Aww, Someone Stole My Crappers Pun! (Jeepers Creepers (DVD))

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Product:	Jeepers Creepers (DVD)
Date:	03/11/01 (1 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: classic horror

Disadvantages: tacky, predictable, poor plot

I read a few reviews of Jeepers Creepers on Dooyoo before I went to see it. Most of them slated the film, bar a few who found it scary, if a bit predictable.

With this advice, perhaps I ought not to have gone at all, but having bought an unlimited cinema pass, I thought I could waste a cold, empty afternoon watching this year's Halloween horror.

The first thing I noticed was a lack of any big names - however I have now learned that this is no way to judge a movie (see op on America's Sweethearts for further slating).

The film is set on a lonely highway, where a brother and sister (Justin Long and Gina Philips) drive home from college. The banter is realistic and the relationship refreshing - in fact, there is no sexual sub-plot throughout this film, which earned it an extra star from me!

The horror itself begins with a road hog and a sinisted pipe by a ruined church, and from here on in the standard unbelievable monsters and stupid decisions take over. I suppose this is where the film loses much of it's audience and any credibility it had, however it is worth reminding viewers of the genre once more - this is a horror film. If it was realistic, if people were sensible and just kept driving when they saw a scary man, if pipes led to empty sewers, then there would be no film to watch/slate.

I see myself as a pretty stolid person, I don't easily frighten - especially not by second rate horror movies. Lets face it, with a fifteen rating and no sex, violence or graphic slashing, Jeepers Creepers was never going to be in the same league as Hellraiser or Nightmare on Elm Street. However, I was in the cinema myself, and I was surprised to find the tension building. In fact, a couple of times I even looked behind me, much to my shame and embarassment.

Sure, the film wasn't an epic movie, but it was more than I expected after reading the reviews on Dooyoo. The soundtrack is excellent, and subtle, with i
ts combination of old spooky favourites like Jeepers Creepers and The Bogey Man, and the usual spooky suspense samples, well placed and unobtrusive.

The acting is pretty faultless within the limits of the script, although "Spooky Psychic Woman" (Patricia Belcher) is a bit of a joke.

The plot itself definitely had potential, but went steadily downhill as the movie progressed - I kind of got the feeling that the author wrote it in one night, and got a bit tired after the first hour or so. The ending is disappointing, and predictable.

The film is ideal territory for teens introduction to horror, those who couldn't quite cope with the full shilling's worth of Halloween, for example.

If you do go and see it - and I wouldn't rule it out completely - I suggest you go with few expectations, and bearing in mind it is a horror movie. You might just get a pleasant (or unpleasant) surprise...

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