Castle Vanian Halloween Special: Scary Scarecrows: Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

I'll get it out of the way and admit that I pushed for Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) to be our Scarecrow Wildcard movie because I just love it. Why did you let me get away with it? How does a movie not quite about a scarecrow make the list?

Well, in both one and two, The Creeper does hide as a scarecrow. In Jeepers Creepers, it’s when the kids arrive at Eileen Brennan, The Cat Lady’s, house. In this one, he hides in plain sight, pretending to be a scarecrow before he snatches the kid. He makes a good scarecrow.

He does make a good scarecrow! I love the way he’s just chilling on the scarecrow frame, bidding his time.

Okay, talk to me about the overall quality.

The first two Jeepers movies were both superb. They’re clean and the sound is good. The pictures are crisp. The kids act well in them both. The dialogue is believable, especially in this one, where you’ve got a bunch of kids coming home from a football game. It’s a compact movie, with nothing wasted. It moves at a good pace and it’s a great sequel.

The first Jeepers was a nice shock. People didn’t expect it. When you get a sequel, you always wonder how good it can be. With Jeepers Creepers 2, the answer is quite good. It moves from the first movie to the second seamlessly, moving from one night to the next, helped along with a radio broadcast that tells you all about The Creeper’s hideout that’s been found.

I know you liked both Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2 – but which one do you like more?

It’s a hard one to answer. The more action-packed movie is the sequel. Pretty much from the get-go, it moves at a pace. The other thing is, though… you got given all the surprises in the first one. You found out that he has wings, and he eats people to make new parts for himself. It’s not like, say, Aliens, where the sequel is far superior to the original, partly for that reason, but it’s still very good. It carries the canon nicely.

So… it’s a tie?

It’s a I-can’t-answer.

So, yeah.

I hate to even ask *sigh* but what are your thoughts on the third one? Why?

Well, you can see straight away the drop in quality. It’s not a small drop, either. It’s considerable. The series goes from being a good budget with a lot of expensive CGI effects to this… kind of low budget made-for-tv feel. It’s weird because it sits between the first two movies but, honestly, I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel like it fit. You’ve seen with the likes of Friday the 13^th and Halloween so you know sequels can get better. With Jeepers Creepers 3, that’s not the case.

Do you have a favourite death scene?

Yes! I love the bit when The Creeper’s wing is hanging down inside the bus and all the kids are trying to sneak underneath it. The wing grabs the kid – Dante, is it? – and takes his head clean off. It was a great jump moment.

It is a funny moment! Do you have a favourite line?

My favourite line comes when the Creeper grabs the coach. They ask where he went and the one kid just goes, “He just… flew away.” I love the complete shock because you would be so traumatised that you just couldn’t process it.

For a movie with so many teenage actors in it, the acting is pretty solid. What do you think?

The acting is good. It’s interesting to note as well that, although it’s a horror film, there’s a social commentary there. The social tension simmers underneath with Scotty (Eric Nenniger,) who’s incredibly racist… you’re actually kind of glad when he gets his. Even though he knows he’s been picked by The Creeper, he’s still quite happy to sacrifice Deaundre (GarikayiMutambirwa) first. It’s like he’s hoping that the Creeper will satiate itself on the black kid and leave the white one alone. 

I did like Izzy’s (Travis Schiffner) character. Another social commentary, pointing out the homophobia and, really, how juvenile the boys really are. The characters, in general, are mostly okay, aside from that. It’s really believable, you know? They act exactly the way you’d expect them to.

I wonder where the rest of the team went, though…

What do you mean?

Well, you assume it’s gridiron football but that’s an awfully small team. There should be at least another bus – but I guess even the Creepr can’t eat that much.

Yeah, I wondered where the rest of the cheerleaders and the boosters were but the movie wouldn’t have worked with all those parents getting in the way...

There is that.

The Creeper should be a bigger horror icon, but people don’t really like to talk about these movies a lot right now because of what a fucking creep Victor Silva turned out to be. It’s unfair to the actual Creeper, who I thought was cool. What were your thoughts on the situation?

The thing with Jeepers is that it kind of came out of left field. There are so many horror movies that are just mediocre so to get this shock movie without a happy ending… I’ll take that anytime.

The Creeper’s look is superb. I really like that he has interchangeable parts. Christ. Can you imagine? If you could do that… you’d be looking for the best-hung guy you could! I wouldn’t fancy the eating part, but the upgrade would be nice! Then, to get to sleep for 23 years, get up and do nothing but eat? Sounds like my idea of Heaven…

*snort* That is such a guy answer. (But, yeah... it would be nice.)

How about that ending?!

It left it wide open – which was the disappointment of Jeepers Creepers 3. It should have been Old Taggart waiting there for The Creeper to wake up… that was the sequel we all deserved. The first two were so good and the third one was so bad.

You really thought the Creeper’s eyes were going to open... but the sting hit at the right time, and it ended perfectly.

Any last thoughts? Maybe about the upcoming fourth sequel?

I hope they do revisit the farm in Jeepers Creepers 4. That it picks up where it should have started in the third one. It has a lot to live up to. There was a brief moment with Gina Philips in the third one, but it wasn’t enough.

I’m glad Victor Silva doesn’t have anything to do with the fourth one. You don’t want people like him who’ve gotten away with abusing people for years being allowed to put their names on anything anymore. Get rid of them. Get rid of them all. 

Couldn't agree more. And thanks for letting me bully you into picking this movie.