Movie Loner

Glancing at the calendar the other day I realized it’s Shocktober. Ghouls and goblins will soon be knocking on doors looking for delicious treats. At Movie Loner we’re looking for some frightfully good horror flicks. With that in mind I’ll do my best to point out a few of my faves this month. The terror genre is filled with fraudulent franchises like Saw and Hostel, so finding good ol’ fashioned creep-fests is difficult. First up is Jeepers Creepers, a solid little film chock full of scares and gore.

Bickering bro and sis Darry and Trish Jenner are driving home for college spring break. A remote rural highway is their route of choice. Their ordinary journey is interrupted by an ominous 1941 Chevy truck that attempts to run them off the road. Narrowly avoiding a crash, Darry and Trish regroup and try to laugh off their intense confrontation. They resume their drive and stumble-upon the sinister truck driver dumping “something” down a roadside drainpipe. Another chase ensues and once again Darry and Trish escape. A reluctant decision to return to the drainpipe results in Darry falling down the pipe and discovering a cavernous mausoleum lined with hundreds of petrified corpses.

A freaked-out Darry and a panicked Trish rush to the nearest gas station seeking help. The police arrive but they find Darry’s outlandish tale a little suspect. After some coaxing, the cops follow the kids out to the drainpipe to investigate. A short trip meets a disturbing end when a flesh-eating winged demon eviscerates and decapitates the cops. Not good. Darry and Trish lay some rubber with the demon in pursuit. The siblings take refuge inside a police station where they meet a nutty psychic who warns them of a creature that appears every 23rd spring to feed for 23 days and is fond of the song “Jeepers Creepers.” Once it catches your scent, you’re dead.

Writer/Director Victor Salva keeps things simple in this wickedly creepy thriller. No unnecessary subplots or ridiculous twists, just demon versus teens going mano-y-mano. The creature is pretty damn terrifying; it’s a cross between a gargoyle and the Predator, with a penchant for whistling. Justin Long, before he became the Apple guy and a movie star, shows some real chops playing Darry. But the real star is the Creeper, who seems to relish consuming various body parts. He also has something many evil demons lack — a sense of humor. The license plate on his truck reads, BEATNGU. Get it? Of course they made a sequel, but it pretty much blows, so don’t bother. And yes plans to make a third installment were recently announced, starring Gina Philips who portrayed Trish. Anyway, if you like these types of movies and you missed it the first time around check out Jeepers
Creepers.

A scene from Jeepers Creepers:

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