Jeepers Creepers & Jeepers Creepers 2 – Blu-ray review
Director: Victor Salva
Jeepers Creepers cast: Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck
Jeepers Creepers 2 cast: Jonathan Breck, Ray Wise, Nicki Aycox
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
In 2001 a little horror movie came out called Jeepers Creepers. It was pretty well received by fans and critics alike, and I really liked it. In 2003 a sequel came out and was largely forgotten or disliked by fans and critics and I must admit, I was also not a fan of it. But I just got both of these Blu-rays from the always excellent Scream Factory and both have the usual topnotch Scream Factory production, so I was curious about Jeepers Creepers 2. I knew the first one was solid, but what of the second? Well grab your wide-brimmed hat, your tattered duster coat, and get in your creepy old truck, and let’s find out.
Starting at the beginning, Jeepers Creepers is about a college-aged brother and sister heading home for a visit via a long road trip. Along the way they run afoul of a creep who quickly turns out to be a murderer, and then more slowly, over the course of the film, to be something even worse. The best thing about this movie is how the threat reveals itself and evolves as the movie goes on. First you think it’s going to be a Duel-like movie about a psycho in a big, old, dirty truck. Then it appears to be a more traditional axe-wielding serial killer. After that it soon become apparent that this creep is some kind of supernatural monster. The final reveal is the creature in all its grotesque glory, and the movie must be commended for coming up with a really unique, and yes, creepy-looking baddie. This film is further bolstered with strong direction and more-than-capable acting from Gina Philips and Justin Long as the hunted brother and sister. Wrap all that up with a very memorable ending and you have one hell of a good horror movie.
Because the first movie was a success, a sequel was rushed out, and upon my first and only viewing of it (until now), I didn’t like it. No, more like hated it. The mystery behind the creeper was gone from the start. The characters (a stranded bus load of high school football players with coaches and three – yes, just three- cheerleaders) were basically cardboard cutouts and nowhere near as developed or likable as the brother and sister from the first movie. Unexplained nonsense is implemented just for the sake of lazy writing and plot convenience. The worst offender of this is when one of the aforementioned cheerleaders suddenly, and without a hint of explanation, becomes psychic just so she can deliver big, chunky blocks of exposition to the rest of the characters. Yeah, that’s just weak-sauce crap. But, this second time through, I did enjoy the movie a whole lot more. The beginning scene set on a farm with Ray Wise is very well done and actually scary. Ray Wise always raises the movie up a little whenever he’s on screen. Some of the more outlandish gore gags are fun, like when the creeper gets half its head torn off, so it rips off its entire head, tosses it away, and grows a new one. And the ending, while not as memorable or as strong as the original, was still very good, and that’s pretty much my new opinion of Jeepers Creepers 2. The original is still better, but the sequel is a lot more fun than I’ve been giving it credit for all these years.
Now let’s creep on over and check out those special features for each of these releases. For the first movie there are two commentary tracks: the first one is with the director, Victor Salva. The second is with the director and stars Justin Long and Gina Philips. On the second Blu-ray are all the other goodies, such as a featurette called “Jeepers Creepers Then and Now” that’s a 37 minute retrospective. There is a 19 minute long special called “From Critters to Creepers” which is a collection of behind-the-scenes interviews on how the movie came to be. “The Town Psychic” is an interview with actress Patricia Belcher who played (surprise, surprise) the psychic lady in the movie, and that runs just over 26 minutes. There is “Behind the Peepers,” which is a comprehensive making-of doc that runs over an hour. Then there is a collection of deleted scenes, a photo gallery, trailer, and radio spot.
For the sequel, there is a commentary with director Salva and various member of the cast, and a second one with the Creeper himself, Jonathan Beck, the storyboard artists/monster designer, and the set designer. Just like with the other movie, there is a retrospective called “Jeepers Creepers 2 Then and Now” that runs over 22 minutes long. “A Father’s Revenge” is a 15 minute interview with Ray Wise. “Don’t get off the Bus” is a 21 minute long collection of interviews with various actors from the movie. There is a collection of six featurettes covering all aspects of making the movie, that all combined run over 74 minutes. A collection of deleted scenes, photo galleries, and a theatrical trailers round out the extras.
Both of these movies should be in the home library of any horror movie lover. Creepy and funny, gory and suspenseful, if you are a monster movie fan, you’ll love them. Consider both Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2 well recommended.
