Jeepers Creepers is a 2001 horror film written and directed by Victor Salva. The film stars Gina Philips, Justin Long, and Jonathon Breck. It is the first installment in the Jeepers Creepers franchise.
Premise[]
Siblings Trish and Darry Jenner are driving home for spring break but encounter a stranger that might be a serial killer. However, they learn that they are being chased by something more monstrous.
Plot[]
Darry Jenner and his sister Trish Jenner were coming home from college to visit their family for spring break. As they drove through the North Florida countryside in Trish's 1960 Chevrolet Impala, they played a game of guessing the meaning of vanity license plates (such as 6A4EVR being "Sexy Forever"). After passing an RV, a mysterious driver in a rusty old delivery truck--with the license plate BEATNGU--tried to run them off the road.
The "House of Pain".
After a stressful moment with Darry trying to convince the driver to go around, the truck finally passed them by. Afterward, Darry tried to guess the meaning of the vanity plate, assuming it read "Beating You." The two then began talking about two students, named Kenny and Darla, who disappeared while driving on the same road 23 years prior, to which Darry dismisses as an urban legend to scare teens about drinking and driving.
After taking a bathroom break, they passed by the same truck parked outside an old, abandoned church in the distance off the side of the road. A hulking man was there, sliding what appeared to be bodies wrapped in old sheets, into a large sewer pipe protruding from the ground. The driver, taking note that they had seen him, caught up to them and succeeded in running them off the road. The truck then left. Despite his sister's objections, Darry insisted they go back and investigate, in case one of the bodies was still alive. Trish insists they can get them help by finding the nearest phone. Darry then guilts her by asking what if the body was hers. Trish reluctantly agrees but says she will not get out of the car.
They drove back to the church and are creeped out with how it is full of crows and ravens. Darry tries to look into the pipe but could not see, he ordered Trish to hold his feet while he looked into the pipe. He says he sees something down there but then gets was scared by a swarm of rats and he jerked and screamed. This caused Trish to lose her grip on his legs, and he slid down the pipe cutting him and knocking the wind out of him when lands.
After Darry got up, he found a dying boy, with a huge stitch across his torso. The boy tried to tell him something but was unable to before he died. He sees a pile of other dead bodies and looks up at Trish telling her they need to get out. He orders Trish to go out to the road and watch for the truck coming back and to yell as loud as she can when it does. While Darry is looking for a way out, he found hundreds of bodies sewn together, covering the walls of a massive cavern beneath the church. He also sees a table with a monster carving and some liquid chemicals, likely believing these killings are part of a ritual. Upon further exploring for an exit, he discovers a body of an interracial couple, one he notices having a head that was sewn back on and a class ring of 1978. To Darry's horror he realizes these are the corpses of Kenny and Darla, proving the legend true.
Darry found his way out of the church and startled Trish, who mistakenly thought the truck was returning. Trish then took over driving, while Darry sat in the passenger seat, not talking. Trish worried tries to get Darry to speak and that they need to stop for gas. He eventually explained to Trish that he saw Kenny and Darla and that the man had decapitated her and then sewn her head back on. When they pulled to the diner with a gas station, they decided to contact the police when they see the truck pass by them on the way back to the church.
Entering the diner, Trish tries to ask anyone at the diner for help, but everyone ignores them and think they're crazy. With Darry still being petrified, Trish tries to shake sense into him as they need to call the police. They were startled as the diner's payphone rings to which no one else was going to pick up. Darry picks it up and the caller first asked for Darry's name and then "did you see the cats yet?" She explains she knows his name and identifies him by his rose tattoo on his stomach and recently bloodied hand. She tries to warn Darry about what he saw and is unsure what it is, but he is not dealing with some random killer but an ancient monster or demon. She plays the song "Jeepers Creepers" on the phone, and told them that when they hear that song, they need to run. Badly frightened, Darry cursed at the woman and hung up.
Darry and Trish were questioned by the police, and he tries to explain everything including about Kenny and Darla. The cops think it does not make sense as the bodies should have decayed to bones and dust by that point. Darry tries to demonstrate that they were preserved with pertified wood and that about 600 bodies are probably down there. While they are unsure to believe him, they try to assure him they are not calling him a liar but he needs to realize from their point of view, it's a huge story. A diner worker warned Darry and Trish that someone was out breaking into their car. They find that the mysterious figure already ran off after breaking into their car. The waitress told them that the stranger was sniffing the laundry and looked like "he was liking it." Darry was worried now as he was picking up his laundry and realizes that the man is after them because he knows what they saw and now the stranger knows Darry's name from his underwear. Darry finds what appears to be a heavy fingerprint marking on their door handle for the cops to examine.
