Halloween reviews: Jeepers Creepers

Today, I look at infamous horror director Victor Salva's film Jeepers Creepers. Why is Salva so infamous? Well, he was convicted of molesting a young star in one of his films, now, I'm not sure if he's really guilty, but it was an awkward way to kick off a review, and has nothing to do with this film whatsoever, but it does play in the sequel a bit. Why have this as my next review? Well, this is just a rumor, but there might be a sequel in the works in the next couple years, of couse, it's been in development hell for the past few years. Plus, #2 came out in like 2002, and it was announced for a 2011 release a couple years back. Obviously, that didn't happen. I'm not too optimistic. Well, enough sequel talk, let's get to the movie itself. (Spoilers)

Jeepers Creepers:
The title is taken from the old song "Jeepers Creepers" from the 1938 movie Going Places, which MGM/United Artists (the producers of the film) happened to have the rights to. Of course, the song is used to very creepy effect in the film, but has nothing to do with the plot, it's just creepy. It follows two college kids: Trish and her brother, Darry, taking the back road home for spring break, and stumble upon a creepy truck driver who si disposing of bodies in a pit behind a creepy old chapel. They discover he has thousands of bodies stored in the pit, in a Sisteen-Chapel of corpses. They go for help, but this creepy truck driver continues to stalk them. The kids are continually bombarded with cryptic phone calls from an elderly psychic with strange warnings, and the truck driver is more than he seems.... The cast are surprisingly pretty good. Gina Phillips is Trish. She's kind of dumb, but she's not tood bad. Justing Long as Darry is also a little stupid, but he's pretty likeable and you don't want him to die. Jonathan Breck gives a good performance as "The Creeper", the mysterious truck driver who has murdered hundreds upon hundreds of people. and has apparently cannibalizes pieces of his victims. But, this creeper is more than a man. He is in fact an ancient demon who must eat body parts to regenerate rotting parts of his own body. He is incredibly fast, strong, and stealthy. He has a creepy presence and oura of mystery than make him truly terrifying. Patricia Belcher plays Jezelle, the elderly psychic who lets on less than she knows, and has a mysterious knowledge of this demon. Eileen Brennan plays The Cat Lady, a mysterious old woman who has thousands of cats who seems to have a history with this demon, as the psychic mentions her before the kids meet her. She gives a good performace, albeit brief. The cast are good, and the script is pretty damn bizarre. The universe presented in the film is strange, with surreal things happening around the creeper's lair that just don't make sense. The dialogue is okay, and the shock moments are truly disturbing. The special effects are pretty good. Sure, the CG sucks, but the make-up on the Creeper is pretty impressive. The music is pretty good, too. Albeit mediocre, Jeepers Creepers is a fun popcorn horror film with a creepy monster and a somewhat haunting ending. 3/5 stars.