Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) Review:

While success did not come right away for Victor Salva early in his career, he was able to land in the spotlight eventually. Jeepers Creepers (2001) may have not been the most ingenious horror film, but it did have certain aspects to it that made it stand out from the usual traps horror films fell in to. The story was unique, the characters weren't the usual bunch and the music had its moments to shine too. And after that movie proved itself profitable, it's obvious as to why a sequel was made. Surprisingly, while it isn't much better, it still remains to watchable. The faults are now just in different places. With Victor Salva directing again, it's understandable as to why the film feels the same in quality.

"Hey man, do you think we are safe in a bus?"

The script for this feature was also written by Salva who smartly keeps the continuity close by having the events of this story happening shortly after the first film. Not bad, considering most follow ups to horror films either reset the story completely or retro actively undo everything that happened in the prior film. Here a group of high school students are headed home after a game, only to soon find out their lives are in the cross hairs of the creeper (Jonathan Breck). Meanwhile, a vengeful father (Ray Wise) is on the hunt for the creeper after he was too late in saving his youngest son who was snatched away. These two plot threads end up converging on one another, which create an interesting brawl as things develop.

The whole setting of having students trapped in a school bus is not commonly used. That and the efforts Ray Wise's character goes through to hunt the creeper shows dedication. He's also probably the most likable character too even though he doesn't emote much. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast aren't that likable, which was an issue the first movie suffered from too. While the actors who play the high school students act the parts, they just don't seem to have the charm in order for the audience to get behind. There's only one character, Minxie (Nicki Aycox), who manages to learn the history of the first film through dream sequences. Of course that goes unexplained. She even gets to see Justin Long for a cameo and exposition dump; how convenient.

That particular aspect of the film doesn't completely ruin the experience though. Jonathan Breck as the creeper still makes a fine antagonist for the franchise. While this time, he was given a little more free range to play his part with personality. While the creeper is special in his own way, this time he'll make gestures which are very Freddy Krueger-esque. It's not a vast change, but it does give the character a more comedic personality which may not really fit. Aside from this though the horror is still there with a number of gruesome moments. Salva also cranks up the action into the picture too with Ray Wise's trigger happy role that he plays. It actually mixes quite well.

Ray Wise as tough dood

For the rest of the visuals, the cinematography is handled well. Shot again by Don E. FauntLeRoy, the camerawork is steady and mixes well with its surroundings. Even the CGI and live-action practical effects look good to this day. What would have been more interesting to see was the creeper's new lair from the last film. Being that it was only briefly shown and what he does there, that's something that should be explored. The musical score also saw the return of Bennett Salvay. Being that the feature mixes more action with its horror, Salvay also beefs up his score as well as making it sound even more robust to match the action sequences. Not bad at all.

This is a sequel that maintains its level of quality compared to its predecessor. That's a good and bad thing. While the script still shoehorns in certain plot elements and still has very few likable main leads, the viewing experience is still fun. The gore has more action in it, with an appropriate score, credible cinematography and a script that still keeps fairly good continuity.

Points Earned --> 6:10