Cast: Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck, Travis Schiffner, Eric Nenninger, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Nicki Lynn Aycox, Lena Cardwell, Thom Gossom Jr.
Director: Victor Salva
Producer: Tom Luse
Screenplay: Victor Salva
Cinematography: Don E. FauntLeRoy
Music: Bennett Salvay
U.S. Distributor: MGM
The first Jeepers Creepers, released into theaters over Labor Day weekend two years ago, was a somewhat pleasant surprise - a horror movie that took its time to develop a creepy scenario and build a menacing atmosphere. Past the mid-point, it turned silly, but half a good movie in this genre is more than one usually expects. However, because the film was financially successful (a domestic gross of about $40 million against a budget of $10 million), a sequel was inevitable. And, considering the number of disappointments this year with a "2" after the title, I did not approach this movie with much optimism, even though the original writer/director, Victor Salva, was still in control. Sadly, my trepidation was justified.
Jeepers Creepers 2 takes a different approach from its predecessor. The first movie was a horror flick; this one is a mindless action adventure. It's Jaws with a winged demon standing in for the shark, The Terminator without the clever time paradoxes, or Predator without Arnold. It's gory, repetitive, and not terribly interesting. The Creeper (again played by Jonathan Breck beneath layers of prosthetics) is the unstoppable force who, Energizer Bunny-like, keeps going and going and going. Seemingly nothing can stop this bad guy, especially not a bunch of cardboard cut-out, pugnacious teenagers who are just around to provide him with a source of nourishment before he goes into a 23-year slumber. Just call him Rip Van Creeper.
We don't get much backstory, and, considering the bare-bones plot Salva has come up with, none is really needed. The Creeper emerges every 23 years to eat for 23 days, then goes back into hibernation. The events in Jeepers Creepers 2 conclude the latest period of waking. This time, The Creeper decides to go after a bus full of generic high school football players, most of whom have the kind of arrogant attitude that makes an audience sympathize with the villain. The Creeper picks them off one-by-one until there aren't many left. (The precise order is irrelevant, since none possesses a unique or interesting personality.) Enter Leland Palmer, action hero. Actually, he's named Jack Taggart, but he's played by Ray Wise. Jack is pissed off at the Creeper for killing his son, so he has developed a kick-ass harpoon mounted on the top of his pickup truck. All I can say is that I have to get one of those vehicles. For it to still be running after the pounding it takes, it must be virtually indestructible. Sort of like the Creeper.
The action in Jeepers Creepers 2 is standard-issue uninspired. There are vague attempts at reviving the film's horror origins, but they're mainly limited to lame "boo!" moments. Arguably, the most notable element of the movie is its unintentional comedy. There are times when the movie is laugh-aloud funny, although I'm certain Salva wasn't going for mirth. For example, there's a scene in which a boy is beheaded. We're supposed to be shocked by the sight of his decapitated body, but the computer work is so shoddy that the effect is very Monty Python-ish. And, every time Ray Wise shows up, I kept thinking of Michael Gross' character in Tremors.
If the film had been edited more tightly, had developed a character or two worth liking (instead of a bunch of self-absorbed whiners and homophobes), or had sacrificed some of the action for story, Jeepers Creepers 2 might have succeeded as disposable entertainment. Sure, there are some nice shots of cornfields (and the Creeper's first appearance is unsettling), but most of what made the first movie work (to the extent that it worked) has been abandoned in favor of uninspired drivel. Want to see a movie where almost everything takes place on a bus? Try Speed. Jeepers Creepers 2 isn't even worth a peek.
© 2003 James Berardinelli