Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

....Re the first "Jeepers Creepers," I thought that opening section (up until the kid falls down that long dark hole) was brilliant how it slowly and believably developed tension, always maintaining the "outsider" perspective of the brother and sister; I was so "into it" that when the Gina Philips character said "Girls are smarter than boys about things like this," I "said" to her brother "Yeah, listen to her, moron!" (I also liked the interaction of the two in the car, I could believe they had known each other all their lives. By the way, kudos to Philips for convincingly playing a college student at age thirty.) But as soon as the director let us see the basement, I thought "JC" started downhill fast; at first I couldn't even tell those were supposed to be human bodies, they looked like cartoons. For me it became by-the-numbers horror/monster stuff to include batty old lady conveying key plot information, & the ending left me confused; I thought "That's it? Was there re-editing by the studio?" "JC 2" is one of the few sequels that I think is better than the original, mostly because of the Aristotelian "unity of time, place and action" centered on the crippled bus, although I found it odd a bus full of athletes and cheerleaders having just won a title could disappear so long without, I don't know, the police sending out a helicopter or something---I mean this was fairly soon after 9/11/2001, wouldn't the authorities have assumed it was a terrorist action? Also some time before I die I'd like to see a horror flick where somebody's cell phone or radio ACTUALLY WORKS--also wouldn't mind seeing a prostitute WITHOUT a "heart of gold." I thought the director did well capturing the undercurrents of homophobia and racism in American high-school culture, and Eric Nenninger was convincing as the proto-fascist jock--- "I want you, you and you off the bus"--- in fact all the young cast members (unknown to me then and now) were fine. But for me Ray Wise owned it; I'm not sure he's even capable of playing a "normal character," but his scenery chewing never rings false, he endows his loonies with gritty realism; I wouldn't have wanted anyone else delivering the line "Well, it seems dead to me." Speaking of lines, I loved how they borrowed the classic line from John Carenter's "The Thing"----"You gotta be blanking kidding me"---and divided it between two actors. I saw oddly minimal gore for this genre (even the dancing decapitated body has hardly anything gushing out) but instead some suitably squishy special effects, although it got a bit silly when the creature ripped off it's own head and replaced it with one of the kids' heads, like a cartoon; also if I remember right, didn't it's wings get detached went it went through the back window and windshield of the car---hence we saw it hopping instead of flying later----yet in the barn at the end it had it's wings back? (Maybe the Wise character and his kid found and re-attached them?) But the two flicks together are among the better made horror duos I've seen, and if one doesn't let the controversy about Victor Salva's past bother one, they're both well worth a look---try to see them for free (as I did) if that makes one feel "morally cleaner." Yeah, Salva did a very bad thing a while back, but even if I had to the time to go delving into everyone's background before seeing a movie or reading a book or whatever, I don't particularly have the inclination.....

Plot finds the demon known as The Creeper (Jonathan Breck), still having a little time left for feeding and harvesting human parts before his 23 year hibernation. A buffet bar of high school kids on a bus returning from a basketball match are now in his sights. But an avenging father played by Ray Wise is willing to take the fight to the monster. It's a simple as it sounds, really. Creeper picks off various members of the bus, which is the usual array of annoyingly obnoxious teenagers. The tension comes from wondering who is next in line, all while the fractured group (racial/sexuality tensions) try to come up with some sort of plan to survive until help arrives. Logically it's a laughable nightmare and goofs aplenty are within, but there's a neat gory "B" movie vibe about it driving it forward. Plus there's more of Creeper in flying mode and a bad ass Ray Wise to root for.After the success of the first Jeepers Creepers film it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. With a little sadness we find that this sequel fails to capture the strengths that made the first film a refreshing horror joltathon. But regardless it still has some merits as a fun horror time waster. 6/10

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003): Dir: Victor Salva / Cast: Ray Wise, Eric Nenninger, Nicki Aycox, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Luke Edwards: Every bit as stupid as the original and it is filled with characters that are about as bright as a pile of cow dung. The creeper apparently feeds every 23 years and in the opening scene it makes off with a boy that thought it was a scarecrow. His father and brother make chase and are surprised when it takes flight. Cut ahead to a bus load of moron football playing teenagers who become stranded when a boney object is found embedded in one of the tires. Before long the adults are snagged leaving the teenagers to bicker while the creeper places them on the lunch menu. They use the bus radio to call for help and it is overheard by the farmer in the film's opening who arms his truck with a harpoon. Stupid and irritable showcasing special effects and mayhem. Directed by Victor Salva who made the very stupid first movie as well as another annoying piece of sh*t called Powder. Ray Wise at least is putting in a reasonable effort as the farmer who is aiming for revenge and justice against the creature who violated his family. Luke Edwards plays the older brother of the first victim who witnesses the attack in the film's opening. The teenagers unfortunately have more air in their heads than a hot air balloon. The bus should be driven over this senseless junk. Score: 2 ½ / 10

I don't get why it is a 5.5 out of 10 for this title. I don't think the sequel was better than the first one because it started to go back to a regular common horror movie. A whole bunch of kids who get caught in a horror show. But beside that point, everything else was actually good. The beginning was moving and entertaining. Parts were fun to watch of how everybody was freaking out. Some part were gross. Some parts makes you wonder what you will do in that situation. I will actually want to watch another one actually. I gave it a 9 because I like the first one with the brother and sister story line not the group of kids getting... well i let you watch it for that. Thanks for reading.