In order to verify the story, the police escorted Darry and Trish back to the church. While driving, the police received communication saying that the church was being burned down and suspect Trish and Darry are arsonists. The forensics person also advised that the fingerprints result was of long-dead skin. While they were driving along, the man jumps atop the police car and kills the police officers, including beheading the male cop. The stanger then tosses the head on the hood of Trish's car to scare them and both their car and the cop car comes to complete stop. The Jenners leave their car to investigate, Trish calls out to the cops and asks if they're okay. Seeing the blood on their car hood, Darry tells Trish to come back to the car. Trish then sees the beheaded cop and out of the cop's driver seat is the stranger. He can only be seen from the back having greyish skin and bushy long white hair on the back and side while bald from the top. The stranger picks up the officer's head and pulls his tongue out with his teeth. Terrified, they got back into their car and fled while the stranger takes the bodies and the officer's head and loads it in his truck then puts his hat back on.
Trish continues driving rapidly to which Darry asks her to slow down. She comes to a complete stop while Darry only said to slow down. They found themselves stopped at an old farmhouse, Darry and Trish discovered an old lady who has many, many cats. Trish pleads with her to call the police, but she refused due to her fear that they would take away her cats. But she allows them to after Trish tells her about the officer being killed but asks them not to give her address. Darry does not like the feeling of the place and asks Trish to leave and find help elsewhere. While they argued, the old woman asked if someone else is with them. The stranger caught up to them pretending to be the scarecrow in the yard. The woman threatens the stranger, angry that her cats were in danger, ran and got her shotgun. She shot at the man, who inhumanly jumped up and crashed through the roof of her house. Angry, the woman hit Darry in the crotch and ran into the house. After hearing shotgun blasts, it appeared that the woman was coming outside, but they saw that instead she is being held up by her spine and the man is reveals himself with a smile on his face and to actually be some sort of monster.
The Creeper being first revealed as a monster. Toying with the Jenners while they try to escape.
Trish and Darry got into their car, intent on fleeing. With the Creeper in front of them, Darry tells Trish to run him over. The Creeper was able to jump over the car without being scathed, much to their shock. Trish then pretended the car won't move giving the Creeper the opportunity to move in on them, however, she gets him off guard and actually hits him. The Creeper crashed and collapsed on the road, Trish proceeded to run over him over and over again until Darry forced her to stop. Afterwards, they see The Creeper sprouts his wings that were concealed in its coat in an attempt to fly but it is too injured, and its parts were stuck to the pavement. They drive off, running it over one more time, and make it to the police station and were on the phone with their parents to come and get them. The woman from the phone call appears and is introduced as Jezelle Gay Hartman, a woman who claimed to be a local psychic. She warned Darry and Trish that they are still in danger and then tried to reveal the true nature of the mysterious creature: It was 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 told 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.
The wounded Creeper drives and makes its way to the police station limping its way in through the jail cells while cutting off the power. After it feasted on a prisoner to heal, it was swarmed by police, but killed a number of them. Jezelle warns them the Creeper is here and won't stop until he gets what he wants. She tells them one of them will die, screaming in the dark while the song "Jeepers Creepers" is played in the background. While the police continue to stop this "intruder," Jezelle tries to lead them out to another exit at the station. However, they reached a dead end and Trish calls out if her vision could have at least foreseen an exit. Jezelle explains she came to tell them, hoping they can change her vision. Darry then questions her on who does The Creeper want, Jazelle does not answer but her head turns to Trish, making them believe he wants Trish. Darry continues to get answers from Jezelle and asks her if her visions are ever wrong. However, the Creeper caught up to them and Jezelle has them run upstairs. The Creeper headed towards Jezelle and sniffed her out, but let her go, implying she does not fear him and has nothing desirable from her.
The Creeper chooses Darry.
Darry's eyeless corpse.
The Creeper finally caught up with Trish and Darry and sniffs them out and even tastes them. He then tossed Trish and holds onto Darry. The police and SWAT team storm and surround the Creeper. He uses Darry as a shield before opening its clawed hood and roaring out a screech. Sergeant David Tubbs and the squad are in disbelief of what they are seeing. Trish, in an effort to save her brother, asked the Creeper to take her instead. Darry yelled at her to not be a hero. Trish explained that Darry was weak and that she would not fight him. The Creeper actually listens to her and gives it some thought, however, wasn't interested in someone who was not afraid of him. He flew out of the side of the building, taking Darry with him into the night.
In the morning, Trish asked Jezelle if her dreams are ever wrong. Rather than answer, Jezelle just tells her that she's a crazy old woman and Trish can ask anyone.
Darry's screams were then heard as a new abandoned area was shown. The Creeper was at a sewing machine doing work. Then, Darry's dead body was shown, naked and preserved much like the other bodies in the House of Pain. The back of Darry's head and eyes were removed, and the Creeper looked through the eye holes and at the camera with Darry's eyes revealing that is what it wanted from him.
The Creeper looks at the camera with Darry's eyes. The Creeper in this final shot is played by Darry's actor, Justin Long, to match the Creeper's new eyes.
