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Review by: Louisa Biswas | Rating:
One
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast and crew commentary; Creeper commentary;
Deleted scenes. Making Jeepers Creepers 2; A Day In Hell –
full day set visit. Creeper Composer; Creeper Creation –
makeup; Digital effects featurette. TV spots; The Creeper’s
Lair storyboards; Photo gallery; Trailers.
THERE is nothing better than a good horror film to round off
the Summer movie season, but describing Jeepers Creepers 2 as
‘horror’ is a laughable parody, writes Louisa Biswas.
The film is just another in a long list of sequels which fails
to deliver anything new to justify its making.
Immediately following on from the original film, the audience
is introduced to Taggart (Ray Wise) and his sons, who are working
in his cornfields, when the winged beast Creeper (Jonathan Breck)
dramatically snatches the younger son, carrying him off into the
sky.
Shocked and angered, Taggart and his remaining son decide to
prepare for a showdown with the creature.
Its now the 23rd day, the final day of The Creeper’s feeding
season for another 23 years.
While on a deserted highway, a school bus carries a varsity basketball
team, its cheerleaders and coaches back from a triumphant championship
game, when they experience a flat tyre and are stuck in the middle
of nowhere - just how ‘The Creeper’ had planned and
consequently establishes the plot for this slasher flick.
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Fans of the first film will agree that the sheer ambiguousness
and enigmatic status of the film’s villain was the main ingredient
that catapulted the original into cult status.
This time around, The Creeper is a more complex character, who
has unearthly actions and is seen to specifically choose his prey.
But this different and in-depth side to him, has resulted in the
villain losing his ability to send chills down the spines of his
audience.
Instead, the character, who is also wearing a new funky hat in
the sequel, draws a strong resemblance to Nightmare On Elm’s
Street’s Freddie Krueger, hence making The Creeper become
more of a horror stereotype than something new and original.
It is disappointing to see Victor Salva, the talented screenplay
writer and director of Powder, which was a story of an albino
boy with strange powers that made him an outcast in a small Texas
town, succumb to making this sequel.
Salva was partially correct in his statement that Jeepers Creepers
2 is ‘one that could be very frightening but still remain
a very fun ride’, with the term ‘fun’ being the
operative word.
During the heightened moments of the film, the feeling of fearfulness
is overshadowed by the stupidity of the plot.
The main downfall of this film, is the large cast. In contrast
to the original, which consisted of two predominate cast members,
the sequel has over a dozen main characters, making it difficult
for the viewer to relate and bond with any of them, let alone
remember their names.
But, nothing can excuse the over-acting and clichéd dialogue,
which adds to this typical teen horror flick the audience has
grown to expect.
For anyone who loved the original, I would advise them not to
watch this sequel, as it would ruin the feeling of ‘creepiness’
that The Creeper had already left in their minds.
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