I Know What You Did Last Summer | Why Do People Hate Julie?

[@Hiiiiiiiiieeee]

I love Sarah Michelle Gellar so much, especially back in this era. She was queen of the ass kicking, valley girl persona.

[@adrenalinmyride5634]

You know there's a new....wolf something series coming out where Sarah Michelle Gellar is the main no nonsense cop And she looks almost exactly like she did as Buffy And ..... Rumours are a certain SPIKEY actor may be returning into that show eventually 😎😎😎😎😎

[@BetterWithBob]

I watched it. I enjoy it overall

[@crystalkelly9349]

Interesting perspective. I always wondered why I didn't enjoy the rest of the film after Helen dies, whenever I re-watch that's right around the time I pick up my phone and start playing games. Julie's an unfit lead and her survival is completely unearned. I really like your suggested ending. I think it would have been a lot more interesting to see Helen as the final girl. Thanks for a great video!

[@crystalkelly9349]

Side note, I am eating up every single Charmed video on your channel, please never stop.

[@BetterWithBob]

@@crystalkelly9349 I'll make arrangements to continue doing them as a ghost, Patty and Grams style in a worst case scenario ;)

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

Fun Fact: this film was not only set in my home state of North Carolina but actually partially shot there, in Southport, once called "America's Happiest Seaside Town" by Coastal Living Magazine. My dad has a friend there who's a documentary filmmaker; he showed us some of its landmarks including Bald Head Island with its lighthouse, and old shoreline artillery fortifications used for defense against German ships in World War II (it has since been converted to a retirement community). There were a number of US ship sinkings off the NC coastline, a number of which were blockade runners, including the Gill by U-158; apart from bodies washing up on shore, whatever survivors of the sinkings lived were treated in hospitals in Southport and further south in Charleston, SC. Despite these losses, the whole state of NC was dotted with 50 bases and camps that contributed a huge portion of energy & resources to Allied victory in the entire war (or at least the Atlantic theater). These shoreline camps & bases also had a huge economic impact on NC as a whole, although many of them closed after the war ended.

[@explorer8125]

Never realized this about Julie… I do agree that they shouldn’t have killed off Helen just cause Sarah did such a good job.

[@tristiancirca89]

I’m the first comment, for once. I loved the teen horror/slashers of the 90s. I really wish Helen had survived, that being said, I still like Julie. I think Sarah Michelle Gellar massive appeal and popularity at the time made Helen such a hit with fans. Plus, a fallen pageant queen being stalked by a killer is slasher film gold.

[@BetterWithBob]

I think Jennifer Love Hewitt was the bigger name at the time, since she'd done two (or possibly three) seasons of Party of Five and Buffy had only just started airing, so they treated Sarah as the number two. Although there is a rumour they swapped roles because Jennifer Love Hewitt said her mother would be sad to see her killed off - but I don't really buy that since they match the book's descriptions of the characters better as they were.

[@tristiancirca89]

@@BetterWithBob Oh wow, you're right. Buffy was only in its second or third season around this time and Party of Five was definitely in its heyday. I hadn't ever heard that rumor of the roles being flipped, but I could see it.

[@adrenalinmyride5634]

She also had more to overcome and seemed weaker and for stronger and then she died I'd have prefered the guys to die because think about it Julie is caught and her young strong fight for her BF is set against a middle aged man It would have been far more suspenseful if it was two inferiorly strong females vs an enraged armed male

[@gamingoutlaws9765]

@@adrenalinmyride5634 100% we cared more about Julie and Helen friendship that was given more focus so why she wasn’t the one to save her she could have escaped and found Julie on the boat etc having Ray save Julie was meh because it got no focus and Ray didn’t get a arc like Julie Barry and Helen. And Helen character seemed to just grab the audience if this was shot before scream 1996 it could have got more focused instead of being rushed and done test screenings which they would have had feedback for Helen fate which they clearly needed like Dewey test screenings resulted in his survival. Or if they had more time than 6 months and done test screenings I 100% think her fate would’ve changed.