A brief post-credit scene was presented, just showing the Creeper driving his truck rapidly on the highway in the sunset, blowing his horn. Likely the Creeper is continuing his hunt. 
Cast[]
- Justin Long as Darius "Darry" Jenner
- Gina Philips as Patricia "Trish" Jenner
- Jonathan Breck as The Creeper
- Patricia Belcher as Jezelle Gay Hartman
- Eileen Brennan as Cat Lady
- Brandon Smith as Sergeant Davis Tubbs
- Peggy Sheffield as Beverly
- Jon Beshara as Officer Robert Gideon
- Avis-Marie Barnes as Officer Natasha Weston
- Tom Tarantini as Austin McCoy AKA Roach
Taglines[]
- WhAT's EATing you?
- Evil is right behind you
- A nightmare cloaked in rags.
- The Tastiest Horror Film of the Year!
- Get a Taste of the Year's Best Horror Film!
- You Are NOT What You Eat...
- He's watching... He's waiting... He's hungry...
- Things are gonna get creepy...
Trivia[]
- The third film reveals that the Creeper's truck is booby-trapped. And that he got it back while it was being taken to an impound lot.
- At the end of the movie, it is actually Justin Long playing the Creeper so that when he looks through Darry's skull, the eyeholes match.
- The movie takes its name from the song "Jeepers Creepers" which is featured in the movie. Incidentally, the song was first featured in the Warner Bros. film Going Places, which at one time was owned by this film's distributor United Artists (along with the rest of the pre-1950 Warner library).
- Up until the Creeper kills the cops, theories tricks you into thinking it's just another psychopath slasher film. But when the creature is seen landing on the car, THAT'S when the proverbial rug is pulled out from under the audience.
- The Creeper's on-screen kill count in this film was 8 (only counting those who die at that moment, not the already dead). In order, deaths included the young boy Darry discovers down the pipe, the 2 police officers escorting the Jenners to the crime scene, the old cat lady, the prisoner the Creeper eats to heal, the police officer who sees him eating the prisoner, the officer who had his heart ripped out of his chest, and finally Darry. However, there could be a miscount on officers killed at the station due to so many trying to go after it. 
- Jonathan Breck, who portrays the Creeper in the film series, also has a background appearance in the police station as the bald police officer with the group hunting the Creeper.
- Actor Tom Tarantini, who plays car thief arrested and booked in jail at the Poho County Police Station scene in this film, appears in Jeepers Creepers 2 as a different character, Coach Dwayne Barnes.
- The beginning scene with the Jenners playing the vanity plate game and coming across what they believe is a serial killer is based off the true story of a couple encountering murderer Dennis DePue. (See full story here)
Goofs[]
- When Darry fell into the sewer pipe it is vertical, but when he is at the top is diagonal, it cannot be a curved pipe as it would make it impossible for Trish to see through, furthermore she was unable to see at first, until there was light.
- When the Creeper is ramming the car from behind if you notice there is no damage to the back of the car in at least two scenes
- The Cat Lady has a Double Barreled Shotgun, so after two shots she would have to reload, but after she shoots the Creeper the first time, we hear two more shots.
- When the officer shines his flashlight on the creeper's back the zipper can be seen.
- After the Creeper takes Darry away Trish's eyes are brown, and not blue like they were throughout the film.
- The time of day flashes from night to day and so on, but this may be because it's been a few days.
- Trish's car has a manual function, but the car shifts gears while her hands stay on the wheels.
- When the Cat Lady's corpse is brought out of the house, a crew member can briefly be seen in the house.
- The pipe was slanted and slippery, making it impossible for Darry to be standing on.
- When Darry and Trish are talking on the phone if you listen carefully you'll hear that no one is talking on the other line.
- When Darry is carried away by the Creeper the person that is being carried away is an obvious decoy and the radio used for the sound effects is seen on his neck.
- After Trish leaves the police office a crew member can be seen on the inside.
- When the power goes out at the police station Darry is seen walking ahead of Trish and Jezelle. In the next shot Jezelle is in front and Darry is in back. In the final shot Jezelle is the one in the back and Trish is in the lead, but there's nothing to suggest that they've gone ahead of each other.
Reception[]
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.
Awards[]
- Won: Crystal Reel Awards — Best Feature
- 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 Guild — IHG Award Best Movie
- Nominated: Sitges — Catalonian International Film Festival — Best Film: Victor Salva
Franchise[]
In 2003 a sequel 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 he portrays "Coach Dwayne Barnes".
MGM has announced a third installment, Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral. The film will continue the story of the original film with Trish (Gina Philips) 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 movie to the series and that they intend Salva to film it back-to-back with Jeepers Creepers 3.
A fan film sequel/prequel titled : Jeepers Creepers O Regresso aka Returns was released on 26th of May 2023, directed by portuguese director Rui Constantino, that continues the legacy of the creeper, and how he appeared for the first time.
- Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
- Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral (2015)