In the latest attempt to make Jeepers Creepers stick, a franchise attempts to distance itself from its creator, while also somehow trying to stay true to that man’s vision. In 2001, a horror icon was born in The Creeper – a cool-looking monster with an awesome van (even if the vanity plates didn’t make sense) and a compelling mythology. It’s a shame, then, that the man who created the monster was, himself, a monster.
Producers have long been seeking a way of separating the art from its creator, carrying on with or without the involvement of Victor Salva. Reborn, directed by Timo Vuoresnola, bears no involvement from Salva. This soft reboot starts afresh, with a gang of youths encountering The Creeper at a small town horror convention. Accompanying boyfriend Chase (Imran Adams) to the event, Laine (Sydney Craven) begins experiencing visions and premonitions, signalling the rebirth of The Creeper.
Aside from its amusing opening (worth it for a cameo from Dee Wallace), the presence of The Creeper is almost incidental to Reborn, which throws the beast into an otherwise by-numbers slasher story. After ditching the horror fest, the gang take off to an isolated mansion on the outskirts of town, which is where the bulk of the story takes place. One by one, the gang are taken out by The Creeper, who claims them and their various organs for his malicious purposes. The action is slick but careful, tippy-toeing around much of the grossness which Jeepers Creepers and its 2003 sequel were known for. And so The Creeper’s historical predilection for younger men takes a back seat to him menacing teenage girls, beating up Peter Brooke, and menacing Dee Wallace instead.
While it would have been easier to not bother at all, the unwillingness to let Salva’s creation go with him and his career leads to this joyless, rote slog. Vuoresnola’s direction shows flair, and the young cast are largely fine, but the thing it’s in service of is hardly worthy of the time or talent. Disconnected from the franchise, it’d still be cheap and predictable. Separating a piece of art from its behind-the-scenes controversies is no easy task, but it becomes a lot easier when the end product is as dull and forgettable as this one.
JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN is available to rent or buy on digital, and arrives on Blu-ray October 24th
