A horror film that pulls something of a surprise on its audience halfway through the movie, Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers works wonderfully within its own boundaries with only a few missteps along the way. Made in loving tribute to the monster films of yore rather than bowing to today’s gore porn industry, Jeepers Creepers does a very good job thrilling and chilling an audience that wants suspense and surprise rather than bloodbaths and excessive mayhem.
Jeepers Creepers (Blu-ray)
Directed by Victor Salva
Studio: MGM
Year: 2001
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 2.0 French, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish
Region: A
MSRP: $ 16.99
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Review Date: September 19, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
When brother and sister Trish (Gina Phillips) and Darry (Justin Long) see what appears to be a serial killer dumping wrapped bodies down a drainage pipe at an abandoned church, their first instinct is to flee for their lives. However, Darry feels they need to investigate in case there are survivors. With the supposed killer nowhere in sight, Darry falls down the pipe and discovers a cavern underneath the church where hundreds of mummified bodies adorn the walls and ceiling. By the time he and Trish can get to a police station, they’re menaced by the shadowy figure (Jonathan Breck) as well as a terrified psychic (Patricia Belcher) who has already seen a violent confrontation between the siblings and this unstoppable killer in her visions.
Writer-director Victor Salva’s adoration of the Universal monsters like the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dracula inspired him to create his own version of a Universal monster, and halfway through the film when it becomes clear that the pair are not dealing with an ordinary serial murderer, the film really takes off on its own path. Sure, the director falls into some of the familiar clichéd traps of the genre: the early “boo” moments that aren’t earned, the dunderheaded police who believe nothing until they see it with their own eyes, the people who stand and watch horrors rather than fleeing for their lives or who fail to leave the horror behind after their first encounter with it. Directorially, Salva stages some nifty chases (Spielberg’s Duel was his inspiration) and does a good job with the gradual introduction of the film’s big bad – the Creeper. A late shot of him slithering along a wall is very effective, and a nighttime road rage scene is beautifully choreographed and shot. But once the viewer learns that the killer can’t be stopped or eradicated, the film loses some of its appeal: there’s nowhere for it to go since at that point we realize our protagonists have no chance to outwit or outmaneuver their adversary. They’re merely biding their time until their ultimate immolation.
Gina Phillips and Justin Long make a very believable pair of siblings, devoted to one another but also short-tempered with each other’s limitations and mean-spirited in a way familiar to centuries of brothers and sisters. Jonathan Breck’s Creeper is an awe-inspiring presence, and the actor doesn’t flinch from several disgusting physical liberties the Creeper performs. It’s always a treat to see Eileen Brennan in a film playing a hermit-like cat lady for a regrettably brief sequence that’s really effective. Patricia Belcher is likewise successful as the not quite all-knowing psychic with some but not all of the answers.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio is faithfully delivered in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is very good throughout the presentation, and colors are always under control and consistent with realistic flesh tones on display. Black levels are good rather than great, but they’re good enough to give the transfer a very film-like look. The movie has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix does an outstanding job ratcheting up the tension with bombastic sound effects at the proper moments and a driving music score by Bennett Salvay that gets great spread through the fronts and rears. The surround channels get some decent ambient sounds panning through them (squawking crows early on cast an eerie spell) and the LFE channel gets a nice workout from the persistent bass in the music and an occasional crash or thud. Dialogue has been excellently recorded and appears mostly in the center channel though there’s a bit of directionalized dialogue in the mix.
Special Features
3.5/5
The audio commentary is by writer-director Victor Salva. Proud of his film and all those who worked on it, he manages to thank many of the creative personnel as the film runs as well as offering memories of the two-month Florida shoot that sapped everyone’s strength but left them also exhilarated at the work they were accomplishing.
With one exception, the bonus material is presented in 480i.
“Behind the Peepers – The Making of Jeepers Creepers” is a more interesting and comprehensive story of the film’s production than the audio commentary. Starting with the casting of Justin Long and Gina Phillips (with glimpses of their auditions), this 59 ¾-minute feature touches on all the highlights of the production including the designs for the Creeper by Brad Parker, the search for appropriate cars and trucks for the road scenes with lots of behind the scenes shots of how those were filmed, a nice segment showing Creeper actor Jonathan Breck in and out of make-up (and his very effective audition) designed by Brian Penikas, the extensive nighttime shooting featuring the stunt doubles for the various actors, the limited use of CGI in basically only a few shots, a sweet moment with veteran character actress Eileen Brennan, and composer Bennett Salvay writing and recording his music score with several scenes featuring his isolated music score.
There are ten deleted/extended scenes including the original beginning and ending, all of which can be watched individually or in one 16 ¾-minute grouping.
A photo gallery is presented in montage form running 8 minutes with Bennett Salvay’s score to accompany the pictures.
The director’s cameo (one of the many bodies on the walls of the underground cavern) runs ½ minute.
The theatrical trailer is presented in 1080p and runs 2 minutes.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Thankfully not the expected slasher film that the title and cover art of the Blu-ray disc might suggest, Jeepers Creepers proves somewhat smarter and more entertaining than that. Those looking for a bloodbath might want to look elsewhere, but for others willing to open their minds to a horror film with an unexpected twist that will inevitably win you over before the film ends, the movie is worth more than a look.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
