Summary
As ahorrorfan since my early teenage years, I’ve watched classics, more contemporary releases, and tried my best to work through the most critically acclaimed and popular films from each subgenre. Slashers are my favorite, and since there areso many villains to observe and compare to one another, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering who the best and worst villains are.
I may love Ghostface and think there have been some impressive horror villains from 2020 releases, from Mother inBarbarianto the terrifying entity inSmileand the brilliant sequelSmile 2.However, there is one villain from the 2000s who I think needs more attention, no matter how corny they are.
Why I Think The Creeper From Jeepers Creepers Is A Great Villain
Ever since I first sawCarrieas an eleven-year-old, I’ve been making my way through classics likeHalloweenandThe Shiningwhile also checking outmodern slasher movies. I enjoy elevated horror films ranging fromThe BabadooktoIt Follows, but I also can’t say no to acorny movie likeJeepers Creepers. AndI think The Creeper is a compelling and underrated horror villain.
The Creeper has a distinct look, a fairly practical backstory, and a pattern of killing and attacks. I’ve been disappointed time and time again by killers in slasher films and creepy ghosts in haunted house movies. While these movies are no doubt entertaining, they can leave you wanting more. I appreciate that horror fans learn exactly who The Creeper is and what he’s all about by the midway point ofJeepers Creepers.
I also appreciate The Creeper fromJeepers Creepersbecausehe’s fairly scary. Although fans might get tothe end ofJeepers Creepers2and shrug, as it’s not as interesting as the original movie, The Creeper is genuinely terrifying in the first movie. When I watchedJeepers Creepersfor the first time, I believed Darry (Justin Long) and Trish Jenner (Gina Philips) were fully aware of The Creeper’s power and knew that it would be almost impossible to get away from him. When The Creeper stalks Darry, I can’t help but feel freaked out, no matter how many times I’ve seen the 2001 movie.
Long even shared in an interview withVulture, when he was promoting his2022 horror movieThe Barbarian, thatone behind-the-scenes moment on theJeepers Creeperssetwas nerve-wracking. I love hearing details about filming movies, particularly horror films, since it’s always interesting to hear if the actors actually get scared. This story sounds awful and drives home the generally eerie tone of the movie. Long said:
“One of the few times I’ve been afraid, I was involved in a stunt, and I wasn’t all that confident about it. I remember doingJeepers Creepers,and we were meant to drive into the Creeper, and he was going to jump over our car.”
Long shared that the stunt double realized the speedometer in the old car was broken, which would likely cause problems for the upcoming scene. Long continued, “Then the stunt Creeper’s harness broke as they lifted him up, and he came smashing through my side of the windshield.”
Hearing Long’s story makes rewatchingJeepers Creepersfeel even more unsettlingand also makes The Creeper even scarier. Sure, I agree that supernatural villains can be cheesy, and The Creeper has his corny moments. But when I reflect on this villain, I can’t help but think he’s more engaging than he gets credit for sometimes.
How Many Jeepers Creepers Movies Are There?
There are four movies in theJeepers Creepersfranchise, starting with the original which was released in 2001. AfterJeepers Creepers 2came out in 2003, there was a big gap andJeepers Creepers 3was released in 2017. Then, the fourth and most recent movie,Jeepers Creepers: Reborn, came out in 2022.
Timo Vuorensola, who directedJeepers Creepers: Reborn,said in an interview with Cinefied thatthe villain in this third sequel is unique. The director said:
“It’s a rebirth of The Creeper itself, one way or another. I mean, it’s a different kind of a Creeper than you’ve met before. And that was very important for me, when I started to work, that I didn’t want to keep on repeating the same thing. I wanted to do something different. And this time, The Creeper is not an all powerful killing machine. This time Creeper is actually at the end of his cycle, if you will.”
AlthoughJeepers Creepers: Rebornhas problems, The Creeper does feel distinct from previous versions, and I appreciate that.
