Publication Date: 07-02-2025

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) review

Dir. Victor Salva

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Where the first Jeepers Creepers whisked us all around the Florida countryside over the course of a terrifying evening spent by two siblings in fear for their lives, the second film places us in a solitary situation, one that renders us even more helpless. Set just a couple days after the first film, it’s the 22nd day of The Creeper’s (Jonathan Breck) 23-year feast. An opening title-card informs us that every 23 years, for 23 days, the Creeper feeds off of human beings, consuming everything from eyes, ears, and internal organs for them to function as his own.

A fan of the film since I was a child, Jeepers Creepers 2 effectively chilled me from the opening scene (and, quite frankly, still does even after seven or eight viewings). The film opens with a young boy working in the cornfields on his family’s farm. By the time he notices one of the scarecrows doesn’t look quite right, with clawed feet and perhaps the ability to move, he bolts to his father, Taggart (Ray Wise). It’s a futile effort. The Creeper drags the boy, well-played by Shaun Fleming, through the fields, tearing up his scalp in the process, before taking flight.

The following day, a busload of high school jocks and cheerleaders are on their way home after winning the basketball championship. Making the trek down the deserted Highway 9, one of the tires on the bus blows out, stranding them in the middle of nowhere. A news report heard on the radio details a mysterious fire at a local church where hundreds of bodies were found by local police, revealing that the location investigated by Darry (Justin Long) in the previous film, was eventually infiltrated by the authorities.

Alas, the gang of approximately two dozen is stuck; sitting ducks who will soon be stalked and then hunted by the Creeper. One of the cheerleaders, Minxie (the late Nicki Aycox), begins experiencing visions of the Creeper’s recent victims, which gives the students some context into what might be hunting them. Scotty (Eric Nenninger), who is bitter and butthurt over being benched for much of the basketball game, assumes the leader role, a cocky yet deeply insecure one at that.

There are multiple plot inconsistencies that risk ruining Jeepers Creepers 2 if you think about them for too long. For one, this long stretch of highway has no other vehicles on it. Where are the parents of the students who presumably attended the game? Where are the equipment managers and other staff members beyond just the team coach? Furthermore, everyone acts mystified by the Creeper and his origins, but wouldn’t a town that experienced a wealth of missing/murdered individuals (husbands, wives, children, grandparents, etc) be more alert and privy to his reappearance, given that this has been happening for hundreds of years?

And also, maybe the most unrealistic moment in the movie comes when four of the basketball players get off the bus to, ahem, drain the main vein in the adjacent field and all line up shoulder-to-shoulder to relieve themselves. Take it from a man: that would never, under any circumstances, happen voluntarily. Male ego and inevitable “stage-fright” wouldn’t allow for it.

These narrative flubs don’t detract from the entertainment value of Jeepers Creepers 2, which remains very high. Where the original was something of a quest movie, defined by glacial pacing, slowburn reveals, and a wealth of time spent getting to know two characters, Victor Salva’s sequel strands us out in the open, with nowhere to hide from the Creeper. The urgency is dialed up given this is the last day of the Creeper’s hunting spree, and very smartly, Salva eliminates the three adults relatively early, leaving the teenagers up to their own wits to survive.

In top form here is Ray Wise, a career character-actor who plays a pained father hellbent for revenge on the thing that took his son. Salva’s camera loves his moist eyes and grieving expression of guilt and fear, and his reentry into the third act of the film feels invigorating. The climax of the film takes a lot of inspiration from [i]Jaws[/i], right down to the level of teamwork utilized by a variety of different people and the group satisfaction they all take in defeating the Creeper.

As far as horror sequels are concerned, Salva opted to have Jeepers Creepers 2 further the mythology of the Creeper, and isolate the story into what is basically a one-setting picture. Even with some shortcomings, it’s taut, thrilling, and frequently enjoyable. And it might’ve gotten a true sequel that wasn’t 14 years later if it were directed by literally anyone else.

NOTE: Take a listen to my interview with Ray Wise, where he talks about working with Victor Salva in Jeepers Creepers 2:

My review of Jeepers Creepers
My review of Jeepers Creepers 3
My review of Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

Starring: Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck, Eric Nenninger, Nicki Aycox, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Travis Schiffner, Lena Cardwell, Billy Aaron Brown, Luke Edwards, Shaun Fleming, and Justin Long. Directed by: Victor Salva.