Review: Jeepers Creepers 2
The original Jeepers Creepers was a surprisingly good horror movie two years ago when it was released. The cliché of the masked killer was brought to a new level by The Creeper (Jonathan Breck), a seemingly immortal being who collected bodies and made tools and wallpaper out of them. The scare factor of the first movie wasn’t jump-out-of-your-soiled-seat but the film did introduce us to a good time. Now, two years later, in a summer where sequels have continued to under perform and leave fans displeased Jeepers Creepers 2 continues the tradition.
Think about everything you liked about the first Jeepers Creepers, delete it, and you have Jeepers Creepers 2 a film lacking any of the coolest parts of the original, instead putting a group of teenagers (how original) in a situation where they are picked off one by one (again, how original). The innovation and originality of the first film were plucked from their happy home and replaced with standard horror-fare that leaves you groaning on just how bad a script can be, and still get made.
JC2 is nothing more than a B-movie wrapped in a franchise name and force feed to a set group of moviegoers who, not just two weeks ago, saw a much more impressive Freddy vs. Jason. Truth be told MGM is smart for releasing this film so close to New Line’s Freddy vs. Jason as to cash in on the inevitable demand for new horror after the two titans of terror fight to the “death.”
The main problem with JC2 is that it can’t even stand tall enough to even think about holding a torch to the original. Aside from a short cameo by Darry (Justin Long) you wouldn’t even know this movie is connected to the franchise. Gone is the immensely cool, fear-producing truck. Gone is the home of the Creeper complete with hundreds of bodies sown together on the walls, although the house is mentioned as having gone up in flames earlier in the movie. Gone is the creepiness of the Creeper who is now just flying around picking people off the ground while avoiding spears to the head. Hell, they don’t even play the infamous song associated with every death in the original film.
It doesn’t help that the script is full of enough holes to satisfy the porn industry. No name characters disappear and reappear from time to time. During the film’s climax a girl is pushed from a truck just before it crashes and explodes. We never see her again. Before the aforementioned truck explodes we see the driver crawl out of the wreckage, but we never see him again. Plus the entire side-plot of a farmer, Jack Taggart (Ray Wise) going after the Creeper because he killed his son looks as though it was tacked on to put more action in a film that only needs to be 20 minutes long to get the point across.
Try as I might I couldn’t find anything redeeming for my $6.50. The badness of the bad guy is gone. The coolness of the truck and hide-out are gone. The characters are nothing more than canon fodder, and while some other movies at least attempt to interject some story into the mix, JC2‘s writers don’t even give them names, and when they do, they are called Minxie (Nicki Lynn Aycox).
The whole film is just a very disappointing experience with it’s only bright spot being great cinematography, especially the opening cornfield sequence. Jeepers Creepers 2 should be avoid by fans and horror patrons as it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. See Freddy vs. Jason again if you just need some horror in your life, or venture to a discount theater and glimpse 28 Days Later once again.