[@CoasterTrax]

​@@gamingoutlaws9765no actually Sarah decided to die in this movie. She wanted it. It wasnt supposed to let her die. Thats what Sarah said in an interview or Kevin. Im not sure who said it, but Sarah was already a kick ass in buffy and didnt want to be Identified with that role in this movie.

[@please_im_a_staaar]

My horror fanatic friends don't like Julie as well. They say "she's whiny and looks awful with her barcode looking bangs, I mean I get she's depressed cuz she killed someone but look at Helen! the hair is laid, makeup is popping" lol. So it's kind of a bit superficial. But I'd say that I like Helen more because she struggles to accept the awful thing she did while Julie had already accepted it. This struggle and also her being such a fighter is why I like her more than Julie.

[@BetterWithBob]

Lol Helen probably has to make more of an effort since she's behind the counter in a department store, with a mean sister as her boss, while Julie could probably rock in wearing whatever she wanted and her professors wouldn't care

[@dcjohnson2490]

LMAO not the bar code bangs!

[@MrBibi86]

Ray is just as boring and annoying. I'm actually shocked this movie did as well as it did with SMG mostly carrying the film. I learned recently that Freddie and JLH were contracted to make the 3rd movie. I wonder why that never happened. Helen did look the best in the movie. except for that ugly Tank top and black cap.

[@KrisBryant99]

​@MrBibi86 and that's why the movie doesn't age well despite being good at the same time. It's because Sarah mostly carried the film.

[@gamingoutlaws9765]

The director actually said she is willing to retcon Helen Shivers death as she is a fan of SMG, she turned it down bc she didn’t see it making sense but hopefully if the director gives her a reason that makes sense and is good enough for her fingers crossed she did get lay Buffy when she died twice so it’s not like she’s not played dead characters before. Even she knows #JusticeforHelen

[@aiden877]

It was sad that Freddie was treated so poorly by the director and that was probably why he wasn't in the movie much. I thought it would have been a better story if the girls survived and took down the killer.

[@TCt83067695]

A #metoo scandal?

[@AquaSniperVA]

Honestly I wanted it to end with just Helen and Julie alive so bad haha. Like I didn't care at all about Julie but I knew she was going to live because she was the "final girl". I did think it was pretty dumb how in the final scene she just looked around and screamed at everything, especially coming off of Scream, where Sidney fought for her life, sort of like Helen, who definetly shouldn't have died. Like, who made that desicion?

[@missdebbie8131]

Your content is refreshing in its quality. Thank you.

[@CAL_91]

We loved Julie but yes - Helen was the one we wanted to have a full arc from superficial beauty Queen to kick ass Final Girl - her chase scene is still an iconic slasher movie moment. & this movie introduced me to LOIS DUNCAN who has other AMAZING YA novels !! Killing Mr.Griffin also has a couple of versions out - I think Teaching Mrs.Tingle is a ripoff of her story.

[@kaitlins_27]

I never hated Julie but I've never been able to pinpoint why she irked me. This video is a great explanation for why! Also, yes, #JusticeForHelen. She was my favorite character in the movie and I will always be upset that she's the one of the four that didn't make it!

[@BetterWithBob]

Hopefully one day we'll get to hear if Sarah Michelle Gellar knows about that meme lol

[@michaeldoty1770]

Julie was good as an investigator but as a final girl, she was text book definition of a damsel in distress. Seriously. On the boat there were several things she could have grabbed and used as a weapon to defend herself or she could have jumped ship. That always bothered me to no end and the way she screamed instead of being ready to fight for her life. Instead of being overwhelmed with fear and guilt for thinking she killed an innocent man, she should be embracing her survival instinct and ready to kill the man who caused her a years worth of guilt for killing the man she thought she killed. Everyone makes her and her friends like they did wrong and they did. But remember if Ben Willis hadn't killed David Egan, he wouldn't have gotten run over.

[@BetterWithBob]

Exactly. It's a complete disconnect between personas in the last act of the film

[@gamingoutlaws9765]

@@BetterWithBob how do you think the reboot will fair with new characters and how they will write Julie.

