Jeepers Creepers **** (2001, Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck) – Classic Movie Review 267

Duel meets Scream in Jeepers Creepers (2001), this really scary, scalding 2001 horror monster movie from writer-director Victor Salva and producer Francis Ford Coppola.

Gina Philips and Justin Long star as young Trish and her kid brother Darry, who go on a spring break road trip along the kind of creepy, strangely empty country roads you only seem to get in horror movies. While they are driving and bickering on their way back home on a lonely road, first they are menaced and then pursued by a relentless truck driver in an old van.

Then they see a mysterious someone throwing what appears to be bodies down a chute into the earth. They stupidly decide to stop and investigate, and find a huge terrifying hideout. And soon they are being scared to death by some kind of weird monster (Jonathan Breck) that apparently just won’t go away. He’s The Creeper!

With some brilliantly handled Gothic set pieces well placed along the road, it is a nailbiting, edge-of-seat scare ride all the way to its spectacularly eerie climax.

This is brio creature-feature chiller stuff, with a classic monster. It is guaranteed that you will scream and scream again.

Also in the cast are Patricia Belcher as Jezelle Gay Hartman, Brandon Smith as returning character Sergeant Davis Tubbs, Eileen Brennan as The Cat Lady, Peggy Sheffield, Jeffrey William Evans, Patrick Cherry, Jon Beshara, Avis-Marie Barnes, Steve Raulerson, Tom Tarantini, William Haze, Kim Kahana and Chris Shepardson.

Jeepers Creepers is directed by Victor Salva, runs 98 minutes, is made by American Zoetrope, Cinerenta-Cinebeta, Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs, VCL, and Capitol, is released by Redbus Film Distribution (2001) (UK) and United Artists (2001) (US), is written by Victor Salva, shot by Don E FauntLeRoy, produced by Francis Ford Coppola (executive producer), Barry Opper (producer), Tom Luse (producer) and J Todd Harris (co-producer), and scored by Bennett Salvay, with Production Design by Steven Legler.

It is rated R for terror violence, gore, strong language and brief nudity.

Eileen Brennan died on July 28 2013, aged 80.

Veteran star character actress Eileen Brennan (who died on July 28 2013, aged 80) has a small but effective role as The Cat Lady.

Sequel: Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003).

Jeepers Creepers 3 was set to begin production in Vancouver early in 2016. Writer-director Victor Salva is returning, along with Jonathan Breck as The Creeper. It will focus on the final day of the Creeper’s 23-day feeding frenzy, as returning character Sergeant Davis Tubbs (Brandon Smith) teams up with a task force dedicated to destroying the Creeper. Stan Shaw stars as the sheriff who is hunting the creature. As the Creeper fights back, the film will examine what it is, where it came from and why it does what it does. Jeepers Creepers 3 was released on 26 September 2017 in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 267

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