Jeepers Creppers (2001)

Seemingly typical, this one definitely didn't catch my eye around the time of its release. It struck me as one of the millions of horror movies destined for cheap scares and other qualities I need not mention. Such expectations would lead most to look towards it's make-up with apathy towards the characters, random guessing as to who the masked man dumping bodies is, and the expectation of truly shitting acting that doesn't transcend beyond attractive men and woman who look good while being chased and can also let out a decent scream. Oh man, was I wrong.

Our main victims are Justin Long and Gina Philips, who introduce a different relationship to horror cinema. They're not boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, or some random fling worthy enough to scream in despair while they witness the other being chopped to pieces. They're brother and sister. I make note of this because not only does it rule out the concept of a love interest completely, but also builds up horrific elements of the film more than "The Creeper" himself. Rather than spending the intro laughing blissfully and making sexual gestures towards one another, they're poking fun and bickering with each other like siblings do best. An extra layer of comedy is added, as snide remarks under the guise of brotherly love make for great raunchy humor. Rather than the audience artificially feeling for their relationship as a couple, we witness their demise after Trish basically tells her brother to drop dead. What happens to them touches more of the wrong-doing towards a family member, instead of two "hotties" with obvious deficiencies running into a terrible stroke of bad luck.

Like most horror movies that introduce an unknown entity that freightens (or intrigues) the audience more than the human characters' perspective, Darry and Trish are the main focuses of the film. However, it's the monster that really steals the show here. Every scene featuring the creeper or an extension of him was executed with top-notch cinematic efficiency. One example would be the use of brightened pastel colors to represent the desolate yet warm feeling countryside, bright-green grass and pink houses included. Then plot devices like the old rusted truck driven by the strange creature as it tries to run Trish and Darry off the road has a much more compelling presence. Their reactions in the scene are pushed to a small perk, while director Victor Salva focuses on the environment he's obviously put his share of work into, without being overbearing. Simply put, it feels like the beginning of a really bad dream. This scene occurs very early in the film, and charts a path for the overall direction of the film, which helps show the true intention of the creature in a very unique way. For those who haven't seen it, the movie is indeed called Jeepers Creepers for a reason. The allusion to eyes, creative direction, better-than-most acting and constant intrigue in the film's monster make Jeepers Creepers one of the best low-scale monster movies I've seen. Don't overlook this one, there's more to it than meets the eye (sorry, couldn't help it).