[@the_fd_180]

How is she a damsel in distress? In the sequel she guns down Ben Willis . She grew into her own and faced her fears. In the end of the first movie she hides like any normal person would plus she got trapped by Ben Willis and thought he would kill her after he kills Ray. Not one of her friends believed her that there was a killer on the loose till Berry gets attacked or when people start to die on the island. Julie was always better than Sidney imo. Plus she knows what she did wrong unlike the others who forced her to dump the body in the ocean.

[@michaeldoty1770]

@the_fd_180 I like her better in the second movie because she is less of a damsel in distress. But in the first one on the boat, she is. There were plenty of things on the boat she could have used to defend herself, she could have kneed Ben Willis in the balls when he caught her in the end, or she could have jumped ship right when she realized it was his boat. Sidney Prescott is wayyyyy better than Julie. She would have handled Ben Willis a lot better than Julie. But of course I would have rather seen how Natalie from Urban Legend would have handled Ben.

[@TheJayden3977]

@@michaeldoty1770 And that is as a final girl why I root for Helen and I think she had far more of what it took to be one. She sees her boyfriend get killed, no one believes her. She kicks a glass door open landing in glass just to get away. She takes her shoes off because she knows it will slow her down. She operators a pulley to get away from the killer closing in even after seeing her sisters corpse. She jumps out of a window that injured her just to get away. Even when he finally gets her, instead of just screaming she exhausts every effort to fight him and even makes him struggle before sadly he overpowers her. She did everything right only for her to make one stupid decision and turn around. It doesn’t even make sense. Based on the previous actions Helen did to survive she would have just kept running. Justice for Helen. Julie isn’t a bad character and I don’t hate on her, the issue is in almost every aspect she is completely outshined by Helen. The movie probably would have fared much better if Julie was killed off instead of Helen. Would have been a great twist but was such a missed opportunity.

[@thenewctc]

I loved Helen and Julie equally it would have been interesting had they both saved each other and the guys died for a change lol if I had to pick between Helen and Julie it'd be Helen! 💯

[@Duhehejeh]

I personally think Helen and Barry should’ve been the final 2 not Julie and Ray. Their development was a lot better and more interesting+both were fighters, whereas Julie and Ray kinda just glided on through to the finale without really earning it

[@BetterWithBob]

That's an interesting take and would probably work today but in the 90s they definitely would have stuck to formula a lot more

[@Duhehejeh]

@@BetterWithBob True. Same thing happened in Urban Legend with Sasha and Natalie

[@theunimpressedbeetch]

I have always preferred Helen than Julie anyways. Helen has a clear character development while Julie seemed like written by multiple writers and compromised it into one, and the director went "yeah sure, why not." Even in I Still Know.... I rooted for Karla and even Nancy more than Julie.

[@deontaeb.]

I loved Nancy she definitely deserved to live. The way that she died was corny.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Sarah Michelle gellar is a brilliant actress she was brilliant as kendal hart on the show all my children and on buffy the vampire slayer

[@jonathanpowell7256]

Jennifer was great in Party of Five too.

[@joekeman2008]

Can't blame her. She was just following the script. You'd have to blame the screenwriter or the director for that.

[@acousticmonkey2209]

I think a number of us were crushed that Helen dies because, by that point, we were used to seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy. It was hard to equate the girl who you knew was the weekly Final Girl in that show get murdered after building rapport. It's the Kevin Williams gift of knowing that you should make each death actually count.

[@BetterWithBob]

Oh I actually saw this before Buffy lol. I knew her from Scooby Doo

[@KrisBryant99]

I think Julie was just a bland character for the most part and got overshadowed by Helen. But still Julie was a good character.

[@jeremy743]

Julie was the one who was fighting the most while everyone else was too scared and angry to figure out why they were being stalked. She’s the ultimate final girl!

[@BetterWithBob]

Helen fought just as much though

[@angelpatton3851]

Has anyone here read the book? I watched the movie first being pretty young when it came out... I recently read the book and liked that as well but man is it different from the movie! I recommend it if you like YA type suspense thrillers, it's excellent and same characters

[@Nyctm91]

Just found your channel today and I really love your videos!

