Jeepers Creepers : Le Chant du diable 2

Honestly, with the onslaught of low budget horror flicks in the past few years - yes, even the good ones - rewatching JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 was a breath of fresh air. Simply put, they don't make 'em like they used to anymore. A mid-range budget ($19 million!) creature feature with fantastic practical effects, great lighting, above average cinematography, and it doesn't even take place in a house! You can feel a grand scale to this film, something that's uncommon in many modern horror movies these days.

It's also one of those rare action/horror pics that's equal parts exciting and scary. Obvious thought was put into the way the film's made and some of its more ingenious set pieces - like the Creeper's wing separating the bus in half - so yeah, I pretty much think JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 is incredibly fun and underrated as hell. And yes, it's superior to the first film in almost every way.

2 years after the surprising success of "Jeepers Creepers", Victor Salva returns with a sequel that continues where the original left. Although at first reluctant to making a sequel, Salva crafts a competent horror film that continues exploring the formula of the supernatural hunter in the desolated rural setting. Despite having the obvious flaws of a minor sequel, "Jeepers Creepers II" is a worthy follow up that has its own share of tricks to keep the fans happy.

The plot of the film follows a school bus of a local high school that just won the championship and are on their way back home. To their misfortune, the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) is one the loose as he is on the final day of his 23 days eating cycle, so this ruthless hunter will do whatever is necessary to find food before his time runs out. But the Creeper has another problem, he is being hunted down by Jack Taggart (Ray Wise) the father of one of his victims who is looking for revenge.

While it lacks the originality of the first one, "Jeepers creepers II" has a more focused and consistent plot due to the fact that the Creeper is now an identifiable villain. Victor Salva's new tale of rural horror is now a full-fledged supernatural horror in the vein of Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street", where typical elements of Americana become sources of horror. Having most of the movie set inside of the school bus with the cast's fears and personalities clashing makes a good source for classic suspense and tension between characters.

Visually, the film is a step forward and showcases that deep down the obvious commercial intentions of this film, Salva is still an artist that has a great eye for visual compositions. His camera-work does miracles both in and out of the school bus (the movie's main location) and he captures the lovely and scary things about rural North America. The visual effects of the film are not as good as in the first one, but they are still effective and the CGI is not that dominant.

The young cast does a fine job and the overall performance is not as poor as one could expect. However, they are nothing spectacular and some seem to had been chosen based more on looks rather than talent. The two veterans of the movie are where talent is. Jonathan Breck and Ray Wise give the film soul as the opposite forces who are destined to clash. Breck is quite good as the Creeper and looks more comfortable in the role now; Wise on the other hand, is a scene stealer and he owns the film every time he is on screen.

"Jeepers Creepers II" has a lot of what's good about modern horror movies, but sadly, it carries also some of the worst. The fast packed action at times gets distracting and contrasts badly with Salva's honest attempts to create suspense and atmosphere. There is an apparent effort in developing characters and while in some cases it works, in others it terribly fails (due mostly to the actor's lack of talent). also, it is fair to point out that the movie lacks the scares of the first one as it has more in common with the final part of it. It is great fun and entertainment, but if scares are what you are looking, better look elsewhere.

To summarize, the film is an entertaining and very well-directed scary movie that makes a worthy sequel to the original one. Victor Salva's second part of the series is a good addition if you liked the first one, otherwise it will be just another teen horror movie. Personally I liked it, but it would be wiser to rent it first. 6.5/10

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.

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

I went to see this movie, expecting a bit less than the first movie, but it ended up to be a bit MORE than the first. Jeepers Creepers 2 starts off with a kid in a cornfield, wiring up scarecrows for his father's farm. I won't tell what happens, but it then cuts to a school bus full of basketball players and cheerleaders, who are on their way home from a championship game. Then, they're tire blows out from a sharp metal object thrown by an unseen presence. They decide to try driving for a bit longer, still with 5 running wheels, and then another blows out, again by a sharp metal object thrown at the bus. Then the body count starts. This attempt to create a sequel succeeded, and the very ending of the film, I won't say what it is, was a neat idea. This movie had less gore, but more action and fun than the one before it. I give it an 8/10.

Sequel to the terrific 2001 horror film is a wildly fun ride, even if it doesn't quite live up to the chilling original.

On the final evening of his annual feeding, the Creeper terrorizes a bus load of students, while a local farmer is looking for some revenge.

While it may lack some of the unique elements of the original film (like the Creeper's truck, the title song, etc.) this sequel is still a highly-energized and occasionally spooky thriller. There's plenty of action, impressive makeup FX, moments of gruesome humor, and tightening suspense to drive it. Once again Salva delivers good directorial touches and an entertaining story.

The cast, headed by veteran actor Ray Wise, is good. Especially good are the relatively unknown young stars Nenninger, Aycox, Schiffner, Brown, Hammond, and Delfino. Breck returns as the Creeper and is creepier than ever.

While Jeepers Creepers 2 is never as scary as its predecessor it is a very entertaining sequel.

*** out of ****