The 2001 horror movieJeepers Creepersis the kind of cheesy fun that horror fans enjoy watching from time to time. Even when the film was released, it was seen as a flawed story about two siblings who come across a brutal monster who feeds on people every 20 years or so. The 2003 sequelJeepers Creepers 2was just as corny as the original. AndJeepers Creepers 3, which was released in 2017, didn’t do much to add to the franchise. The fourth movie,Jeepers Creepers Reborn, was in theaters in 2021 and enjoyed less box office success than any of the previous films.
The firstJeepers Creepersis definitely the most enjoyable. It’s hard not to become invested in the main characters' journey and hope that they get out alive… despite all the evidence that this is most likely not possible. What happens duringJeepers Creepersthat leads into one of the darkest horror movie endings of a movie released in the early 2000s?
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What Is Jeepers Creepers About?
Jeepers Creepersis a perfect example of acheesy horror movie that is so bad it’s good. The movie follows Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry Jenner (Justin Long), college-aged siblings who don’t get along very well. They seem to tolerate each other’s company as they drive home for spring break. But in a split second, their boring road trip becomes a terrifying nightmare when a strange truck begins following them.
While it’s definitely not the most compelling or well-crafted film around, there’s something about theJeepers Creepersstory that makes it anunderappreciated 2000s horror movie. Trish and Darry think that the truck driver has killed someone when they see him pushing what seems to be a dead body down a pipe.
Their reactions are different, which is what gives the movie some character development, even though it’s corny. While Trish is freaked out and wants to get back on the road immediately, Darry wants to help. The fact that he’s worried that this person might still be alive shows a compassionate side to him that wasn’t apparent in the movie’s opening scene.
WhileJeepers Creepersisn’t ahorror franchise with deep lore, there is a backstory for The Creeper. Audiences learn that he comes by every 23 springs to feed for 23 days. And The Creeper sets his sights on Darry. When he finds someone that he wants to kill, he becomes obsessed with them. For some, The Creeper might not be an interesting enough horror villain. For others, he’s going to seem pretty chilling, despite the cheesy nature of the whole movie.
Jeepers Creepershas some truly eerie moments. There’s the scene when Eileen Brennan’s character, an older woman who lives in a house with tons of cats meets Trish and Darry and makes it clear that The Creeper won’t let them go.
What Happens At The End Of Jeepers Creepers?
TheJeepers Creepersending is impossible to forget. After The Creeper kills people at the police station, he grabs Darry and flies out the window, which is a haunting image. As the song “Jeepers Creepers” plays, it turns out that The Creeper has killed Darry and taken out his eyes. This was his evil plan all along. It’s a heartbreaking conclusion, that’s for sure, especially considering how devastated Trish is to lose her brother. She can’t believe that she can’t save him and it’s clear that the guilt will stick around for a long time, if not for the rest of her life.
The Creeper may not be as fun as thebest sci-fi horror movie monsters. And he doesn’t look as compelling. In some scenes, he is more hilarious than terrifying as he can fly. And he has long hair, which seems like an odd choice. But for the most part, theJeepers Creepersending is as effective as could be. The story ends the only way that it could: with Darry and Trish both learning the harsh and sad lesson that when The Creeper wants someone, he gets them. And there’s nothing that anyone can do to stop that.
Justin Long has become a staple in the horror genre, as he starred in the brilliant and popularBarbarian, the 2022 horror movie that has its own perfect ending. In an interview with The New York Daily News, Long shared that he didn’t realize that people would still loveJeepers Creepersafter so many years.
Long said, “I mean, how can you anticipate that kind of thing like 20 years later? I remember at the time thinking like, ‘Well yeah … I hope it’s good, but it’s not reinventing the wheel.'"
The fact that horror fans still rewatchJeepers Creepersproves that there is something to this silly yet chilling story that can’t be forgotten.
