he is able to come back for Julie after being shot. It is unknown if she was killed or survived. In the film I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, there is an article stating that four teens were murdered at the Bahamas, possibly referring to Julie, Ray, Ty, and Karla.
In the novel, Julie was a fun-loving cheerleader prior to the accident. Of all the teens involved, she feels the guiltiest, and has always regretted not going back to help the victim of their hit-and-run, a child named Daniel Gregg, as opposed to the fisherman in the film. After the accident, she breaks up with Ray, quits cheerleading and devotes herself to studying hard, in the hopes of both forgetting the horror of the accident, and being accepted to an out of state university to escape the tragedy. In the first chapter of the novel, she receives correspondence that she has been accepted to Smith University. She lives with her widowed mother, and dates a man named Bud Wilson, later revealed to be the elder half-brother of Daniel Gregg. After Bud reveals his identity, he tries to strangle her. Julie survives after Ray knocks Bud out.
Helen Shivers
| Helen Shivers | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by |
Character Lois Duncan Developed for Film Kevin Williamson |
| Portrayed by | Sarah Michelle Gellar |
| Information | |
| Aliases |
Jodie (when speaking to Melissa Egan) |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation |
High school student (at Southport High; graduated) Former aspiring actress Shop clerk |
| Family |
Elsa Shivers (older sister; deceased) |
| Significant other(s) |
Barry Cox (boyfriend; deceased) |
| Location | Southport, North Carolina |
| Status | Dead |
Helen Shivers is one of the main characters in the first film, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She was one of the teens who agreed to dump Ben's body. At first, she disagrees of dumping the remains, but later agrees because she is afraid of losing her trip to New York. She was proclaimed a Croaker Queen prior to the accident. She was one of Julie's best friends and was Barry's longtime girlfriend during High School, but the two of them break up sometime after graduating. One year after the incident, Helen's trip to New York failed, thus she had no choice but to work for her sister's department store. When she was sleeping, Ben threatened her by shearing her hair and writing "Soon" on her mirror (referring he will soon get his revenge). After the event, Barry and her reconciled their relationship. Even after being threatened, she still participates in the Croaker Parade, where she sees the fisherman threatening her with his hook. At the pageant, while a contestant is singing, she sees the fisherman attack and murder Barry. She screams and tries to get help, but no one believes her. Later she is escorted by a policeman. Then the fisherman lures the policeman in an alley and kills him. Helen then escapes and runs to where Elsa is working then while locking a door the fisherman attacks Elsa and kills her by slashing her throat. When Helen hears her scream she goes to investigate and is attacked by the fisherman and escapes by jumping through the window into a dumpster. Then she runs and comes close within the safety of the parade but is pushed into a pile of tires. She is then killed after a brief struggle by the hook but no one could hear her screams because of the parade. Later on Julie finds her body in a pile of ice.
In the novel, Helen is a very beautiful young woman, and a television personality, who lives a life of luxury in the Four Seasons apartments. Despite her beauty and success, she is often insecure about her poor background and low education, as she dropped out of high school at the end of her junior year; Barry was the only reason she had stayed until then. Due to her low esteem, she worries about losing what she has worked for. She is more than a little dependant on Barry, and is unaware that he simply uses her as a show piece and to brag about having a girlfriend who works on television. Helen is convinced that Barry loves her and believes he will one day marry her, despite him never telling her he loves her, and showing no interest in wanting to settle down. She comes from a large, and financially struggling family, and suffers verbal abuse from her bitter older sister, Elsa. Unlike the film, Helen does not die. Collingsworth Wilson chases her into her bathroom, where she falls from a second-story window, but recovers.
Barry Cox
| Barry Cox | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by |
Character Lois Duncan Developed for Film Kevin Williamson |
| Portrayed by | Ryan Phillippe |
| Information | |
| Full name | Barry William Cox |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
High school student (at Southport High; graduated) College student and football player |
| Significant other(s) |
Helen Shivers (girlfriend; deceased) |
| Location | Southport, North Carolina |
| Status | Dead |
Barry William Cox is one of the main characters in the original film, portrayed by Ryan Phillippe. He has been Helen's longtime boyfriend, but the two of them break up sometime after graduating from High School. However, they reconcile their relationship a year later when Ben attacks Helen. Barry is killed the same year while watching Helen from a top a balcony, where he is repeatedly slashed by Ben's hook, with his body later placed in ice.
In the novel, Barry is an arrogant, abusing womanizer, who is dating Helen Shivers, despite feeling no real affection for her. He fears being tied down young, one of the main reasons he wants to end his relationship with Helen, and repeatedly cheats on her with other women. He was a star football player before his high school graduation, and suffers from a worrying, domineering mother who cannot bear the thought of Barry leaving her. Unlike the film, Barry was driving the car which killed the young boy, Daniel Gregg. Barry is shot through the stomach and in the spine a year after the hit and run, but he does not die. He recovers in hospital and recovers from temporary paralysis, gaining the ability to walk again.
