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Jeepers Creepers: Collector's Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (26th August 2016). |
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The Film
 There was a bit of controversy a couple months back when Scream Factory announced they would be releasing collector’s editions for both films in the “Jeepers Creepers” series. This is because writer/director Victor Salva is a convicted pedophile, having videotaped himself molesting the then-12-year-old star of his debut film “Clownhouse” (1989). Detestable as his crimes are, there are plenty of sh*tbags working in Hollywood whose crimes have not be made public, so the only purpose of this review will be to judge the film based on its own merits, with no further discussion of how Salva is a huge piece of sh*t. The state of American horror in the early aughts was bleak. The cinematic landscape was largely devoid of any lasting titles, save for a few lucky franchises and the odd instant classic. The swill most directors served up was redundant, callow, and - like most of the cast by the time the credits rolled - lifeless. What happened to the time when horror thrived on being unique and weird? Right around the turn of the century, word began to spread of a film that was being heavily touted as The Next Big Thing in horror: “Jeepers Creepers” (2001). This wasn’t exactly the pre-internet days, but I was rocking a horribly outdated Dell desktop with a 56K modem so horror news had to be learned the old-fashioned way: magazines. Specifically, Fangoria, since it was just about the only horror publication worth reading (how times have changed). All of the written press made it sound like writer/director Victor Salva had crafted something truly worthy of horror fans’ time. Unlike today’s pop culture climate, where on-set photo leaks and spoilers are the norm, the big reveals of “Jeepers Creepers” were left for the theater. Despite a few missteps the trades were mostly spot-on; Salva had delivered the goods. More than that, he created one of the most interesting, enigmatic antagonists in contemporary cinema: The Creeper. Darry (Justin Long) and his sister Trish (Gina Philips) are on a cross country adventure, heading home during spring break to visit their parents. Their idyllic trip through the quiet Florida countryside is cut short when their car is run off the road by a blacked-out, rusty old truck, its horn incessantly blaring as Darry scrambles to get out of the way. Soon after, they spot the same truck parked behind a decaying church where the driver is seen dumping something that looks awfully like a body, wrapped up in bloody white sheets, down a large drainage pipe. Darry convinces Trish, against her better judgment, to drive back so he can investigate. He crawls into the pipe with Trish holding his feet, but a handful of rats spook the two of them and Trish winds up letting go, dropping Darry into the abyss. Down there, Darry finds himself inside a mammoth lair filled with preserved bodies, intricate weaponry, bizarre decorations… and the wrapped-up body seen earlier. Darry rips open the sheet to find a young man, just barely alive, with a crudely stitched incision running down his chest. Before he can get out a cohesive word, the man dies. Darry freaks out and hurries back to the car so he and Trish can find a phone and call the police. The cops arrive and hear Darry’s tale, agreeing to check out the church, but on the way back they’re intercepted by the “man” they saw earlier. Realizing he is no man, a game of cat-and-mouse ensues with Darry & Trish trying to outrun The Creeper (Jonathan Breck), who proves to be amazingly resilient and full of surprises. The only hope they seem to have comes from a crazy old woman named Jezelle (Patricia Belcher), whose dreams are able to predict the future and may hold the key to the two of them surviving the night. The inability to distance Salva from his crimes is unfortunate because he really is a gifted filmmaker. With “Jeepers Creepers”, Salva culls from a lifelong obsession with monster movies and the macabre to deliver a 21st century creature in the vein of Universal’s old-school ghoul heydays. Although, conversely, I have read theories that Salva sees himself as The Creeper and the film was his way of getting back at the young boy who had him sent away to prison. But that’s a long digression I don’t plan to tackle. The film leans into horror tropes as much as it attempts to subvert them; The Creeper is initially presented as a mysterious dark figure, a serial killer looking for his next victim. But as the film moves ahead it is made clear this thing is no man and our two leads won’t be able to rely on tried-and-true methods to kill it off. Though much of the mystery is squandered in the film’s second half, Salva does a great job presenting a horror villain full of wonder. What exactly is this thing? Where does it come from? The Creeper is humanoid, yet so very inhuman. There is a rich mythology there, with only hints of its extensive backstory presented. I hope Salva can avoid the temptation to illuminate The Creeper’s origins if he ever gets a third entry off the ground. The adage “less is more” works best in horror. Salva almost shows too much of his hand by adding Exposition Character to the film, though. I think Patricia Belcher is a fine actress, but her character of Jezelle nears derails the film. It reeks of studio interference or just plain old laziness. It’s understandable that Salva would want to clue his audience in on what The Creeper is, where his motivations lie, but couldn’t there have been a smoother way to present this information than through the prism of a character whose only purpose is to spout exposition like gospel? Options are limited when dealing with a character (The Creeper) that doesn’t speak, so the info has to get out somehow; I get that. I suppose it’s better than having Darry read it in a conveniently placed book or something. I just found Jezelle as a character to be a bit too ham-fisted in her approach. And if you think she’s bad, Salva actually does worse in his sequel. Quick note: Trish and Darry are terrible. Long is a fine actor in other projects; Philips has never worked for me as an actress. They both deliver good enough performances here, but I never really bought them as brother and sister. Their interplay comes across as two actors playing siblings; it never felt organic to me and, after having seen the film more than a few times, I don’t think it ever will. Faults aside, “Jeepers Creepers” is an effective little film full of some gorgeous cinematography, brooding atmosphere, and injected with something horror always needs: awe. The Creeper is a character we know so little about, even with Jezelle’s revelations, and by the end viewers will still be left with many lingering questions. Rare is the film that’s able to pull of such a feat, even more so when it’s a studio picture. Amazingly, Salva nearly achieves this accomplishment twice, since “Jeepers Creepers 2” is every bit as entertaining as this film.
