Jeepers Creepers: What Is The Creeper?

Notorious director Victor Salva insists that he knows what his biggest star is, but none of the films following 2001 suggest his confidence is anything other than bravado.

Since the original made people terrified of Paul Whiteman’s Jeepers Creepers and driving down empty roads in the middle of nowhere, the creature has drastically changed, becoming less scary with each entry. From a sadistic, unkillable truck driver who wears boots and French kisses disembodied heads, the Creeper is now a Freddie Kreuger knock-off who is beatable, has talon feet, and chooses to run instead of drive. And Paul Whiteman’s iconic song, along with any renditions of it, is no longer the creature’s entrance theme.

There’s zero consistency, and with Jeepers Creepers 3 failing to deliver the long awaited answers its marketing promised, Salva appears to be struggling for a definitive design and history, choosing instead to change and add things which look 'cool'. Although it’s probably for the best, the likelihood of Salva establishing a permanent personality, appearance, and lore is doubtful seeing as the series is no longer a profitable hit.

True, the script for the fourth film is already finished and Gina Phillips has agreed to reprise her role as Trish, but Jeepers Creepers 3 was a flop with a very limited release thanks to boycotts surrounding the director’s past crimes. Therefore, the Creeper will likely continue to be a tourist attraction in Florida until someone in Hollywood hopefully buys the intellectual property rights to give fans a much-needed reboot.