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Jeepers Creepers 2: 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
 In a review for “Jeepers Creepers” (2001), I mentioned wanting to avoid discussion of Victor Salva, the creepy child molester, in order to focus on Victor Salva, the writer/director who is a legitimately talented filmmaker. Still, as much as I would like to eschew that kind of talk Salva makes it awfully hard when it seems he just can’t learn a lesson. You would think a man who was convicted of child molestation, and also spent time in prison for those crimes, would buck up and, at the very least, make it less obvious he is still that same creep. We all know a leopard can’t change his spots, but the motherf**ker can try to camouflage. Not Salva. “Jeepers Creepers 2” (2003) isn’t disturbing because of its thematic content, or gruesome death scenes, or the body horror of The Creeper. It’s unsettling because Salva offers up many scenes stuffed with shirtless teenage boys. This isn’t making a mountain out of a molehill, as anyone who has seen the film can attest. These characters aren’t scantily clad for story purposes (one appears shirtless near the end for absolutely no good reason); this is simply Salva producing jerk off material. There’s my rant. This is a shame because “Jeepers Creepers 2” is actually a competent follow-up, with at least one strong character anchoring it all and an abundance of Creeper action. Salva does little to step outside horror norms but that’s ok because The Creeper is still a mysterious figure, with only minor information about its biology and history exposed. Ray Wise aside everyone else is fodder; watching The Creeper in action is the film’s true saving grace. Salva had thought he was clever enough to avoid doing a sequel by stating The Creeper only appears every 23 years. Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola exploited a hole in his plan: set the sequel during the same 23 days as the first film. Salva does, placing the action right at the tail end of The Creeper’s country buffet. Day 22 of 23. Only a few days have passed since The Creeper’s encounter with Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long), wherein the latter lost more than just his life, but the creature is back on the prowl looking for fresh body parts to consume. He first strikes in a cornfield on the property of Jack Taggart, Sr. (Ray Wise), farmer and post-puncher extraordinaire. The Creeper flies off with Jack’s young son, Billy (Shaun Fleming), turning his old man into a hot white agent of vengeance. He lives for nothing more than to kill whatever took his boy. Meanwhile, the aforementioned group of shirtless teenagers (boys only!) is part of a basketball team school bus ride, along with coaches and cheerleaders. The bus suffers a flat when The Creeper launches a crudely made blade at the wheels. The driver decides to limp on, but just a few hours later another tire is shredded. The students and faculty find themselves stranded when The Creeper strikes, first getting the adults out of the way before he can abuse the kids. Way to get meta, Salva. One of the girls, Minxie (Nicki Aycox), drops into sleep and has visions of Darry and Billy and The Creeper and now she knows all sorts of information worth sharing! Think of her as an even lazier version of Jezelle from the first film. The kids are able to get a message out to the cops, which Jack picks up since he’s been listening to his police channel scanner all night with rapt attention. Eventually these two storylines converge when the students are forced off the bus, allowing The Creeper to pick them off one by one until Jack shows up with his son, his truck, and a modified post-puncher with one purpose: blast whatever this thing is straight to hell. The school trip story is of no consequence. This is simply Salva using tried-and-true horror plotting in an attempt to ratchet up some tension before selectively delivering expected deaths. Some of the interplay between the kids and The Creeper is darkly humorous, such as when students play a game of “Who me?” as The Creeper visually nods and shakes his way through the group before making his entrée selection. But for the most part these are one-note characters, with Salva trying to make statements about everything from sexuality to race relations. His efforts don’t go unnoticed, to the detriment of the film, because it all feels a bit heavy handed. Plus, it’s hard to focus on teenage laments when half the guys are shirtless and all you’re able to picture is Salva behind the camera, eye peering through the lens like a professional pepping tom, sweating heavily and making mental snapshots for later. What does work: Ray Wise. Can this guy do any wrong? Jack Taggart becomes the Captain Ahab of the story, out to hook himself a white whale in the form of The Creeper. Hell, the guy even uses a harpoon gun during the climax. Again, Salva’s strong suit isn’t subtlety. Wise has one of the most expressive faces I have ever seen, and when his resolve is affirmed and the only game is focusing on revenge, man, does he sell it perfectly. If Salva ever does a third film I hope it picks up where this one ends, with old man Taggart at the ready, harpoon in hand. The Creeper gets more face time than here than in his last outing, which isn’t such a bad thing. The shroud of mystery has already been lifted; once a boogeyman is revealed little can be done to recapture that sense of unknown terror. The Creeper is a bit different, though, because there are so many nuances to his biology. Salva knows this, so he delivers lots of killer Creeper action to sate fans. One of the best sequences also answers a relevant question: if this thing can replace body parts, is there a limit to what can be replaced? What if it loses its head? Jonathan Breck once again steps into the role, delivering a fine performance that allows him to bring some gallows humor alongside all that menace. It has now been thirteen years since “Jeepers Creepers 2”. Salva has plans to shoot a third film for a 2017 release, though he hit a roadblock recently when Canada refused him entry due to his crimes here in America. Producing sequels to long-dormant series has been a trend lately, with most failing to meet audience expectations. I think Salva could pull it off, though. His last film, “Dark House” (2014), was surprisingly not terrible (though there is plenty of bad in it), and it reaffirmed the guy knows how to shoot horror.