Video
Kudos to Scream Factory for not simply recycling MGM’s old master for this release, instead opting to produce a new 2K scan from the inter-positive. As such, expect to see some improvement in the 1.85:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded picture over the previous Blu-ray release. Film grain looks a bit tighter, clarity is tad greater, and colors are slightly more robust. Black levels seem on point with the last release; strong overall but spotty in some areas. Shadow delineation is average, leaving some images looking muddy in total darkness. If you’re considering upgrading your existing Blu-ray solely for the new transfer, know you really don’t need to.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (or 2.0 stereo) track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is a strong effort, largely due to composer Bennett Salvay’s brooding, primal score. There is a great deal of activity in the rears – road rage vehicular assaults, a murder of crows, The Creeper enjoying a late-night snack, completely excessive gunfire. Salva knows the effectiveness of immersing a viewer in the film and this sound mix capably gets the job done. Dialogue levels are perfectly balanced, too. Subtitles are available in English.
Extras
As fans who own this film already know, the previous DVD and Blu-ray editions were packed with features. Still, that has never stopped Scream Factory from producing more new content. The two discs here are absolutely stuffed, featuring multiple audio commentary tracks, interviews, deleted & extended scenes, theatrical trailers, and more. DISC ONE: First up is a new audio commentary, featuring writer/director Victor Salva, along with stars Justin Long and Gina Philips. Writer/director Victor Salva's original audio commentary track he recorded for the initial DVD release is also included here. DISC TWO: “Jeepers Creepers: Now and Then” (1080p) is a featurette that runs for 36 minutes and 45 seconds. Salva commands this piece, which is a look back at the film’s production history. Select members of the crew are also interviewed about making the picture. There is some good information here but it’s all pretty standard stuff. There aren’t many memorable anecdotes. “From Critters to Creepers” (1080p) is an interview that runs for 19 minutes and 38 seconds. Producer Barry Opper sits down to discuss the pictures he’s been involved with during his career. “The Town Psychic” (1080p) is an interview that runs for 16 minutes and 34 seconds. Actress Patricia Belcher, who plays Jezelle, discusses her time on this film as well as her overall career. “Behind the Peepers” (SD) features the following featurettes found on the previous DVD release: - “Finding Trish & Darry” featurette runs for 11 minutes and 11 seconds, this focuses on casting the two leads. Salva talks about what he saw in both actors that made him feel they were right for his film. We also get to see some of Long’s audition footage. - “Designing the Creeper” featurette runs for 6 minutes and 52 seconds, Salva, along with artist Brad Parker and FX artist Brian Penikas, talk about how they came up with the film’s creature. - “Cars & Trucks” featurette runs for 11 minutes and 41 seconds, we get a closer look at the classic Plymouth that Trish and Darry drive, as well as the menacing horn-blaring Truck from Hell that The Creeper pilots. - “The Creeper Comes to Florida” featurette runs for 7 minutes and 33 seconds, meet Jonathan Breck, the man behind the makeup, as he discusses what it was like shooting in Florida’s naturally humid conditions. - “Night Shoots” featurette runs for 10 minutes and 8 seconds, this focuses on the film’s lighting, such as how they lit the street to appear like moonlight using dozens of raised mega-watt bulbs. - “Making the Score” featurette runs for 12 minutes and 57 seconds. The film’s composer takes us through his process for writing and recording the score, and we get to see some scenes with isolated score to show how it enhances them. “More Creepers” (SD/HD) has the remainder of the old DVD features: - Deleted scenes runs for 17 minutes and 13 seconds. - Photo gallery runs for 7 minutes and 56 seconds. - Theatrical trailer runs for 1 minute and 54 seconds. - Radio spot runs for 1 minute.
Packaging
The two-disc set comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case. The cover art is reversible, allowing for display of either the newly created artwork or the key theatrical art. A slip-cover featuring the new art is included on first pressings.
Overall
I have seen this film more than a handful of times since it was released, all viewings with a couple years of each other, and my opinion hasn’t changed. This is a fun, energetic, creepy cult classic, featuring one of the strongest villains in horror since the 80's. Though both films in the series have already seen Blu-ray releases, these newest editions from Scream Factory are as definitive as it gets.
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