- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
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- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers where'd you get those eyes?!
Imagine you and your sister driving down an
empty lonely State Highway. Suddenly your car
is run off the road by a big rusty truck. Back
on the road, you see the truck beside an empty
church. A large man is emptying what appears to
be bodies down a pipe chute. You go and investigate.
Such is the beginning of a story that finds Trish
(Gina Philips)and her brother Darry (Justin Long)
finding themselves at the mercy of an indestructible
force.
Jeepers Creepers rises just above mediocre
in delivering thrills and chills, but it certainly
succeeds in keeping one in suspense. There are some
interesting moments in the film, but somehow I
envision this film working better with the under
30 age crowd.
The transfer is okay. The problem is that there
is an awful lot of grain evident in the picture.
In some quick shots, it looks almost like VHS
quality. I would tend to think that the problem
is with the original film stock as I can't imagine
why MGM would have a problem with the transfer on
a new feature such as this.
The 5.1 Dolby Surround is very good. The surrounds
add some chilling effects as the rears come alive
with the eerie sounds of the countryside. I also
found favorable LFE response from my SV Subwoofer.
I once again have to applaud MGM for coming a
long way and adding some really nice extra content
to their discs. Pop in the DVD and you are greeted
with a chilling animated menu sequence that immediately
sets the tone for the film.
Since both the 16:9 anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1)
version -and- standard version reside on the same
side of the disc, you are given the choice as to
which version to watch.
The Special Features are located on the
flip side of the disc, and they are rather plentiful.
First, there is Director's Audio commentary.
Behind The Peepers is a making of documentary
produced exclusively for this DVD. Divided into
separate sections, you can pick and choose exactly
what aspect of the film you wish to know more
about. For instance, Finding Trish and Darry
concerns the casting call to find the two main
actors. Included are the original auditions for
each, as well as their first audition together.
Designing the creeper introduces us to
Designer Brad Parker who talks about his original
envisions of the creeper character. Through
early draft sketches, we see the process of how this
character was finalized. Cars and Trucks
tells the tale of how automobiles had to be selected
based on personality. I think everyone will find it
quite interesting to watch how the car scenes were
filmed when the actual car is being towed with film
rigging. Next, we see how the creepy, rusty box
truck was created and hear surprise from actress
Gina Philips as she sees the truck for the very first
time. The Creeper comes to Florida introduces
us to Jonathan Breck, a nice guy who talks about
playing the bad Creeper. There is original audition
footage included of his character as well as footage
from makeup sessions. Night Shoots is a
very impressive segment that shows the techniques a
filmmaker must use to effectively shoot a night
scene. With a storyboard for every shot, we see
how well prepared Director Victor Salva was in
shooting these scenes. Composed by Bennett Salvay
is a segment that gives us insight into the
composition of the film's music soundtrack. In
some of the film's most memorable segments the music
score is isolated from the rest of the soundtrack
to give us a real feel of how important the music is
to this film. Later in the segment we are shown
two windows -- one with the filmed segment and one
of the soundstage orchestra playing along. It's a
really cool look at music score being produced for
a film.
Deleted Scenes has an entire crop of deleted
footage (10 in all), but most notably, the alternate
OPENING and ORIGINAL ENDING of the film. It was nice
to see that neither of these versions made it. The
alternate opening slows down the pace of the film and
the original ending is a bit too comical and vague
compared to the preferred final ending.
Last Looks is a filmed collage of different
publicity and behind-the-scenes stills set to Salvay's
eerie score.
If you are in the mood for Trailers, this
DVD boasts many. In addition to the original
Jeepers Creepers theatrical trailer, there
are also included trailers for Hannibal; The
Silence of the Lambs Special Edition DVD; The Terminator
Special Edition DVD and Carrie Special
Edition DVD.
Final Thoughts....
This hasn't been a year filled with many horror
movies and its nice to see that once in a while
there's a film that surfaces that makes us all
feel creepy inside.
Jeepers Creepers may not rank as one of
the most frightful movies ever made, but it
certainly earns points as a well crafted spook
film that builds suspense and keeps the viewer
entertained.
MGM has done a terrific Special Edition that
although contains a grainy transfer, makes up
in overall supplemental contact.
Release Date: January 8, 2002