Ray Bronson
| Ray Bronson | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Last appearance | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by |
Character Lois Duncan Developed for Film Kevin Williamson |
| Portrayed by | Freddie Prinze, Jr. |
| Information | |
| Aliases |
Billy Blue (when speaking to Melissa Egan) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
High school student (at Southport High; graduated) Fisherman |
| Spouse(s) |
Julie James (wife; 1999) |
| Status | Unknown |
Ray Bronson is a central character in both the first and second films. Portrayed by Freddie Prinze, Jr., Ray Bronson is one of the teens who agreed to dump Ben's body, reasoning that he does not have enough money or a family to get him out of the crime. Ben set him up so that Julie, Helen and Barry would suspect him as the fisherman/killer. A year after the incident, Julie breaks up with him and works as a village fisherman. To get Julie back, Ray went to Missy and told her that he is David's best friend, Billy Blue. When Julie and Helen went to Missy, Missy told them about Billy, making the two suspect that he is the killer and that he is out to avenge David's death. However, Ray soon learns it's Ben and he tries to attack him. He survives the events of the first film. In the second film, Julie introduces Ray to Will, but he doesn't trust him. Ray was about to surprise Julie by giving her an engagement ring, but unfortunately, Ben breaks his plan and attacks him on his way to her. However, he survived Ben's attack and is in a hospital near the Bahamas. Ray arrives and rescued Julie in the island. After the Bahamas attack, Julie and Ray got married. It is unknown if he was killed by Ben before attacking Julie.
In the novel, Ray is Julie's ex-boyfriend; Julie ended their relationship after the hit-and-run accident, and, grief-stricken, Ray graduated high school, abandoned college and travelled along the Californian coast, but eventually returns. He is the only son of a former baseball champion who now owns a string of successful sports stores. Ray shows no athletic talents, and feels he has always lived in Barry's shadow, however he matures after the accident and becomes more confident and assertive. After he returns, he along with Julie wants to confess about their involvement in Daniel Gregg's death, but feels obligated to live with a pact the four of them made to take it to their graves. Ray suffers no physical harm in the novel at the hands of Bud Wilson, and saves Julie from being strangled by him.
Ben Willis
| Ben Willis | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Last appearance | I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by | Kevin Williamson |
| Portrayed by |
Muse Watson (first and second films) Don Shanks (third film) |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Ben |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Fisherman and serial killer |
| Family |
Sarah Willis (wife, deceased) William "Will" Willis (son, deceased) Susan "Susie" Willis (daughter; deceased) |
| Location | Southport, North Carolina |
| Status | Undead |
Benjamin "Ben" Willis is the central antagonist in all three films of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, portrayed by Muse Watson in the first two films and by stuntman Don Shanks in the last film. Ben's past is explored in the first two films; a family man, he lived on an island in the Bahamas with his wife, Sarah, and children, Will and Susie. There were rumors that Ben was an abusive husband and that he killed his wife when he learned about Sarah's affair. At some point in her adult life, Susie was to marry a man named David Egan, but the two were in a car accident. Susie was killed but David was unharmed, and so Ben put the blame on David and murdered him the following year on the same road. After disposing the body in the ocean, Ben himself was struck down by a car driven by teenagers; Julie, Ray, Helen and Barry. Ben survived but was unconscious, but the teens panicked and dumped his body into the ocean as well. Ben somehow survived.
The next summer, Ben recovers from the hit and murders the local fisherman, Max before stalking those teenagers that hit him dressed in a black raincoat, driving paranoia between the friends. Ben kills Barry and pursues Helen and murders Helen's older sister Elsa in the process. He finally catches Helen and kills her too. When he has the opportunity to kill Julie, he lures her onto a boat and starts its engine, but his boat is chased down by Ray. Ben finally reveals himself to Julie, who managed to piece it together already. Ray and Julie fight with Ben, who gets his arm caught in rope, and his hoisted up and catapulted into the sea, severing his hand in the process.
Ben survived and alongside his son, came up with a second attempt at revenge on Julie, organizing a trip to the Bahamas during storm season, leaving her stranded. Will personally accompanies Julie and her new friends Karla and Tyrell. Ben makes an attempt on Ray's life shortly after Julie leaves. Ray escapes and buys a gun before heading to the resort himself. Ben kills the resorts staff as well as Tyrell. Will drags Julie to a graveyard, where Ray show's up to rescue her. In the ensuing showdown, Ray dodges Ben's hook and instead, by accident, Ben kills his own son and Julie shoots Ben into an open grave (which he intended for her), killing him. A year later, he seemingly returns to kill Julie and Ray, but it was possibly a dream.