[@whoisyouranime]

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" and its sequel are my horror guilty pleasure. I would love to read the book someday. I like the movie better than Scream. And I refuse to watch the third movie. I actually liked Julie and how her guilt for the murder was eating her inside, how she dealt with it and how it distance her from everyone she cares about. Maybe because she is by far the most innocent of all the final girl characters that I have seen. And how a year later, she comes back to her hometown and faces her fear and see how her friends were doing after their hit-and-run. And seeing her trying to makes amends for what she did is something you don't see in a lot of guilty characters. You name me one survivor character in a horror movie who feels bad for what they did? I can't think of any. Also, I also liked Helen's story and how the murder affected her, having to still live with her family and putting up with her mean older sister. You feel bad that she didn't go anywhere in her life and that she dies fighting at the end.

[@Michael-ur5qb]

I think people hate her because Helen was better written

[@BetterWithBob]

the problem in a nutshell lol

[@renegadesoul8701]

I never understood why Ray survived

[@FarazNajir]

To be fair, that was the only memorable death in the movie. He getting gutted with her salvation being just a few steps further away

[@TheTombRaider]

Despite Julie's issues, I still find myself rooting for her anyway. She does do a lot of investigating throughout the movie, and even though she never finds the answer until the end, she still puts up a good effort to try and fish for it. She also seemed to care more about the situation than the others, Yes, she makes dumb decisions in the end, but when you are 17 and being hunted by a killer you don't really know what to do... So I still try and praise her in the boat sequence for the little things, Scanning her environment, using her shirt as a lever, blocking the door with the ice, and grabbing the flare gun to at least try and get a shot off at him. Julie knows her physical capabilities, and attempting to fight him head-on was not one of them.

[@Spider-Man2617]

I respect this thought. When you're in a life or death situation, especially when so young, a teen ya know, you're not always going to do the right thing and make smart decisions, but I totally understand the frustration. I mean, would u just stand back and let someone kill u or would u stand up to face them? But you're not always going to be smart because you're already so overwhelmed by all da shit dats happenin.

[@TheTombRaider]

@Spider-Man2617 I'm also a 16, so I can relate.

[@Spider-Man2617]

@@TheTombRaider yeah? I just turned 17 not that long ago

[@TCt83067695]

5:33 this man knows how to get me interested in his non Charmed videos. 😅 Side note Rose guest starred in a comedy series before the Evil Enchantress episode and wore that same top. Tho I think she styled it better on that show in comparison to Charmed. Also thinking about how she went shopping in an antique store for Paige's S8 wedding dress, I'm just now reflecting on how much influence she had on the fashion choices of the show. Even making sure Paige had something green on in her early episodes.

[@gamingoutlaws9765]

Pls do Barry comparing him to Ray 🙏

[@pasko7441]

Great video 👍 will you also do a video about Ray and Barry? I'm looking forward to more videos like that of yours

[@BetterWithBob]

Hmm never thought about that before. But I can add to the list sure :)

[@miserysz]

H20 being the best Halloween sequel? I know that's right! I've always liked Julie. Her behaviour after the accident was so realistic. I love her friendship with Helen, and how it seems like she wants them to be friends again but she's scared. Helen just had the best chase scene- her scene is probably the highlight of the movie. In the sequel, Julie makes up for what she "lacks" in the first film.

[@deontaeb.]

Yeah I agree, Julie seemed more bad ass in the second one than she did in the first one. She just haven’t fully developed that final girl toughness yet. I think if they would’ve kept the original characters in the third film we probably would’ve saw her full potential.

[@llambert6951]

Helens chase is SOOOOOOO GOOD

[@BetterWithBob]

My favourite slasher movie chase scene of all time

[@safado441]

Having Helen be the sole survivor would've been the best idea, though, if you ask me. She was the only character with a brain and the only character worth saving. Julie, Barry, and Ray were all kind of idiots, while Helen kept her *beep* together and put up one HELL of a fight.

[@kathryngordon5115]

Holy heck the only character Jenn ever played that I hated was in Heartbreakers.

[@fitzytail896]

I love Julie but loved Buf- I mean Helen more.

