I recently re-watched the first Jeepers Creepers and I don't really get why so many people seem to hate it. Sure, it had quite a disappointing climax and Victor Salva is an infamous figure in Hollywood but his visions did lead to one of the best horror films in the post-Scream era. And the same goes for part two! If you leave logic behind, this is quite an intense and well-elaborated scary movie. Opposite to most directors nowadays, Salva perfectly knows how to create suspenseful situations and emotional devastation. The Creeper (portrayed once again by Jonathan Breck) is a far-fetched new horror icon but it does bring terror in the most isolated outlands of America. This sequel takes place a few days after the original (of which the happenings can be heard on radio-broadcasts all the time) and features a bus full of high school jocks and cheerleaders terrorized by the Creeper. Judging by their fear's smell, he picks out victims to devour and to re-furnish his rotting corpse.
Victor Salva makes great use of the 'surprise element'. All the characters in Jeepers Creepers are equally meaningless so you never really know who will get killed next. Even the most popular jock, the most innocent child or the cutest girl can die at any time and this results in an exiting drop-out race of which you don't want to miss a second. The film is not as gore as you might think and the stress is more laid on tension. Salva and his crew use the remote location to the fullest and the film contains eerie shots of wide cornfields and roads with no chance for shelter. The cast of young and inexperienced kids do a fairly good job. The only familiar face in Jeepers Creepers 2 is Ray Wise (from the cult series 'Twin Peaks'). This film will never be a classic but at least its entertaining horror without much pretension.
