The Popkorn Junkie :: Jeepers Creepers 2

This film is kind of nostalgic for me. Why? Well, the review I wrote for "Jeepers Creepers" was the very first review of mine to be posted on www.popkornjunkie.com, which was, at that time, still www.geocities.com/popkornjunkie. I gave the original film four pops and hailed it as a classic horror film and one of the best horror films in a long, long while. I still stick by that review and still consider the first film to be a phenomenal horror film. As for the sequel -- the feeling is mutual.

"Jeepers Creepers 2" might not be as frightening as the original film, but it is certainly more entertaining and action packed, possibly because director Victor Salva had a much larger budget with which to work. The result is a film that I would compare to "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn", as in there is more comedy, but still a genuine amount of thrills and chills. The film centers around Day 23 of the Creeper's feeding frenzy and this film takes place not long after the last film -- a matter of days. The targets are a bus load of teenagers, coaches, and friends, on their way back from the state championships, which they won. Before long, their celebration turns to horror as they are systematically stalked by the winged man-eater. Character actor Ray Wise stars as Jack Taggart, the coach of the team, and he is the protagonist of the film as he tries to save the kids from death. And, Jonathan Breck reprises his role as the Creeper.

This film has a very claustrophobic feel to it. Most of the action takes place inside of the bus, though there are also a few scenes outside, but very close to, the bus. That claustrophobic feel helps add to the fright factor, and it makes the suspense much more unbearable. The young actors do a good job of serving their purpose -- sex, screams, and dying -- and manage to not seem totally retarded (excuse me, mentally handicapped).

And, what the Creeper cannot do himself, director Salva does with wonderful camerawork and expert timing, just as he did in his first film. I am glad he is back. Back? Where has he been? Well, Salva was convicted of molesting a twelve-year-old boy and served some prison time before he came back with the first "Jeepers Creepers". Usually, Hollywood would have shunned a director for committing such an atrocious act, but they welcomed him back into their arms and he is still able to produce quality cinema. Many groups have started boycotting this film already, as they did with the first, saying that the American movie goer should not waste money on a film directed by a child molester. I say -- that does not matter to me. If Steven Spielberg went out and murdered twenty people with a hatchet, I would still go see every Spielberg movie released, even if he did have to make them from prison.

"Jeepers Creepers 2" is a fantastic edition to the summer movie season and one of my favorite films of the year. I am so glad the horror genre is coming back and this film only helps to strengthen that resurgence. Kudos to Victor Salva for this film, and kudos to whomever decided to greenlight the third in the series. "Jeepers Creepers" deserves to be a trilogy.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 1 out of 4 pops )

First of all, I'd like to establish that I really enjoyed the first movie. This is just another sequel that repeats everything we've seen in the original, and sheds no new light. I can hardly find one original element in this tired, cliche-ridden horror flick. I think part of what made the first movie work was the fact that we didn't even get to see the Creeper until about halfway through. In this case, we already know what the Creeper looks like, so he's almost laughable when he's on screen. Also, the first one had characters you could root for. This movie has the usual assortment of jocks and cheerleaders. Who cares? Kill 'em all! This shows that a bigger budget DEFINITELY doesn't translate into a better movie! Not to mention it has some awful acting and dialogue ("What do you mean? The will-be-eaten and the won't-be-eaten?"). If you do get dragged to this piece of trash, make sure you drink about 10 cans of Red Bull, because I had to fight to keep myself awake!