In the third film, his death is confirmed, and his memory is made an urban legend. When the new main characters Amber, Zoe, Roger, and Amber's boyfriend Colby stage a prank of his return on July Fourth, PJ Davis, a friend of theirs, is accidentally killed in the process so the others agree to keep the secret with them. The next summer they are being stalked and killed off by what appears to be copycat killer. At the climax of the film, when Amber and a new friend Lance is left alive, it is revealed the "copycat" is non other than Ben Willis himself, who has returned from the dead as a Ghost or Zombie like entity. They manage to lure and trap Willis in a thresher, which appears to kill him,but he survives because at the end of the movie, he kills her and as the screen goes dark, she is heard screaming and hook noises are also heard.
Elsa Shivers
Elsa Shivers, portrayed by Brigette Wilson, is the vindictive elder sister of Helen. It is difficult to believe that the two girls are related, as they are nothing alike. Elsa is unattractive, rude, and wears glasses, and vehemently jealous of Helen's beauty and success. Elsa works in her family's department store. She was then interrupted by Helen after the killer stalks her through her shop. She mocks Helen by ignoring the fact Helen is in danger. Elsa locks the employees-basement door and is trapped by the killer, she makes one last scream before the killer murdered her by slashing her throat. Her corpse is later shown beside a toilet when Helen tries getting out of the store.
In the first film, Elsa is attractive and an aspiring model. She also follows her novel counterpart, being rude and vindictive. Elsa is jealous of Helen because her beauty is nowhere near her sister and had won a beauty pageant in their hometown. She connives her to give up her dreams of being an actress to work in a department store, an action which Julie doesn't like believing Elsa to be jealous of her. While closing up, Elsa is murdered by Ben.
David Egan
David Egan, portrayed by Jonathan Quint, is seen sitting near a cliff after the opening credits of the first film. He is killed off-screen by Ben Willis, the father of his deceased fiancée Susie; however, the central characters of the film believe they killed David in a hit and run, though this turned out to be Ben.
Missy Egan
Missy Egan, portrayed by Anne Heche, is David Egan's older sister. Julie goes to her home on the woods for advice, upon believing that David was the guy they ran over the previous year, eventually finding out it wasn't him.
Max Neurick
Max Neurick is a local teenager who was madly in love in with Julie, jealous of Ray as being Julie's boyfriend and dislikes Barry and his drunk psychotic behavior. He was the only person that Julie, Ray, Helen, and Barry saw the night they ran over Ben Willis. A year later, after Julie receives a threatening note, Barry suspected Max and threatened him with an ice hook, but Max has no idea why Barry is doing this. Max was then stabbed through the chin and killed by Ben as he works at the docks preparing lobsters. He is portrayed by Johnny Galecki.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Karla Wilson
| Karla Wilson | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Portrayed by | Brandy Norwood |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
Karla is Julie's best friend at college in the second movie, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. They win a holiday trip to the Bahamas, where Karla takes her boyfriend Tyrell along. When Ben arrives on the island to find Julie, Karla survives the ordeal-but her leg is seriously injured from her chase with Ben. Karla is the only known survivor to escape Ben Willis, as she is not seen or mentioned after the second film nor is she directly connected to the original incident. In the film I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, there is an article referring to four teens found dead at the Bahamas, supposedly referring to Julie, Ray, Will, and Ty. However, it remains unknown if this was actually the case or not.
Tyrell Martin
Tyrell is Karla's boyfriend in the first sequel. He originally didn't believe Julie's explanations about the fisherman killer when she tried to explain to him, Karla and Will what happened last year in North Carolina. Tyrell thought Estes was involved in the murders when the four came across a voodoo ritual in his shack. He later realizes that Julie's claims were valid and decides they must fight to survive. While arming themselves in the kitchen with knives, Tyrell noted he wished he had a gun and encouraged Julie to keep fighting. He is killed by Ben in the kitchen of the hotel after being hooked through the throat. He is portrayed by Mekhi Phifer.
Will Benson
Will is a friend of Karla and Tyrell's who has a crush on Julie. As Ray didn't show up, Karla invites him to go the Bahamas with them. After Estes attacked him, Julie found Will was seemingly injured. While Karla tries to find bandages, Julie suspect something awry about his claims in Estes being involved with Ben. This proves to be true as she notices there was no injury on him, prompting Will to confess the truth. He reveals he actually murdered Estes, knowing he was trying to protect her, Karla and Tyrell. Will also mentions he is Ben's son (hence his alias) and was able to gain everyone's trust. The only person who didn't trust him was Ray and Will did all he could to keep them apart. While taking Julie to her grave, she begs Will to reconsider his actions and walk away. He refuses and reveals his own intent of murdering her himself to avenge Ben. Will attacks Ray, and a fight ensues. Ben accidentally stabs Will with his hook, killing him. He is portrayed by Matthew Settle
Estes
Estes is the hotel's porter, portrayed by Bill Cobbs. Tyrell suspected he was the killer as he's the only one who cannot be found. He, Julie, Karla and Will search his flat and found he's been using voodoo to protect them, but the group(except Julie) didn't believe him. Leading them to a graveyard, Estes reveals more of Ben's past, how he murdered his wife when he found out that she was having an affair and intended to leave him with Will and Susan. He then attacked Will but was then fatally stabbed with a harpoon spear. When Karla sees him walk in bleeding and about to die, she realizes too late Estes was trying to protect them as he suspected that Will was in on this with Ben.
