Ever want to see the world through someone else's eyes? That's something we say everyday, like walking a mile in another man's moccasins. Jeepers Creepers takes things a step further. Ever wonder what it's like to breathe through someone's else lungs, or talk with another guy's tongue? The Creeper doesn't have to wonder. He knows. He is what he eats.
Jeepers Creepers is the story of Trish (Gina Phillips) and her brother Darry (Justin Long), who are driving home from college along the scenic route. Before long, their leisurely drive is disrupted when they are threatened by an aggressively-driven old truck with a freaky paint job, blacked-out windows and a license plate reading BEATNGU (be eating you -- get it?). The truck veers to the other lane and shoots down the road, leaving them alone.
Soon after, they spot the truck parked outside an old, deserted church. They become eyewitnesses to what could be a horrible crime: The driver is dropping what looks like sheet-clad corpses down into a large drain pipe sticking out of the ground. The siblings move on, but curiosity gets the better of Darry, who insists they turn back to investigate. This is an excellent scene, as most movies would offer no explanation as to why they'd do such a dumb thing. When Darry says to Trish, "What if someone is still alive in there? What if it were you?", you can honestly relate to that, and think maybe -- just maybe -- you'd do the same. When they return to the scene, the Creeper's truck is nowhere to be seen in the vicinity of the abandoned church. So Trish and Darry proceed with little caution, leaving their car right out in the driveway, in plain sight of the road. When Darry peers down the drainpipe, he -- surprise! -- falls headfirst into the inky darkness. Here is where the story really kicks into high gear and keeps the tension on full-bore.
Jeepers Creepers might be called derivative by some, but I saw it as a real homage to the what has gone before in the horror genre. The chase scenes are remeniscent of Duel; the bloody scene set in backwoods police station may remind you of Assault On Precinct 13; and the killer himself is a Frankenstein of everything from Leatherface to the creatures in Gargoyles. Rather than trying to come up with something new under the sun, the writer/director, Victor Salva, takes our favorite, most beloved terrors and gives them to us just the way we want them. He doesn't just whet our appetite, he feeds our gruesome hunger. The action quickly takes you right into the eye of the storm, revealing the true nature of the beast little by little, and not shying away when it comes time to see him. That's not to say Salvo doesn't lead us into a game of blindman's bluff now and again -- but his fakeouts really work.
I don't know if the Creeper will take his place among such horror icons as Leatherface, Michael Myers or Jason, but I think he has all the goods. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in the world of horror movies, this freak is one hell of a looker. Kudos to the makeup effects guy, Brian Penikas, who gives us an eyeful without falling back on a lot of obvious, high-tech CGI. While both of the leads have little on their resumes, they do a fantastic job on not only looking scared, but making you believe they are scared. One thing I liked about the characters is that they are modern-day young adults who have obviously seen a lot of horror movies (as one of them says, "You know the part in scary movies where somebody does something really stupid and everybody hates them for it? Well, this is it!"), they don't come off as smarmy or wink-at-the-audience self-aware. I liked the fact that their dynamic is as brother and sister, not boyfriend and girlfriend. Also, there isn't the cliché T&A, and the obligatory "couple-having-sex-gets-killed" scene. The director brings a fresh approach to the genre (ala Clive Barker, who writes and directs some of the scariest, most twisted horror ever produced). I thought the cinematographer, Don FauntLeRoy, did a great job in working with the darkness, shadows and light, balancing it all. He also presented some interesting bird's eyes views and did a particularly nice job on the one of the major scenes in the film, the "hit and hit and hit and run" sequence? let's just say that somebody gets run over, big time. No glancing blow here -- the driver of the car is really out for blood. Not much is left to old mind's eye, either? you get to see everything in all its glory. (There's another horror movie out now, The Others -- which I think is a far superior film, overall -- that shows you nothing? but I can appreciate both styles, as can most true fans of this deliciously diverse genre. It's nice to devour two such treats, a juicy fast food burger and an elegantly prepared filet mignon, in the same month.)
The song Jeepers Creepers is played to great effect (though most of the general population probably doesn't remember the 1930's hit), I would have liked to have seen Salva have more fun with the musical score. Perhaps the budget didn't allow for it, but it would've been cool to feature The Stones' The Girl With the Faraway Eyes, The Who's Eyesight to the Blind, or the Frank Sinatra (aka, "Old Blue Eyes") version of I Only Have Eyes for You. And, while not exactly campy, there is some measure of humor in the story? though your chuckle will probably be more that of a tension releasing sort than a truly amused one. We haven't had a horror movie like this for a long time. If you'd give your eye-teeth for an old-fashioned, balls-out, creature spooker, Jeepers Creepers is the one for you; a sight for sore eyes, you might even say. (Well, you probably wouldn't, but I have no shame.)
