Horror Movie Review: I Know What You Did Last Christmas (2025)

How has this idea not been done before? Take I Know What You Did Last Summer, set it during the winter period, and then tie a big bloody festive bow on things. It’s an idea that still only results in a slasher whodunit, but thanks to a tightly told story, good direction and visuals, a mix of characters with some depth, and actors who care, it’s quite an enjoyable flick.

Written by C.M. Wright and directed by Gregory William Randolph Jr. The film stars Lauren Staerck, Shayli Reagan, Connor Horrigan, Helen Baird, Alfie Manser, Julia Quayle, and Dan Robins. They are a group of friends reuniting for a Christmas party at a secluded house, which should be cause for celebration. Except each is there because they all received a note. A note claiming that someone knows what they did last Christmas.

So, what did happen last Christmas? A cruel prank that went wrong, resulting in someone dying. Each person swore to keep their part in things secret, but it seems as though someone in the group wants to get it all out there. Or maybe something far more sinister is going on. Has the person they killed returned from the dead to dish out their revenge?

Happily, I Know What You Did Last Christmas borrows from the original 90’s classic film and not the supernatural third entry. There is a killer on the loose, one that wants to punish the group for what they did, and one that just so happens to be dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. Cue murder, mayhem, and festivities all round.

I really enjoyed this film, and all because it keeps it so simple. It doesn’t hang about, introducing everyone as they arrive at the party, and through flashbacks, revealing what happened a year before. Over the film’s runtime, we learn more about each character, giving them more substance in most cases (there are a few who don’t get the same attention and care) which deepens the mystery and makes the ‘whodunit’ aspects quite engaging.

Alongside that, we have inventive deaths that utilise the festive period, plenty of blood, and a final act that is energetic, believable, and fun. There’s nothing new here, and it probably won’t live too long in the memory, but it’s not really trying to be something fresh or remarkable. It is a wholly unoriginal, but entertaining festive slasher that showcases effort. That alone makes it a worthwhile watch.