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Jeepers Creepers (2001) United Artists 1 hr. 27 mins. Starring: Gina Phillips, Jonathon Breck. Directed by: Victor Salva 
Jeepers Creepers Rating:  
E-MAIL GIANCARLO DE LISI Ambiguity may sometimes be a Director’s pitfall in terms of satiating the audience’s hunger for awareness. Yet in the captivating and intriguing ‘Jeepers Creepers’, the sheer ambiguousness and enigmatic status of the film’s villain is the main ingredient that catapults this film into cult status. Although relatively unnoticeable at the box office at the time of its’ release, on DVD this film will capture and retain the attention of any viewer for a sustained period of time. This is mainly attributed to the fact that no one can exactly follow the film’s unlikely progression. Yet, here is the contradiction, the film does progress, yet only without letting the viewer in on what exactly is transpiring and why. Director Victor Salva (Nature of the Beast, Powder) has crafted a genuine and creepy monster flick in the post-horror craze period. I must admit, at first glance of the preview at the time of its’ release I was not at all interested in what I assumed to be another ‘slasher’ flick from the school of bad cinema. Yet, one must only view the first 20 minutes of the film to notice this is not your conventional and conformist horror flick. It is fresh, and it is not mundane. Salva writes and directs this seemingly ‘teenybopper’ horror film, which is in reality a well-made piece of thrilling cinema. Borrowing on the Hitchcock-ian approach of ‘less is more’ (or the Spielberg “Jaws’ days), Salva sculpts a taut, tight, thrilling horror film that definitely lends something new to the genre. Without giving too much away, how long can a viewer wait in order to determine what exactly or who exactly is the villain? What about the motive? In a conventional film, all these rules and answers are conventionally revealed at the beginning of a film in order for the killer to strike again in a repetitive and tepid manner. Yet in this film, the answers are unravelled in an interesting manner that for some might be a sell-out, or to others the answers might be compelling. Nevertheless, all is shot in a haunting and escapist manner. The ‘Jeepers Creepers’ villain ‘The Creeper’ (Jonathon Breck) is a fierce, unidentifiable and solemnly disturbing figment of Illustrator/Designer Brad Parker. What he is exactly remains to be determined. But this character personifies evil and is embedded deep within the film’s production design and set concept. The discerning viewer will notice that this creature is framed against some stylized layouts and evokes evil upon the rare close-ups and sightings. Case in point, the ‘Scarecrow Shot’. From the film’s slow, unravelling introduction and vengeful pacing towards the shocking resolution, this film is seeping with invigorating scenes that make this film an interesting view. Despite the film’s attempt at originality and not glorifying the acts of The Creeper, the film does delve into a tad of hyper-violence and gore in hopes of making us truly understand the viciousness of this enigmatic character. Furthermore, the 2 main characters at first seem intelligent, yet curiosity gets the better of them and as a result, they set out to accomplish illogical tasks in the face of danger. This is not to say that the film attempts at being a film it is not, it simply means that it gives into the formulaic pattern followed for quite some time. Director Salva clearly has watched many horror films and perhaps has unconsciously inserted the clichés and predictability into his script. Yet, not everything is perfect, after a third of the film of being in suspense and not knowing all the information, the missing pieces all come together in a rugged and flushed fashion that remove the mystery that had encompassed the film up to that point. Needless to say, this film is still a worthwhile watch and while it attempts to mask its’ clichéd-riddled script, it is a step above all the awful horror films we have had the ‘horror’ of watching. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Giancarlo De Lisi © TheWorldJournal.com |
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