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In general, this score is a larger version of the slash and dash approach, but that still makes it very predictable music. The most enjoyable parts of I Know What You Did Last Summer are those with performances or manipulations of "Julie's Theme," the primary identity of the film. This opening cue, as well as "Homecoming" and "Missy's Story," easily support various, easily listenable woodwind, piano, or soft string versions of this theme. It is a creepy and melancholy theme, though it also conveys romantic and determined characteristics as well, making it an identity that rivals the best of Young's harmonic creations for the genre. Two grand uses of this theme appear in "Julie Takes a Cruise" and "Final Confrontation," as the character finally confronts her attacker. The material in between these tracks is sufficient as suspense and horror music, and although some of it sounds as though it could be stock-grade material, it is the type that can succeed in giving you the creeps if you listen to it late at night. With its straight-forward presentation, you can easily follow the plot of the film as every harsh brass crash represents a slash of the hook or other uncomfortable visual. These sections are unsettling on album, naturally, and could be difficult to tolerate for those who don't hold much value for standard usage of dissonance. As a whole, Debney's score for I Know What You Did Last Summer is not as rambunctious as The Relic, nor is it as brooding in lengthy portions. It functions, but offers little to excite on album. The statements of the main theme are enjoyable, albeit brief. Perhaps taking these three or four tracks and editing them in with a few of the more consistent action cues would be the best bet here, although the result would still amount to only eight to ten minutes of really solid and distinct stand-alone music. The score is not readily available on album; John Debney released it as the seventh album in his continuing series of promotional CDs that would please the composer's fans over the course of the 1990's. For most casual film music listeners, obtaining an original copy of this album will likely not be worth its cost (which was enormous at the time of the album's initial, limited release and has remained steady ever since due to the franchise's success). John Frizzell went on to score the inferior sequel.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.33 (in 56 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.09 (in 49,878 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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