So I finally bought myself the Jeepers Creepers trilogy on DVD, a good 17 years since I owned the first Jeepers Creepers (2001) on VHS. I’m one happy lady, it is my number one horror; director Victor Salva knows how to scare.
What I love so much about these movies is the way in which Salva builds suspense; he allows the camera to linger and waits for the action to come to him (particularly in the road chase sequences). He doesn’t overdo the gore; he keeps it light and comical almost, and treats his audience to memorable and frightening sequences which, in my opinion, make you enjoy watching The Creeper (Jonathan Breck) and his weird ways.
Although Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017) isn’t the best of the three films, it’s still a decent watch, even if The Creeper has now adopted a very fetching red jumper! What I thought was clever was how Salva chose to focus more on The Creeper’s van and its contents; something which wasn’t really explored properly in the earlier films. But, although he did a good job of knitting the three films together in this latest offering, it was disappointing not to really find out any more about the Creeper and his origins. Could this be because a Jeepers Creepers 4 is in the offing?
I loved the characters Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long) from the first Jeepers Creepers, and if I had to vote for my favourite scenes, I have one from each film (seems fair!). They are as follows:
- The ending of Jeepers Creepers with the unnerving mix of Darry’s face, The Creeper’s eyes and the fantastic 1938 song of the same title
- The Creeper running through the wheat field in Jeepers Creepers 2. He is shot from the bus and runs towards the camera at a gradual angle which brings him closer and closer, all the while showing more and more of his black clothed body as he sprints through the field
- The car ambush in Jeepers Creepers 3, where The Creeper rubs little peep holes into the blood splattered car window so that he can get a better look at Addison (Gabrielle Haugh)
Now I need to watch some other Salva films – any suggestions? Let me know.
Further reading:
A review of “Jeepers Creepers 3” (2017)
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