Dave
Dave is Ray's friend and co-worker. As he and Ray were meeting Julie in the Bahamas as a surprise, Ray stops to investigate a car accident and a seemingly dead person while Dave waits in the vehicle. When Ray finds it was a dummy, Dave was then killed when Ben hooked him in the mouth and dragged him out of the vehicle and ripped his jaw open. He is portrayed by John Hawkes.
Titus Telesco
Titus was the dread-locked and dirty pothead on the island resort. He was disliked by Tyrell and his friends for his appearance and off-putting behavior. He was killed when Ben pinned his hand with a hook before stabbing him in the chest in the pool generator room with garden shears. Titus was portrayed, though uncredited, by Jack Black
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer
Amber Williams
| Amber Williams | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Portrayed by | Brooke Nevin |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
Amber Williams is one of the main characters of the I Know What You Did Last Summer series. She appeared in the third movie, I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Amber is the main protagonist of the third movie, which occur years after the events of the first and second film. She is one of the four teens who is responsible for the prank that killed P.J., who was one of her friends. After the incident, Amber, Zoe, Colby and Roger, swore that they will keep their mouth shut and that the secret dies with them. One year after the incident, she received a text message implying that someone might know their secret. She then tells this to her friends. She was first attacked by the fisherman in a gondola lift, fifty feet in the air. At first, her friends do not believe that someone's trying to kill them, until the upcoming July 4 anniversary, where each receive threats. She was apparently successful in killing the fisherman, by pushing him into a grinder. But a year later, she was stalked again by the still alive fisherman, after having a tire blown off. It is unknown if she survived the fisherman's attack.
Friends: Zoe - died 2006; Roger - died, 2006; P.J. Davis - died, 2005; Kim, Kelly, Deputy John Hafner - died, 2006
Boyfriends: Colby Patterson(ex) - died, 2006; Lance
Novel-exclusive characters
Collingsworth Wilson
| Collingsworth Wilson | |
|---|---|
| I Know What You Did Last Summer character | |
| First appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973 novel) |
| Last appearance | I Know What You Did Last Summer |
| Created by | Lois Duncan |
| Information | |
| Full name | Collingsworth Wilson |
| Nickname(s) | Collie, Bud |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | U.S. Army soldier |
| Family |
Megan Wilson (sister) Daniel Gregg (younger half-brother; deceased) |
Collingsworth "Collie" Wilson, also known as Bud, appears only in the original novel by Lois Duncan. Serving as the primary antagonist of the novel, he is a completely different character than his film counterpart, Ben Willis; Collie is seeking revenge for the death of his younger half-brother, Daniel Gregg, who was killed after being run over by Barry Cox in his car, along with Helen, Julie, and Ray. After Daniel's death, the family fell apart; Collie's mother was moved to a rest home after suffering a mental breakdown following the death of her son; her husband moved to live near her, leaving Collie's sister, Megan, alone and struggling to make ends meet. Collie was fighting in the Vietnam War at the time of the accident (in the updated version he is serving in Iraq.) Collie was "messed up" during the war, although he does not clarify exactly how, and came home to find his family in ruins. This, coupled with the rage of war, sent him over the edge.
Julie, out of intense guilt, sent an anonymous bouquet of yellow roses to Daniel Gregg's funeral, and Collie traced them back to Julie, whom he begins dating under the nickname "Bud", which Daniel Gregg used to call him before he was killed. He also wins the trust of Helen, whilst calling himself "Collie". Both girls have no idea that the men they are growing close to are one and the same. Collie's first act of revenge was to try and kill Barry Cox by luring him out to the college playing field with the threat of revealing (false) photographs of Daniel Gregg's death to the authorities. Barry is shot by Wilson, but survives; however Wilson sees this as a boon, as Barry has been left half paralyzed and Wilson muses, "For a guy like Barry, life in a wheelchair might be worse than no life at all." Wilson then attempts to kill Helen, but she flees and falls two storeys from her bathroom window, but she is unharmed. Wilson then confronts Julie and attempts to strangle her, but he is knocked out by Ray before she can be hurt. None of the four teens in the novel are killed, and Collie also survives.
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