CreeperBEATNGU
01-07-2007, 05:55 PM
I'm not necessarily saying that Salva had all this in mind when creating the character and the films, but I've been a huge fan for years, watched them both many times, and I'm one for deep thinking, symbolism, metaphors, allegory, etc...
The Creeper is a hunter with the traits of both animals and humans. He has fangs and claws and wings and superhuman speed, strength and agility.
The irony is, that what makes him truly scary isn't the animalistic, or "monstrous" side of him. Sharks, bears, snakes, etc... generally only kill for survival, when they need nourishment or they feel that they're being threatened.
Human killers on the other hand kill for all sorts of reasons, often morally corrupt ones(something that animals are not). They kill for pleasure, they make trophies of their victims, they're sadistic...qualities not found in animals.
The Creeper has a human personality. He dresses like a man, he has enough of a human shape to pass for human at times, he has human mannerisms, he can drive, he has a sense of humor(a sadistic one), he has human intellect(above many humans for that matter), he often taunts his victims and takes pleasure in watching their terror or suffering.
Comparing the animal hunter/killer qualities to the human ones, the human side is actually vastly more dangerous and evil than the animalistic "monster" side, showing us that we have more to fear from other humans than from any animal or predator of another species.
The Creeper is an immortal, timeless being. In the sequel, he's revealed to have been a warrior from many centuries ago showing how long he's been spreading human suffering and making trophies out of people(war is yet another example human brutality not displayed in animals), and the every 23rd spring for 23 days can have a dual meaning. 1.) It's an endless cycle that just keeps going and going with no end, much like human cruelty and immorality. 2.) The fact that he can only hunt in certain time intervals before being forced into hibernation can be viewed as a curse or a punishment for this timeless cycle of human moral corruption that the human race is condemned to repeat as long as human cruelty continues, which it unfortunately always will.
The Creeper can never die because human weakness, sin, immorality...everything impure and evil about human nature can never die. He feeds on us because it's we that enable his survival through our flaws.
The religious symbolism of the Creeper on the cross in the sequel can be taken as a religious metaphor, instead of a Christ-like figure, he's an anti-Christ like figure, standing for everything bad about us as people and taking lives instead of saving them. The fact that his lair was once a church, now broken down and decrepid, turned into a sanctuary for death and sin, which is ultimately burned also ties into the turnaround from good to evil.
The Creeper is timeless and not set to a certain period because what he stands for is timeless and not set to a certain period.
The Creeper is a hunter with the traits of both animals and humans. He has fangs and claws and wings and superhuman speed, strength and agility.
The irony is, that what makes him truly scary isn't the animalistic, or "monstrous" side of him. Sharks, bears, snakes, etc... generally only kill for survival, when they need nourishment or they feel that they're being threatened.
Human killers on the other hand kill for all sorts of reasons, often morally corrupt ones(something that animals are not). They kill for pleasure, they make trophies of their victims, they're sadistic...qualities not found in animals.
The Creeper has a human personality. He dresses like a man, he has enough of a human shape to pass for human at times, he has human mannerisms, he can drive, he has a sense of humor(a sadistic one), he has human intellect(above many humans for that matter), he often taunts his victims and takes pleasure in watching their terror or suffering.
Comparing the animal hunter/killer qualities to the human ones, the human side is actually vastly more dangerous and evil than the animalistic "monster" side, showing us that we have more to fear from other humans than from any animal or predator of another species.
The Creeper is an immortal, timeless being. In the sequel, he's revealed to have been a warrior from many centuries ago showing how long he's been spreading human suffering and making trophies out of people(war is yet another example human brutality not displayed in animals), and the every 23rd spring for 23 days can have a dual meaning. 1.) It's an endless cycle that just keeps going and going with no end, much like human cruelty and immorality. 2.) The fact that he can only hunt in certain time intervals before being forced into hibernation can be viewed as a curse or a punishment for this timeless cycle of human moral corruption that the human race is condemned to repeat as long as human cruelty continues, which it unfortunately always will.
The Creeper can never die because human weakness, sin, immorality...everything impure and evil about human nature can never die. He feeds on us because it's we that enable his survival through our flaws.
The religious symbolism of the Creeper on the cross in the sequel can be taken as a religious metaphor, instead of a Christ-like figure, he's an anti-Christ like figure, standing for everything bad about us as people and taking lives instead of saving them. The fact that his lair was once a church, now broken down and decrepid, turned into a sanctuary for death and sin, which is ultimately burned also ties into the turnaround from good to evil.
The Creeper is timeless and not set to a certain period because what he stands for is timeless and not set to a certain period.