[@BetterWithBob]

Funnily enough I saw this before Buffy lol

[@gerardoreyes5832]

The writing is what this is Julie's down fall, to me she didn't really learn or grow as a character like Helen did. Really Helen and berry have great arcs, they grow as humans from selfish bratty teens to more mature young adults. N ray is bland n Julie is just not that interesting. Her best scene is the finally. She spends the whole movie acting like know it all, all righteous girl. Trying to have her be the girl next door, the thought final girl and everything all at once without earning it

[@tonnymitch4016]

How did Barry or Helen grow?

[@MrBibi86]

*Apparently Freddie and Jennifer Love were contracted to do the 3rd movie. I don't know what happened, but I really hope they make the sequel they were talking about earlier in the year with Julie and Ray*

[@BetterWithBob]

Likely because it only brought in $40 million compared to the first's $125 million and got dreadful reviews

[@MrBibi86]

*That was such a missed opportunity killing off Helen. I bet they wished they didn't do it now. I kind of hope they omit her death from the cannon if actually make another sequel with Freddie and JLH*

[@Nyctm91]

This is amazing

[@lachancla3723]

You nailed it on why Helen/Julie work and don't work respectively. I even share your sentiment that Julie had a lot of potential and her survival would have been much more earned if her personality and goals were aligned. I think Helen surviving would actually have subverted the audience's expectations, because in Scream, which had already been released and been successful, we had already seen Tatum (the bff blonde chick, who is more than just tits), die. Scream also placed an expectation that big stars were not going to survive (in this case SMG had much more star power than the others thanks to Buffy). So, having the movie start off with Julie as a knock off of Sydney (which is why I think her character/personality starts to suffer), we expect her to survive and Helen to die. So, having Helen survive would actually be kind of surprising and in a sense, change the roles from which Scream solidified.

[@KrisBryant99]

It seems to me like this was suppose to be a Sarah Michelle movie until some changes took place and made Hewitt the lead because I do remember watching the movie just to see Sarah 😅

[@BetterWithBob]

I'm not sure, since Buffy hadn't even come out yet, so she wouldn't have been a mega star yet, aside from her soap work. Jennifer Love Hewitt would have been more famous for Party of Five

[@KrisBryant99]

​@BetterWithBob I just thought of something but even if Buffy hadn't came out yet I still would've watched the movie for Sarah's part because she just got that vibe that pulls you right into her work. So I think when it came to IKWYD, Sarah just overshadows everyone and that's why people feel momentum declines after Helen.

[@SephirothOwa13]

I know it's never going to happen but each time I watch this movie I hope Helen survives. I know it won't happen but it guts me when she dies. And not because she's Buffy. SMG dies in Scream 2 as well but her death in IKWYDLS guts me and leaves me feeling robbed.

[@yourishasoobaran8272]

I like Julie and Sydney too, but to be honest Halen and Taydem much more.

[@khyvanfinley]

I will say this I love Julie and Helen. I think Julie is a good character I feel she gets a bit too much hate. I love Helen and she should have it would have cool to have two final girls and one final boy. Then in I Still Know would have three final girls and one final having four survivors would have been cool. I think they tired to make Helen similar to Tatum Riley from scream which was a mistake. I get why people don't like Julie but give her some slack just a little bit. Overall I feel the discussion about Julie as a annoying not so great final girl and Helen who should have been the final girl is kinda pointless kinda. Because at the end of the day Helen died even though she shouldn't have and Julie is the final girl other than Karla who is very underrated. But Better With Bob do think you could do other characters like Ray or Karla?

[@Fongolitus]

"you haven't touched your red snapper, are you on drugs?"

[@BetterWithBob]

Quite a change from the book where her mother is psychic

[@angelaholmes8888]

I totally get why julie is hated helen is way better character to me she totally should had lived

[@susanlinkins5897]

I had no problem with Julie.

[@johnnyusman]

No one hates Julie, duh! She is a horror queen. Don't slander her.

[@Hiiiiiiiiieeee]

I don’t know, if I got to make the casting and give Sarah Jennifers role and have her in the sequel instead of Julie, I would be just fine with that. Sarah was just so busy at this time. Killing her off probably made more sense. Plus I bet people were expecting her to live because she was on Buffy already at that point and had that ass kicking persona. So it certainly keeps things more exciting

[@LucianoAassis]

Basically because Jennifer it is not Sarah. Or Julie it is not Buffy.

