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Jeepers Creepers (2001 film)
Encyclopedia
Jeepers Creepers is a 2001 horror film written and directed by Victor Salva
. The movie takes its name from the 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers
" which is featured in the film.
) and her brother Darry Jenner (played by Justin Long
) coming home from college. As they drive through the North Dakota
countryside in their 1960 Chevrolet Impala, a mysterious driver in a rusty old delivery truck tries to run them off the road. After letting the vehicle pass them, they later see the same truck, in the distance off the side of the road, with a hulking man sliding what looks to be bodies covered with blood stained sheets, into a large pipe sticking out of the ground next to an old, abandoned church.
The driver, taking note that they have seen him, catches up to them and tries to run them off the road a second time, Darry insists they go back and investigate. Darry orders Trish to hold his feet while he looks into the pipe. Rats appear in front of him, and he jerks and screams, causing Trish to lose her grip on his legs, and he slides down the pipe cutting himself. At the bottom, he finds hundreds of bodies sewn together, covering the walls of a massive cavern beneath the church. Darry can not reach the end of the pipe, which looms above his head, so he looks around and finally finds a passage up through the church. Visibly traumatized by what he has seen, he and Trish flee the scene and stop at a gas station where they contact the police. While waiting for the cops to arrive, they are phoned by a local psychic, Jezelle Gay Hartman, who warns them that they are in terrible danger. She plays the song "Jeepers Creepers
" on the phone, and tells them that when they hear that song, they will be in extreme danger. Badly frightened, they ignore her warning. Word arrives that the old church had gone up in flames, and all evidence of any bodies has been destroyed. Trish and Darry rush out of the gas station with the police providing a security escort.
As they travel, the police are attacked and killed by the mysterious driver of the old truck. While Trish and Darry flee the scene, the driver loads the policemen's bodies into his truck. Darry and Trish try to get help from a local eccentric, but the mysterious driver catches up to them, the woman attempts to kill him with a shotgun, but he jumps out of the way and kills her. They manage to hit the mysterious driver with their car, and run him over several times. After crushing the mysterious driver's body, they realized its inhuman nature when what appears to be a giant wing begins to flap around. Leaving it on the road, they drive to the local police station to wait for their parents, but Jezelle shows up and warns them they are still in danger.
Jezelle tells them the true nature of the mysterious creature: it is an ancient demon known as "The Creeper", which rises every twenty-third spring for twenty-three days to feast on human body parts which, upon consumption, form part of its own body. She also tells them that it seeks out its victims through fear, and that by smelling the fear from Trish and Darry, it has found something it likes, but she does not know what.
The wounded Creeper attacks the police station and gains entrance to the cells. After feasting on some of the prisoners in order to heal, it is swarmed by police, killing a number of them. Jezelle guides Trish and Darry upstairs, telling them one of them will die, screaming in the dark while the song "Jeepers Creepers" plays in the background. The Creeper heads towards Jezelle and sniffs her, but lets her go, and heads off to find Trish and Darry.
The Creeper catches up and captures Darry. Trish tries to reason with it, and attempts to give her life for her brother's. The police burst in and take aim, but the Creeper escapes out the window with Darry. The next day, Trish, contemplating Darry's fate, is picked up by her parents, and Jezelle returns home in regret.
The final scene shows the Creeper in its new hideout, an abandoned meat packing plant, where the audience finally learns what the Creeper wanted: by ripping out the back of Darry's head, it has taken his eyes, leaving Darry's body an eyeless, motionless corpse, while "Jeepers Creepers" is playing in the background. The film ends with Creeper looking at the audience through Darry's eye socket.
In a brief shot after the credits, the camera shows the driver's window of the Creeper's truck rolled down, with the Creeper smiling at the audience.
It broke the record for the highest ever Labor Day
opening weekend gross. The record for Labor Day weekend four-day gross is now held by Halloween
. Jeepers Creepers now holds the #5 spot and the #3 spot goes to its successor, Jeepers Creepers 2.
was released, Jeepers Creepers 2. Events in the second film take place days after the first film. The Creeper and Darry are the only characters to appear in both films, although they are not the only actors to appear in both films. In the first film, actor Tom Tarantini appears as the minor character "Austin McCoy" AKA "Roach" who is a car thief and regular in the Poho County jail. In the second film, he portrays "Coach Dwayne Barnes".
