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Paul Greenwood reviews
- Cert:
- Running time: 103 minutes
- Year: 2003
- Released: 29th August 2003
- Widescreen Ratio: 2.35:1
- Rating: 4/10
Director:
- Victor Salva
(Clownhouse, Jeepers Creepers, Powder)
Cast:
- Jack Taggart: Ray Wise
The Creeper: Jonathan Breck
Izzy Bohen: Travis Schiffner
Scott Braddock: Eric Nenninger
Minxie Hayes: Nicki Lynn Aycox
Jonny Young: Drew Tyler Bell
Coach Charlie Hannah: Thom Gossom Jr.
Rhonda Truitt: Marieh Delfino
Jack Taggart Jr.: Luke Edwards
The search for the first decent American horror movie ofthe 21st century continues apace.
A quick glance at the recent parade of hopelessness reveals the dire state ofthe genre, with the likes of Halloween: Resurrection, Darkness Falls andWrong Turn unable to muster a single scare between them, and only theopening sequence of Ghost Ship showing anything like a hint of wit orimagination, before going quickly downhill like the rest of them.
I was possibly somewhat premature last week when I observed thatTomb Raider 2was the most unwanted sequel of the summer – I’d forgotten that we had yet to face the return of what some critics had astonishingly branded “the greatest horror film of our generation”. Jeepers Creepers was one thirdof a very good horror movie and two thirds utter bollocks, which is probablymore frustrating than if the whole thing had been rubbish. We were treated to maybe half an hour of cracking Duel-like tension as an unknown force terrorised a young brother and sister on a remote stretch of road, before the revelation that it was just a big flying bat creature that wanted to eat them.
The story goes that every 23 years The Creeper gets to feed (i.e. harvest body parts) for 23 days before going back into hibernation. Now it’s the 22nd day and The Creeper has just snatched a young farm boy from right in front of his father. Day 23 begins with a group of high school footballers or basketballers or some such on a bus on the way back from a game. A blown tyre or two later and they’re being picked off one by one by the monster as the vengeful farmer tries to reach them in time, all the while gleefully sharpening his homemade harpoon.
One of the biggest problems with a group of stupid, generic teens is that we couldn’t care less who gets killed next. Basically, we want them to die, especially as The Creeper has this time been given a personality and is more fun than all the kids put together, with his winking and window licking and pointing at the ones he’s going to kill next. Add to this such treasures as the girl who suddenly becomes psychic so she can explain the plot to everyone else, the fact that several of the characters simply disappear for long stretches, and the almost criminal lack of splattery gore, and you’re left with a rather flat affair that’s only enlivened by a better than average monster and Wise’s crackpot turn.
Maybe I’m just expecting too much. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong with my outlandish desire for characterisation, logic, tension, atmosphere and style. Maybe if I were an American teenager, I would consider Jeepers Creepers 2 the pinnacle of modern filmmaking because, as I write this, it’s galloping to the top of the U.S. box office. Maybe we’re getting what we deserve.
Review copyright © Paul Greenwood, 2003.E-mail Paul Greenwood
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.