Video
Unlike the first film, “Jeepers Creepers 2” has not received a new transfer – not that it needs it. The 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image is very strong, yielding greater detail than the first film, as well as showing off some stronger lighting choices and deeper black levels. Early scenes at the Taggart farm have an intentional yellowish hue, while the rest of the film looks more natural. Colors are well saturated, with black levels looking much inkier this time around. Detail is excellent, especially during daylight scenes. Cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy improves upon his work from the last film by composing better shots and making stronger lighting choices. The Creeper is shot with a certain sense of reverence; it’s all very cinematic.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track (48kHz/24-bit) hits all the required marks for delivering a solid audible experience. Nothing about the track stands out as particularly impressive, though. Sound effects sound weighted and realistic, with some big moments – like a car crash – immersing viewers in the impact. Dialogue has no issues and is balanced nicely within the mix. There is also an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo option available. Subtitles are included in English.
Extras
Just as with the first film, “Jeepers Creepers 2” enjoys a lavish "Collector’s Edition" with all the trimmings: audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and more. DISC ONE: The first audio commentary track features writer/director Victor Salva & cast members Eric Nenninger, Josh Hammond, Nicki Lynn Aycox, Marieh Delfino, Garikayi Mutambirwa, and Shaun Fleming, carried over from the previous DVD. A second audio commentary features The Creeper http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106534/, production illustrator Brad Parker, and special effects make-up artist Brian Penikas, also carried over from the old DVD. DISC TWO: “Jeepers Creepers 2: Then and Now” (1080p) is a retrospective featurette that runs for 22 minutes and 34 seconds. Salva and the same participants from the retrospective on the first film continue their talks here, now focused on this sequel. The runtime isn’t long and the information gleaned is minimal. “A Father’s Revenge” (1080p) is an interview that runs for 15 minutes and 20 seconds. Actor Ray Wise sits down to recall his time on this film; sounds like the man had a great time. “Don’t Get Off the Bus” (1080p) is an interview that runs for 20 minutes and 52 seconds. Actor Tom Tarantini, who had a small role in the first film, returned in the sequel as one of the team coaches. Here, his talks about that role and briefly discusses his career, too. Several featurettes (SD) on the making of the film, all of which originated on the previous special edition DVD: - “A Day in Hell – A Look at the Filming of Jeepers Creepers 2” featurette runs for 26 minutes and 43 seconds. - “Light, Camera, Creeper – The Making of Jeepers Creepers 2” featurette runs for 14 minutes and 23 seconds. - “Creeper Creation” featurette runs for 11 minutes and 29 seconds. - “The Orphanage Visual Effects Reel” featurette runs for 5 minutes and 23 seconds. - “Creeper Composer” featurette runs for 9 minutes and 26 seconds. - “Storyboards” featurette runs for 5 minutes and 35 seconds. A number of deleted scenes (1080p) are included, running as one long reel for 15 minutes and 51 seconds. A couple of photo galleries (1080p) feature the following: - Cast & crew photo gallery runs for 7 minutes and 2 seconds. - “Behind the Scenes” photo gallery runs for 8 minutes and 35 seconds, featuring 104 images. Finally, the film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds.
Packaging
The two-disc set comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case. The cover art is reversible, allowing for display of newly created art or the original theatrical poster. A slip-cover with the new art is included on first pressings.
Overall
Although not quite as good as the first film, “Jeepers Creepers 2” is a worthy follow-up that dovetails perfectly with its predecessor to create a nice double feature. Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray is a must if you are a fan, especially since the previous MGM Blu-ray omitted the extensive bonus features that have been included here.
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