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| Film vitals |
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· Year: 2001
· Director: Victor Salva
· Writer: Victor Salva
· Cast: Gina Phillips, Justin Long
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| Series info |
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Part of the Jeepers Creepers series.
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Amazon.com
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| Synopsis |
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A brother and sister driving home from college through the countryside are caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a terrifying evil creature.
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RATING
Out of 100 |
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76
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| COLD ANALYSIS |
| 3.0 -ATMOSPHERE |
| 2.75 -GORE |
| 2.25 -HUMOR |
| 2.25 -SCARES |
| 3.0 -TENSION |
Let me begin this review by applauding Francis Ford Coppola's picks in the horror movies he produces--his choices exhibit taste and wisdom. He's been involved with Dracula, Frankenstein, Haunted (the 1995 movie starring Aidan Quinn), The Third Miracle (not horror, but it fits this website), and Sleepy Hollow. I haven't reviewed all of those films as of this writing, but I've seen all of them, and as far as I'm concerned, none rates less than three-and-a-half stars. His most recent horror production is Jeepers Creepers, an intelligent and savvy cat-and-mouse monster movie that was worthily a success despite being mismarketed as just another teen horror flick.
Although it does features two young and talented actors, Jeepers Creepers is definitely not just another teen horror flick. Instead, it uses the self-referential humor that Scream's postmodern brethren made famous and melds it with a good old-fashioned monster movie, resulting in something akin to the notorious X-Files episode "Home"--an American Gothic nightmare. Jeepers Creepers preys on the fear of the unknown that lies just beneath a city dweller's appraisal of the wide-open country, where the police are miles away, you can't get a cellular signal, and ruined, abandoned buildings pass by your car so, so often. As in "Home," and, for that matter, Deliverance, it's that distrust that goes a long way toward keeping the audience on edge.
And an audience for Jeepers Creepers would do well to be on edge. Writer-director Victor Salva wisely allows a few minutes of calm at the beginning of the movie, filling that time with dialogue that deftly allows us to get to know the two homeward-bound siblings. After we're grounded in their personalities (which are developed remarkably well as the film progresses), along comes a rusted old truck that rides their rear bumper, swerving, horn blaring, refusing to pass them. It's just the first in a series of sequences that are what they're meant to be--they're scary. Not horrifying, but simply scary. The Creeper is a voiceless terror, evocative and violative, and he's used well. Much to Salva's credit, though the pace may slow from time to time, the tension never flags; it just subsumes itself in the dialogue, only to rear its head again. Helping the tension is Salva's willingness to sacrifice some of the cheap scares and replace them with terse style. The effectiveness of the movie does diminish somewhat in the final scenes, but it's made up for by an ending that's unconventional and not a little chilling. This is not the most pleasant film--not by a long shot--but it's a good one.
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RATING
Out of 100 |
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| COLD ANALYSIS |
| 2.0 -ATMOSPHERE |
| 0.5 -GORE |
| 0.5 -HUMOR |
| 1.0 -SCARES |
| 0.75 -TENSION |
I still have yet to figure out why some critics have rated this one as an exceptional film. It does not come close to fulfilling any of the horror genre prerequistes. It wasn't gory, it wasn't full of surprises, it wasn't full of a thinking-person's plot. So what's left? A cool-looking monster is just about it. Even though I did not like the movie Joy Ride, it is hands-down worlds better than this movie. This movie is blow-by-blow predictable. Not only that, it leaves out the best part--a detailed explanation of the monster. We barely know a thing about him to make him scary--there is no background.
The acting was less than par with typical scenes between a brother and sister that got old real quick. I would not advise anyone to view this even on rental. Other teen horror flicks, like I Know What You Did Last Summer, were much better. Rent Rosemary's Baby, pop some corn, and use your Jeepers Creepers DVD to balance that rickety kitchen table.
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RATING
Out of 100 |
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| COLD ANALYSIS |
| 3.5 -ATMOSPHERE |
| 2.25 -GORE |
| 2.0 -HUMOR |
| 3.25 -SCARES |
| 3.5 -TENSION |
The nineties will become known as the decade that horror movies became cognisant of their own shortcomings. The advent of Wes Craven's New Nightmare and the Scream trilogy brought about self-referencing, in-jokey horror by the bucket load.
Among all this Jeepers Creepers appears like a breath of fresh air. It still as a few sly jokes, but nothing huge or intrusive; this is a step into the good old horror of the eighties. We have the unseen killer of apparently supernatural strength hunting down his intended victimes and killing all those who stand in his way. The film is simply jam-packed with tense moments and scares that truly are . . . well . . . scary!
The direction is very good and the script very well written; we actually care for the characters that makes the ending all the more shocking. The final twist leaves your jaw on the floor and a tingle up your spine; a sequel would be definitely welcome but not nessessary! Overall a very creepy and excellently paced horror fic with enough scares, gore and characterisation to keep everybody happy!
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