FANTASIA FESTIVAL 2003 ENTRY
Watch the first 8 minutes of Jeepers Creepers 2 here

This sequel to the sleeper hit "Jeepers Creepers" is a minimalist creature feature at best. Nothing too complicated or ambitious going on in here. Gone is the mystery, the anticipation and the buildup of the original, replaced by some pretty straight forward flying monster stuff that owes a lot to "Jaws 2" in terms of story structure. In fact, I’m sure it was an inspiration.

On this sequel’s side, it did put out a couple of way kool horror howlers for us genre fiends to lap up (all about that growing head) as well as some effective horror imagery all around (loved the scarecrow bit). We’re also treated to more action (but less suspense) than in the first one. I loved the high flying stalk sequences, the slick kills, The Creeper's use of homemade “ninja stars” and the messy car tumbling over bits. Visual effects wise, they were much better (more money) than the ones found in the original, especially when it came to The Creeper flying...I bought it! The Creeper's design also kicked all kinds of ass. Man, is this villain chill-inducing or what? Loved the white teeth dude! Is it me or is the Creepmeister starting to look more and more like Freddy Krueger from "Nightmare on Elm Street 2"? Maybe it’s the booze rambling.

Dream sequences are an old hat convention in horror films, but here they were used effectively. They communicated the needed exposition while giving the film a different feel and rhythm. They sure were better than that damn grating psychic lady found in the previous entry whose presence was to serve the same purpose. It was also slick to see Darry (kid from the first flick) again...nice touch for the fans. The film’s most powerful jab though was the presence of Ray “great guy” Wise giving the best performance in the film and the pinch of intensity it badly needed. I was disappointed to see that even though the character of Jack was the most interesting of the lot, he got the least actual screen time. I mean, the dude had a personal vendetta against the creature-- I had something invested in him as opposed to kids…USE HIM! The flick sadly never fully capitalized on the tension and the drama that the Jack character could’ve brought to the narrative.

Which brings me to this sequel’s flaws. What was up with the amateurish characterization? Apart from Nicki Lynn Aycox (Minxie), who made her character stand out via her solid performance, I didn’t give a shite about any of the paper thin Gap-brats in this ball park. That considerably lessened the stakes of the events for me as well as their intended tension. It didn’t help that I freakin' giggled at the pathetic and, at times, redundant dialogue that arose or the made up street slang that was spat out. What in Mickey Rourke’s name is a “cock the walk”? Like really…what the hell does that mean? Anyone? I don’t care either.

The sad attempts at addressing weighty themes via subtext also had me rolling on the floor like an epileptic on cocaine. There’s some supposed dramatic “tension” in the film where one of the jocks is being accused by his peers of being gay. Oooooooo! What was the point of slapping that in there? Was that supposed to be considered as substance? I almost hurled! If you’re going to play that game, then play it right or don’t do it at all. Here, it felt tacked on and unnecessary. The same can be said about that slight “racial conflict” garbage. Didn’t buy it or care for it as it brought NATHING to the movie or the characters. I’ve seen cooking shows with more impact.  

Now although I loved some of the action set pieces, they all started to feel the same after a while. I mean, this sequel pretty much had double the budget than the first one did and I expected it to go way further in the physical jamboree department. There are just so many times I can see The Creeper flying about, picking male teens off the ground for a romantic flight before it gets "blah". An exciting car chase, some gunfights, a pair of nude lesbian cheerleaders or a heavy fistfight would’ve been appreciated by yours truly.  I also missed the truck The Creeper drove in the first one and that oh-so swaying honk it emanated. Where was the man’s ride?

Lastly, Salva took his own love for hot guys and expressed it in this flick on an even more obvious level. At a certain point, I thought I was watching soft gay erotica as opposed to a horror film. How many buff dudes do we need in one movie? Look...shirtless buff dudes are tanning! Look...shirtless buff dudes are pissing together! Look...the camera is lingering on them as if the man behind it is salivating for "Beef-Jerky!" Hey man, why aren’t the chicks tanning without their tops? Why aren’t they pissing together (not that that's my thing). BOOOOOO!! And I have to say this, I don’t know about you guys but when I take a leak outside and my friends are around...I don’t stand an inch next to them in a line, cock to cock, talking shop while I do my business. Maybe it’s just me...yes, maybe I'm a prude and I don’t like to compare knobs.

The budget for this film was $17-18 million clams, which is about $7-8 million more clams than they had on the first one. Where did they spend it all? Tanning oil for the male actors, perhaps?