Jeepers Creepers: What Is The Creeper?
1. But It Was Most Likely A Man
Although the return of Jeepers Creepers is confirmed but at the same time doubtful (fans might have to wait another fifteen years to be disappointed again), that doesn’t mean devotees have to stop spreading wild speculation about the Creeper’s origin. After all, it’s a compelling, long-drawn-out mystery that anybody can enjoy discussing.
However, while the theories about it being Mothman, Pazuzu, or a gargoyle are interesting, the speculation about the Creeper being a former human is more obvious and underwhelmingly probable.
Said to have been a man during the Middle Ages, the theory suggests he was an evil person tricked by the Devil after making a pact. There is an alternative theory which suggests the former bloke sought out a witch and was cursed, but they are both heavily supported by the deleted scene in Jeepers Creepers 2 showing a shield which bears the Creeper’s face as half man, half demon.
It’d explain why the Creeper resembles a person and eats humans to replace its defunct body parts, and Salva - along with members of the production crew - has stated his belief about it being a tortured man who once suffered an unspeakable tragedy. Salva hasn’t admitted where his inspiration came from, but the Creeper’s disposing of bodies and truck driving credentials bears a lot of similarities to real-life killer Dennis DePue, too.
The Creeper being a crab-like parasite which turned a man into a demon is also believable when observing the scene where the creature forcefully removes its damaged head from an alien claw, but a ritual or deal gone wrong is the more predictable and odds-on truth.