Jeepers Creepers is the story of Trish (Gina Phillips) and her brother Darry (Justin Long), who are driving home from college along the scenic route. Before long, their leisurely drive is disrupted when they are threatened by an aggressively-driven old truck with a freaky paint job, blacked-out windows and a license plate reading BEATNGU (be eating you -- get it?). The truck veers to the other lane and shoots down the road, leaving them alone.
Soon after, they spot the truck parked outside an old, deserted church. They become eyewitnesses to what could be a horrible crime: The driver is dropping what looks like sheet-clad corpses down into a large drain pipe sticking out of the ground. The siblings move on, but curiosity gets the better of Darry, who insists they turn back to investigate. This is an excellent scene, as most movies would offer no explanation as to why they'd do such a dumb thing. When Darry says to Trish, "What if someone is still alive in there? What if it were you?", you can honestly relate to that, and think maybe -- just maybe -- you'd do the same. When they return to the scene, the Creeper's truck is nowhere to be seen in the vicinity of the abandoned church. So Trish and Darry proceed with little caution, leaving their car right out in the driveway, in plain sight of the road. When Darry peers down the drainpipe, he -- surprise! -- falls headfirst into the inky darkness. Here is where the story really kicks into high gear and keeps the tension on full-bore.
Jeepers Creepers might be called derivative by some, but I saw it as a real homage to the what has gone before in the horror genre. The chase scenes are remeniscent of Duel; the bloody scene set in backwoods police station may remind you of Assault On Precinct 13; and the killer himself is a Frankenstein of everything from Leatherface to the creatures in Gargoyles. Rather than trying to come up with something new under the sun, the writer/director, Victor Salva, takes our favorite, most beloved terrors and gives them to us just the way we want them. He doesn't just whet our appetite, he feeds our gruesome hunger. The action quickly takes you right into the eye of the storm, revealing the true nature of the beast little by little, and not shying away when it comes time to see him. That's not to say Salvo doesn't lead us into a game of blindman's bluff now and again -- but his fakeouts really work.
I don't know if the Creeper will take his place among such horror icons as Leatherface, Michael Myers or Jason, but I think he has all the goods. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in the world of horror movies, this freak is one hell of a looker. Kudos to the makeup effects guy, Brian Penikas, who gives us an eyeful without falling back on a lot of obvious, high-tech CGI. While both of the leads have little on their resumes, they do a fantastic job on not only looking scared, but making you believe they are scared. One thing I liked about the characters is that they are modern-day young adults who have obviously seen a lot of horror movies (as one of them says, "You know the part in scary movies where somebody does something really stupid and everybody hates them for it? Well, this is it!"), they don't come off as smarmy or wink-at-the-audience self-aware. I liked the fact that their dynamic is as brother and sister, not boyfriend and girlfriend. Also, there isn't the cliché T&A, and the obligatory "couple-having-sex-gets-killed" scene. The director brings a fresh approach to the genre (ala Clive Barker, who writes and directs some of the scariest, most twisted horror ever produced). I thought the cinematographer, Don FauntLeRoy, did a great job in working with the darkness, shadows and light, balancing it all. He also presented some interesting bird's eyes views and did a particularly nice job on the one of the major scenes in the film, the "hit and hit and hit and run" sequence? let's just say that somebody gets run over, big time. No glancing blow here -- the driver of the car is really out for blood. Not much is left to old mind's eye, either? you get to see everything in all its glory. (There's another horror movie out now, The Others -- which I think is a far superior film, overall -- that shows you nothing? but I can appreciate both styles, as can most true fans of this deliciously diverse genre. It's nice to devour two such treats, a juicy fast food burger and an elegantly prepared filet mignon, in the same month.)
The song Jeepers Creepers is played to great effect (though most of the general population probably doesn't remember the 1930's hit), I would have liked to have seen Salva have more fun with the musical score. Perhaps the budget didn't allow for it, but it would've been cool to feature The Stones' The Girl With the Faraway Eyes, The Who's Eyesight to the Blind, or the Frank Sinatra (aka, "Old Blue Eyes") version of I Only Have Eyes for You. And, while not exactly campy, there is some measure of humor in the story? though your chuckle will probably be more that of a tension releasing sort than a truly amused one. We haven't had a horror movie like this for a long time. If you'd give your eye-teeth for an old-fashioned, balls-out, creature spooker, Jeepers Creepers is the one for you; a sight for sore eyes, you might even say. (Well, you probably wouldn't, but I have no shame.)