Posted in: TV | Tagged: Amazon Prime, I Know What You Did Last Summer, IKWYDLS, Now Screaming

I Know What You Did Last Summer Immersive Event Goes Grad Night Rager

When promoting a series or film, studios usually set up events and screenings in major markets, like Los Angeles and New York, to promote the upcoming series. Amazon Prime Video pulled out all the stops for its event to promote its original series I Know What You Did Last Summer in Hollywood.

The series itself centers around a group of teens who cover up a hit and run leaving their graduation party. Now a year later and back home for the summer, the friends are terrorized by someone who knows their secrets (all of them) and is picking off those responsible for the death one by one. Based loosely on the 1997 film, which was even more loosely based on a novel, Amazon's I Know What You Did Last Summer pilot episode largely centers around the graduation party which serves as the catalyst for the show's inciting incident. This grad night rager energy is exactly what JFI Productions and Amazon brought to the Ghost Light theater for a limited-run immersive experience in promotion of the new series.

The immersion experience starts when standing in line to get in, where performers decked out as high school grads ready to party approach you and banter like you're a fellow classmate. They ask questions like, "I know you – we were in Krasinski's Spanish together, right?" and "I can't believe we graduated! Kevin's going to Harvard, and his mom won't shut up about it!" Parents and faculty are around to make sure things don't get too out of control and will congratulate you, ask about your plans for the future, and where you're going to school in the fall. Apparently, the whole shindig was organized by the parents and Vice Principal – who was on hand making sure things didn't get too wild (to no avail).

Inside, the main bar area of the Three Clubs has been taken over by a DJ and makeup artist decking everyone out in glitter and rhinestones, for a touch of 90s glam and sparkle. The whole party had that retro 90s throwback vibe with the DJ spinning classics all night like Britney, Spice Girls, and N*SYNC. The bar also offered specialty-themed cocktails, like the Watermelon Wai Huna Freeze. The party also featured a photo booth, dance floor, and of course, candy (after all, it is Halloween month, right?).

Once you're invited back to the "after-party" by one of the actors, there's a secondary room through a curtain where a beer pong table is set up and things start to get spooky. One of the grads tells you about this girl who went missing last grad night, but before she can say too much, a fortune-teller pulls you inside to her crystal ball, which shows death and secrets before she kicks you out unceremoniously.

Next, groups are ushered through a cave (which should be familiar if you've seen the pilot). In the cave, a police officer finds you and leads the group into an interrogation room, where everyone is asked about their connection to the missing girl. The officer let us off with a write-up for public intoxication after thoroughly interrogating us.

After the harrowing interrogation, we come to a haunted maze ala Universal's Halloween Horror Nights but themed to grad night with a sinister twist. As far as haunted houses/mazes go, the cast, scenic crew, and everyone involved truly outdid themselves. Everything was themed perfectly and the cast added a delightful experience that didn't spoil the show but added to it if you'd already seen it and raised curiosity if not.

All in all, this was a fantastic event that was an absolute success in promoting Amazon's I Know What You Did Last Summer series – a series that is like Pretty Little Liars mixed with Riverdale with a splash of slasher for a little extra gore. It's unique, fun, suspenseful, and absolutely worth a watch past the pilot. Kudos to everyone involved in a fantastic event as well as a fantastic show that may share a name with an existing property, but has made a unique story all its own.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is an eight-episode series on Amazon Prime with the first four episodes currently available and new episodes released weekly on Fridays.

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