) as she fears her son will have the same fate as her long lost brother, Darry (Justin Long
), the boy's namesake. The film will also feature the infamous Creeper truck. Jonathan Breck
will return as The Creeper. Victor Salva
will return as both director and writer. It has recently been confirmed that MGM Studios is interested in bringing a fourth film to the series and that they intend Salva to film it back-to-back with Jeepers Creepers 3.
Victor Salva
Victor Ronald Salva is an American film director, mostly of horror movies. His body of work includes the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.-Early life and career:...
. The movie takes its name from the 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers (song)
Jeepers Creepers is a popular 1938 song and jazz standard. The music was written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for the movie Going Places. It was premiered by Louis Armstrong and has since been covered by many other artists.-Overview:...
" which is featured in the film.
Plot
The film chronicles a day in the life of siblings, Trish (portrayed by Gina PhilipsGina Philips
Gina Philips is an American actress.Philips was born Gina Consolo in Miami Beach, Florida. She is known for her recurring roles on David E. Kelley's Ally McBeal as Sandy Hingle and Boston Public as Jenna Miller...
) and her brother Darry Jenner (played by Justin Long
Justin Long
Justin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
) coming home from college. As they drive through the North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
countryside in their 1960 Chevrolet Impala, a mysterious driver in a rusty old delivery truck tries to run them off the road. After letting the vehicle pass them, they later see the same truck, in the distance off the side of the road, with a hulking man sliding what looks to be bodies covered with blood stained sheets, into a large pipe sticking out of the ground next to an old, abandoned church.
The driver, taking note that they have seen him, catches up to them and tries to run them off the road a second time, Darry insists they go back and investigate. Darry orders Trish to hold his feet while he looks into the pipe. Rats appear in front of him, and he jerks and screams, causing Trish to lose her grip on his legs, and he slides down the pipe cutting himself. At the bottom, he finds hundreds of bodies sewn together, covering the walls of a massive cavern beneath the church. Darry can not reach the end of the pipe, which looms above his head, so he looks around and finally finds a passage up through the church. Visibly traumatized by what he has seen, he and Trish flee the scene and stop at a gas station where they contact the police. While waiting for the cops to arrive, they are phoned by a local psychic, Jezelle Gay Hartman, who warns them that they are in terrible danger. She plays the song "Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers (song)
Jeepers Creepers is a popular 1938 song and jazz standard. The music was written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for the movie Going Places. It was premiered by Louis Armstrong and has since been covered by many other artists.-Overview:...
" on the phone, and tells them that when they hear that song, they will be in extreme danger. Badly frightened, they ignore her warning. Word arrives that the old church had gone up in flames, and all evidence of any bodies has been destroyed. Trish and Darry rush out of the gas station with the police providing a security escort.
As they travel, the police are attacked and killed by the mysterious driver of the old truck. While Trish and Darry flee the scene, the driver loads the policemen's bodies into his truck. Darry and Trish try to get help from a local eccentric, but the mysterious driver catches up to them, the woman attempts to kill him with a shotgun, but he jumps out of the way and kills her. They manage to hit the mysterious driver with their car, and run him over several times. After crushing the mysterious driver's body, they realized its inhuman nature when what appears to be a giant wing begins to flap around. Leaving it on the road, they drive to the local police station to wait for their parents, but Jezelle shows up and warns them they are still in danger.
Jezelle tells them the true nature of the mysterious creature: it is an ancient demon known as "The Creeper", which rises every twenty-third spring for twenty-three days to feast on human body parts which, upon consumption, form part of its own body. She also tells them that it seeks out its victims through fear, and that by smelling the fear from Trish and Darry, it has found something it likes, but she does not know what.
The wounded Creeper attacks the police station and gains entrance to the cells. After feasting on some of the prisoners in order to heal, it is swarmed by police, killing a number of them. Jezelle guides Trish and Darry upstairs, telling them one of them will die, screaming in the dark while the song "Jeepers Creepers" plays in the background. The Creeper heads towards Jezelle and sniffs her, but lets her go, and heads off to find Trish and Darry.
The Creeper catches up and captures Darry. Trish tries to reason with it, and attempts to give her life for her brother's. The police burst in and take aim, but the Creeper escapes out the window with Darry. The next day, Trish, contemplating Darry's fate, is picked up by her parents, and Jezelle returns home in regret.
