31 Days of Des' Horror Favourites: #22 Jeepers Creepers

Why I like it: The first two thirds of this movie could belong to the greatest horror film of all time. This one is in the list for what could have been.

What makes it so good is its initial reality. A brother and sister (played by Justin Long and Gina Philips) drive home for the summer holidays together and encounter a maniac driver. He nearly runs them off the road and pays total scary mindgames with them. Driving by repeatedly and finally ramming the rear end of their car over and over until they drive into a field is what starts the terror of this film.

What is even scarier is what happens when they finally get back on the road: they continue to drive until they drive by an abandoned church and see their friend in the freaky truck stuffing what looks like a wrapped-up body into a hole in the ground. The scene of him looking at the car as it drives by slowly is absolutely chilling and only made scarier by the fact that the truck comes from behind and chases them again!

I was under the influence when watching this and sitting in the dark but notwithstanding it is the first time I’ve been scared by a movie since seeing some of the top 10 in this countdown as a youngster.

What ruins it all is when you actually see more of the monster and it all falls into a ludicrous downhill fantasy movie from that point. Its ending is a saving grace but still not enough to bring it up from its descent into cheese-town. This one makes the list for its potential. Too bad it ended up being wasted.

Check these out:
-Jeepers Creepers 2-Not my recommendation at all but if you enjoy the ludicrosity (not a word, I know) of this film then the sequel’s for you.
-Junior-Another “road trip gone wrong” film that is equally ridiculous but still somewhat endearing.
-Wrong Turn-Faith from Buffy? Check! Car accident in the middle of nowhere? Check! Psycho inbred redneck mutant monsters? Check! Bloodshed? Check!
-Dead End-Well done "car horror" about an endless car ride.