Jeepers Creepers 3

One of the biggest surprises of 2001 in the horror genre of films was the release of the frivolously recognized Jeepers Creepers.  The film, as it turns out, introduced the world to a whole new icon of terror, giving us The Creeper—a mysterious demon that, for every twenty-third spring, for twenty-three days, gets to eat…parts of people that it needs for its own rejuvenation of appendages, organs, or whatever bodily parts that needs replacing.  It was a fascinating concept that took the horror world by storm, giving us one hell of a scary movie.  The 2003 sequel, though not as good as the first, was still a lot of fun to watch and entertaining throughout.

 

So, for nearly 15 years, Jeepers Creepers fans had been waiting for a sequel to this franchise, hoping that The Creeper was going to return to the big screen to bring more terror to hapless victims.  Questions arose to how this would happen, as we saw that the creature was seemingly defeated after the second film, with the desiccated body hanging in a barn showing that the demon had gone into hibernation for the next twenty-three springs.  Would we see a film set twenty-three years from that first film, some sort of sci-fi vision of the future where the body comes back to life and somehow escapes the barn it was kept within?  Or would Victor Salva (writer, director, and overall creator of the Jeepers Creepers franchise) take the story back to the old west (as was the rumors that had been swirling around, hinting that the story would go that way when he spoke in interviews)?

 

Well, as it turns out, after waiting a decade and a half, Salva decided to create a story that takes place between the first and second film, showing what The Creeper had been up to after it took Darry and before it terrorized the busload of high schoolers stuck on the desolate highway.

 

Although I hadn’t really read into the plot of the film before its opening, one thing that took me a back was the fact that the film was set to be released for a one-day-only engagement back in September of 2017.  I’m sure some of this stemmed from Victor Salva’s past, where he’d been convicted of molesting a child—a child that had starred in a film he directed back in 1989—with that same individual leading protests every time one of Salva’s films were set to be released.  In fact, Jeepers Creepers 3 was supposed to be released a week earlier than it was, but was delayed due to some protests.  However, after that hoopla was overlooked, the success of that one-day showing prompted theaters to screen it for a second day.  Unfortunately, I missed those two opportunities and chose to wait until now to view the film in its entirety (although the film was shown in its edited form on the SyFy channel during that theatrical run).

 

So…before we dive into this film, let’s synopsize Jeepers Creepers 3…

 

Set between the first and second film, Sergeant Davis Tubbs (Brandon Smith)—along with Sheriff Dan Tashtego (Stan Shaw)—assembles a task force to hunt and destroy The Creeper (Jonathan Breck) once and for all while growing closer than ever in learning the secrets of its dark origins, as the monster terrorizes a local farming community.

 

Right away, I’d noticed that the film had a different feel to it, ostensibly showing that Salva had changed his directing style and filming tastes, which didn’t necessarily make me dislike this film at the beginning, but was a little different nonetheless.  At this point I had known this was going to be an in-between story so I was going with it the best I could.  I couldn’t help but think that this was going to go the route of Rogue One where I knew how it would end, that the creature wouldn’t be killed in the finale.  I mean, if part one and part two were only days apart, it’s obvious that The Creeper wasn’t going to be defeated in this story. 

With that in mind, really, the only way to enjoy this film is to watch what The Creeper does, who it kills, who it eats, and what new things we can learn about it.  But do we truly learn anything about it?  A little, I guess…but that’s not saying much—trust me.

 

Okay, so it’s nitpick time.

 

One of the main things I’d liked about the first two films—which is a theme I like about most good horror flicks—is setting most of the film in the dark.  Although the first film starts off during the day, that was the time of the film where we didn’t see much of The Creeper, with the remainder of the film taking place at night.  The same goes for the second film, where the shit goes down when night falls.  Here in Jeepers Creepers 3, just about everything takes place during the day.  So many things go against the film because of that fact and diminishes the terror and horror we should be feeling for the characters in this story.  For one, the special effects don’t look that great, specifically the CGI.  I’m sure Salva had a hard time selling this film and trying to get a decent budget for it…seeing The Creeper’s booby traps shooting out from his vehicle, and even his wings flapping behind him, give this away in such a paltry way.  It probably would’ve helped if the effects were concealed or suppressed would they have shot these scenes in the dark.  But even if the CGI was near perfect, having The Creeper appear in the daytime doesn’t seem as scary.  Keeping those things in mind, along with some of the sound effects as well, all make for this film to be a bit of a downer.

 

It’s always expected that these horror movies will include a secondary plot, such as incorporating a teenaged romantic encounter or maybe some family quarrel going on, so I can’t fault Salva for featuring the love interests of Addison and Buddy (Gabrielle Haugh and Chester Rushing respectively).  Still, whatever story he was trying to put forth with Meg Foster’s character of Gaylen was a little confusing at best.  A scene at the beginning of the film introduced us to a man encountering The Creeper on some deserted road.  Turns out, that guy was Gaylen’s son, Kenny (Jordan Salloum).  Now, she’s seeing visions of him and he’s telling her to stay away from the severed hand of The Creeper that he buried on the property…?  It could have been a bit more interesting if they had expanded on this plot thread and why she’s able to see him, but I usually dislike subplots like this that show some sort of clairvoyance (much like the cheerleader in the second film) of one of the characters. 

 

Probably the biggest question I have for this film: What was with Sergeant Tubbs’ terrible hairpiece?  If anything shows the limited budget this movie attained, it’s that awful periwig.

 

I think I’ve said enough about this film.  What’s my final “bit” on Jeepers Creepers 3?

 

For a film that was many years in the making, as well as Victor Salva constantly talking about doing a sequel during all that time, this sure was a mediocre accomplishment.  You’d figure he’d have something more in store for us, either showing us The Creeper’s origins long ago or going into the future to see how it was going to escape its capture.  Talks of having Gina Philips reprising her role as Trisha while teaming up with an aging Taggart to finally go after and ending The Creeper for good sounded like such a great concept, I really don’t know why Salva didn’t go with that angle.  Though Philips reprised her role for about a minute at the end of this one, setting up a potential sequel later on, it was probably all for naught as I don’t think we’ll ever get another Jeepers Creepers film unless Salva gives the rights to another filmmaker to do it.  If you want to see an okay, yet average, horror movie, go ahead and seek this out (I think it’s still on SyFy’s OnDemand channel and even streaming on Netflix).  Even if you’re a Jeepers Creepers fan, this film is worth a watch…somewhat.  It’d be interesting to watch all three movies in a sitting (if you’ve got about six hours to kill), but just make sure to watch it in this order: part one, part three, and then part two.  At least part two will leave it on a high note.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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