Review: Jeepers Creepers (2001)

'You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it.'

★★★

This is a horror film which I feel like is underrated. It's simple, and doesn't have much to offer, sure, but doesn't matter. I've seen worse, and some were so bad that I wish never existed. I won't say which ones because I probably pissed off a bunch of people with my reviews by now. Aside from that, this kind of movie isn't meant to be taken seriously.

In "Jeepers Creepers (2001)," siblings Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long), while driving home from college through rural Florida, witness a mysterious figure disposing of what looks like a body near an old church. Curious and concerned, Darry investigates and discovers a basement filled with preserved corpses, stitched together in a grotesque display. This discovery puts them in the crosshairs of the Creeper (Jonathan Breck), a terrifying creature that awakens every 23 years to feed on human parts it needs to regenerate. As the Creeper relentlessly hunts them down, Trish and Darry learn that the Creeper chooses its victims based on fear, intensifying their desperate fight for survival. The film's suspense builds to a chilling conclusion that hints at the Creeper's darkly supernatural nature.

When this film was released, it recieved mixed reviews, when I got around to seeing, I actually enjoyed it. I dunno why, but I had a good time. Maybe cause I see movies as a fun way to escape from reality. Then again, I was screaming at the scream, telling Danny NOT to go back, but like they say, 'Curiosity killed the cat.' I've often been told that was a normal thing to scream at your scream, so I guess I win either way.

I did also like some of the casting in the film. Gina Philips as Trish, Justin Long as Darry, and Patricia Belcher as Jezelle Gay Hartman. Yes, Mrs. Dabney herself, (Good Luck Charlie fans will remember her). They all seemed to have good chemistry and worked well off each other. Trish and Darry don't seem to trust Jezelle, as they think she's some crazy lady, as everyone depicts to her be, but she's the only one who knows what the kids are going through. Eventually, Trish believes her when it was too late. Regardless, it was still fun to see those three together. Now that I think about it, Trish and Darry could avoided this mess if they didn't go back, and maybe if they had run him over one more time, just one more time. But these kids don't think half the time.

I also liked the score. Classic music is the best kind of music for a horror film. Bennett Salvay did a fantastic job. It builds the tension well, and makes for great music to listen to without watching the film. Comparing this to Ridley Scott's Alien, Jerry Goldsmith, both composes were able to capture the suspense, horror, and action. Which goes back to my point about classic music is the best kind of music for horror films.

Overall not a bad horror film, it's main purpose is to make the atmosphere and tension scary. It's not about the story, like I said. The Creeper, was certainly terrifying and very athletic. This is a film I find underrated. It's fun, scary, and exciting. That's what I feel like horror films should be about. There's is a certain charm to these kinds of horror films despite them not being highly rated as others.