[@johnivory3245]

“Unexpected brilliance that is Sarah Michelle Gellar….” WTF? Not unexpected if you’ve watched anything that she was in.

[@KikiMav]

A partof of it for me is the bangs. I hate these bangs...

[@NixieMusic]

Sorry Im only two minutes in, but you think Janis Ian is disliked??? She’s literally a fan favorite and is iconic! Lol

[@BetterWithBob]

I'm surprised. Most people I've encountered hate her for how she uses Cady and is just as bad as Regina but never gets any comeuppance for it. There's even a fan theory that she was previously the Queen Bee and Regina did the same thing Cady did to her.

[@TequilaToothpick]

@@BetterWithBob I think people like Janis at first, but if you really pay attention when watching it again it's obvious she's just as toxic as Regina. Cinema Therapy did a whole episode on Mean Girls and it is fantastic. Janis is terrible.

[@BetterWithBob]

@@TequilaToothpick Yes, what really annoys me about Janis is that all the other characters get their comeuppance for their bad actions or else moments of self reflection - but Janis never does. Hell she's so manipulative in her speech, where she attributes the worst things they did to Regina as things Cady did ("she made out with Regina's boyfriend and convinced him to break up with her" - the kiss was accidental and she just told him Regina was cheating on him) so it looks as though Janis learns nothing and gets treated as though she's morally superior to the others

[@nickbutcher760]

If Julie and Helen were in big bad wolf 2006, lets just say plot armor wouldnt protect them from the wolf's claws..and his dong..

[@tequancarter718]

" What does Julie do to earn her survival in this film " .....be a brunette smh .

[@BetterWithBob]

Well there you go ha

[@GameOn71213]

I can't stand Julie, I mean up against Sidney Prescott or Laurie come on she's no match

[@michaeldoty1770]

Julie or Natalie from Urban Legend? I say Julie is better for most of the movie but Natalie handled herself better in the climax and she would have handled Ben Willis wayyyyy better than Julie would have handled Brenda Bates.

[@the_fd_180]

I've always preferred Julie to those other two. They are fine but not my favorites. Helen was a fighter but was never gonna be the survivor.

[@hkazu63]

Nancy Thompson? Honestly, she could’ve gotten this movie wrapped up in about 15 minutes lmao

[@MrBibi86]

*Julie and Ray were so dull in the first movie. the Julie character slightly improved in the sequel. I guess SMG carried most of the movie*

[@matthewg504]

Julie and Ray were BORING!!! They weren’t even drinking in the beginning of the movie because they were lame. Helen and Barry should have been the survivors! Or even Helen and Julie. I think i cried when Helen died when I watched this as a kid lol. Was anyone else very disappointed how EASILY Barry was killed off?! He was this big tough guy jock that didn’t even get a punch in and boring Ray put up a bigger fight on the boat. . That ALWAYS upset me about his death scene like at least let him get a few hits in before he was murdered off. Thats my conclusion to why everyone dislikes Julie and Ray- they were too boring and Sarah Michelle Gellar was the “it” girl back then being in Cruel Intentions, Buffy, Scream and this!!! She was more popular back then!

[@Jay32954]

In a movie full of total idiots, Julie is the only character that is even moderately intelligent. I think that might be why a lot of people resent her.

[@BetterWithBob]

I mean, Helen's pretty street smart as well. Julie is definitely book smart though

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

it was hilarious

[@skurinski]

Urban Legend was better than IKWYDLS

[@BetterWithBob]

Never saw it so can't comment

[@adrenalinmyride5634]

Buffy actress character was just so much more compelling and felt like she had more to overcome and more innocence lost than Hewitt's character Yeah Sarah Michelle is way prettier than Jennifer I would have loved it much better if Sarah Michelle and Jennifer survived only Hell a young guy fighting a middle aged dude.... Kinda takes away the suspense

[@rallytip]

Helen was clearly the most interesting and less annoying character. Julie actually gets even more irritating in the seqeul which is a movie that is basically an abortion on screen

[@susanstorm7910]

Helen is far better