The final scene shows the Creeper in its new hideout, an abandoned meat packing plant, where the audience finally learns what the Creeper wanted: by ripping out the back of Darry's head, it has taken his eyes, leaving Darry's body an eyeless, motionless corpse, while "Jeepers Creepers" is playing in the background. The film ends with Creeper looking at the audience through Darry's eye socket.
In a brief shot after the credits, the camera shows the driver's window of the Creeper's truck rolled down, with the Creeper smiling at the audience.
Cast
- Gina PhilipsGina PhilipsGina Philips is an American actress.Philips was born Gina Consolo in Miami Beach, Florida. She is known for her recurring roles on David E. Kelley's Ally McBeal as Sandy Hingle and Boston Public as Jenna Miller...
as Patricia "Trish" Jenner - Justin LongJustin LongJustin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
as Darius "Darry" Jenner - Jonathan BreckJonathan BreckJonathan Breck is an American actor. Beginning his career as a stage actor, Breck was most successful for playing The Creeper, the demonic antagonist in the Jeepers Creepers series of horror films...
as The Creeper / Bald cop - Patricia BelcherPatricia BelcherPatricia Belcher is an American film and television actress, best known for her role as the strict Estelle Dabney on the Disney Channel Original sitcom, Good Luck Charlie and as attorney Caroline Julian on Bones. She also appeared in the film Jeepers Creepers as a psychic.-Biography:Belcher was...
as Jezelle Gay Hartman - Eileen BrennanEileen BrennanEileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
as The Cat Lady
Reception
BBC Movies gave four stars out of five stating, "An unsettling, gory, but intelligent horror flick... The result is a scary movie that will have you cowering beneath your popcorn bucket. It holds a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Box office
Jeepers Creepers opened in 2,944 theaters and took in a domestic gross of $37,904,175; it later made $21,313,614 internationally, making a total of $59,217,789 worldwide.It broke the record for the highest ever Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
opening weekend gross. The record for Labor Day weekend four-day gross is now held by Halloween
Halloween (2007 film)
Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a remake/reimagining of the 1978 horror film of the same name, the first in the rebooted Halloween film series and the ninth Halloween film in total. The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael...
. Jeepers Creepers now holds the #5 spot and the #3 spot goes to its successor, Jeepers Creepers 2.
Awards
- Nominated: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films - Saturn Award Best Horror Film
- Nominated: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films - Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Justin Long
- Nominated: International Horror GuildInternational Horror GuildThe International Horror Guild was created in 1995 as a way to recognize the achievements of those who create in the field of Horror and Dark Fantasy. The IHG presented the International Horror Guild Award. Nancy A. Collins, the founder of the award, felt there was a need for an award granted by...
- IHG Award Best Movie - Nominated: Catalonian International Film Festival - Best Film: Victor Salva
Jeepers Creepers 2
In 2003, a sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
was released, Jeepers Creepers 2. Events in the second film take place days after the first film. The Creeper and Darry are the only characters to appear in both films, although they are not the only actors to appear in both films. In the first film, actor Tom Tarantini appears as the minor character "Austin McCoy" AKA "Roach" who is a car thief and regular in the Poho County jail. In the second film, he portrays "Coach Dwayne Barnes".
Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral
MGM has announced a third installment, Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral. The film will continue the story of the original film with Trish (Gina PhilipsGina Philips
Gina Philips is an American actress.Philips was born Gina Consolo in Miami Beach, Florida. She is known for her recurring roles on David E. Kelley's Ally McBeal as Sandy Hingle and Boston Public as Jenna Miller...
) as she fears her son will have the same fate as her long lost brother, Darry (Justin Long
Justin Long
Justin Jacob Long is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He's Just Not That into You, Drag Me to Hell, and Youth in Revolt, and his personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a...
), the boy's namesake. The film will also feature the infamous Creeper truck. Jonathan Breck
Jonathan Breck
Jonathan Breck is an American actor. Beginning his career as a stage actor, Breck was most successful for playing The Creeper, the demonic antagonist in the Jeepers Creepers series of horror films...
will return as The Creeper. Victor Salva
Victor Salva
Victor Ronald Salva is an American film director, mostly of horror movies. His body of work includes the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.-Early life and career:...
will return as both director and writer. It has recently been confirmed that MGM Studios is interested in bringing a fourth film to the series and that they intend Salva to film it back-to-back with Jeepers Creepers 3.