Jeepers Creepers : Le Chant du diable 2

2 years after the surprising success of "Jeepers Creepers", Victor Salva returns with a sequel that continues where the original left. Although at first reluctant to making a sequel, Salva crafts a competent horror film that continues exploring the formula of the supernatural hunter in the desolated rural setting. Despite having the obvious flaws of a minor sequel, "Jeepers Creepers II" is a worthy follow up that has its own share of tricks to keep the fans happy.

The plot of the film follows a school bus of a local high school that just won the championship and are on their way back home. To their misfortune, the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) is one the loose as he is on the final day of his 23 days eating cycle, so this ruthless hunter will do whatever is necessary to find food before his time runs out. But the Creeper has another problem, he is being hunted down by Jack Taggart (Ray Wise) the father of one of his victims who is looking for revenge.

While it lacks the originality of the first one, "Jeepers creepers II" has a more focused and consistent plot due to the fact that the Creeper is now an identifiable villain. Victor Salva's new tale of rural horror is now a full-fledged supernatural horror in the vein of Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street", where typical elements of Americana become sources of horror. Having most of the movie set inside of the school bus with the cast's fears and personalities clashing makes a good source for classic suspense and tension between characters.

Visually, the film is a step forward and showcases that deep down the obvious commercial intentions of this film, Salva is still an artist that has a great eye for visual compositions. His camera-work does miracles both in and out of the school bus (the movie's main location) and he captures the lovely and scary things about rural North America. The visual effects of the film are not as good as in the first one, but they are still effective and the CGI is not that dominant.

The young cast does a fine job and the overall performance is not as poor as one could expect. However, they are nothing spectacular and some seem to had been chosen based more on looks rather than talent. The two veterans of the movie are where talent is. Jonathan Breck and Ray Wise give the film soul as the opposite forces who are destined to clash. Breck is quite good as the Creeper and looks more comfortable in the role now; Wise on the other hand, is a scene stealer and he owns the film every time he is on screen.

"Jeepers Creepers II" has a lot of what's good about modern horror movies, but sadly, it carries also some of the worst. The fast packed action at times gets distracting and contrasts badly with Salva's honest attempts to create suspense and atmosphere. There is an apparent effort in developing characters and while in some cases it works, in others it terribly fails (due mostly to the actor's lack of talent). also, it is fair to point out that the movie lacks the scares of the first one as it has more in common with the final part of it. It is great fun and entertainment, but if scares are what you are looking, better look elsewhere.

To summarize, the film is an entertaining and very well-directed scary movie that makes a worthy sequel to the original one. Victor Salva's second part of the series is a good addition if you liked the first one, otherwise it will be just another teen horror movie. Personally I liked it, but it would be wiser to rent it first. 6.5/10

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

I went to see this movie, expecting a bit less than the first movie, but it ended up to be a bit MORE than the first. Jeepers Creepers 2 starts off with a kid in a cornfield, wiring up scarecrows for his father's farm. I won't tell what happens, but it then cuts to a school bus full of basketball players and cheerleaders, who are on their way home from a championship game. Then, they're tire blows out from a sharp metal object thrown by an unseen presence. They decide to try driving for a bit longer, still with 5 running wheels, and then another blows out, again by a sharp metal object thrown at the bus. Then the body count starts. This attempt to create a sequel succeeded, and the very ending of the film, I won't say what it is, was a neat idea. This movie had less gore, but more action and fun than the one before it. I give it an 8/10.

After the smash hit ¨Jeepers Creepers¨ , the Creeper is back for more , every 23rd Spring, for 23 days, it gets to eat , welcome to day 23. As director Victor Salva made this second part, a decent sequel . Here isn't the surprise that originated the first entry . However , the monster Creeper who can taste your fear appears more time than previous outing , this time attacking a championship basketball team bus . By the time you hear him, by the time you see him it's too late , he is like a bat out of hell. This summer feed your fear , are you hungry for more?

The hapless boys are a teen bunch on a bus, Creeper will attack until to obtain his purpose : a good lunch. Also the feared beast will have to face off an old man (Ray Wise) and his son who will make use a puncher to track down creeper (Jonathan Breck) .

In the film there is terror, gore , action, thriller and suspense during all time of lasting film. The final showdown between Creeper and the old man is breathtaking.

Creeper's make-up is excellent . Ray Wise interpretation is good, previous starring Justing Long appears briefly, also a cameo. Direction by Victor Salva is nice and acceptable . Rating 6/10 , good sequel.

Sequel to the terrific 2001 horror film is a wildly fun ride, even if it doesn't quite live up to the chilling original.

On the final evening of his annual feeding, the Creeper terrorizes a bus load of students, while a local farmer is looking for some revenge.

While it may lack some of the unique elements of the original film (like the Creeper's truck, the title song, etc.) this sequel is still a highly-energized and occasionally spooky thriller. There's plenty of action, impressive makeup FX, moments of gruesome humor, and tightening suspense to drive it. Once again Salva delivers good directorial touches and an entertaining story.

The cast, headed by veteran actor Ray Wise, is good. Especially good are the relatively unknown young stars Nenninger, Aycox, Schiffner, Brown, Hammond, and Delfino. Breck returns as the Creeper and is creepier than ever.

While Jeepers Creepers 2 is never as scary as its predecessor it is a very entertaining sequel.

*** out of ****

JEEPERS CREEPERS II

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS

Stranded in a broken-down bus on a lonely country road, a group of high school jocks and cheerleaders are targeted by the monstrous Creeper (Jonathan Breck) who needs their body parts for the purposes of regeneration. But the Creeper hasn't reckoned on the tenacity of one of its earlier victims (Ray Wise), a grieving father seeking revenge for the loss of his youngest son...

Though crafted with technical precision and performed with gusto by a strong cast of newcomers and veterans, this disappointing sequel sacrifices the heartfelt emotional undertow of its magnificent predecessor JEEPERS CREEPERS (2000) in favor of bigger and splashier set-pieces. While it's as raucous and entertaining as one could hope for, it's also a surprisingly conventional effort from writer-director Victor Salva, whose best work (POWDER, RITES OF PASSAGE, etc.) has always focused on small groups of characters caught up in extreme situations. Here, his attempts to shoehorn deeper issues into what is essentially a popcorn movie seems forced and inconsequential, and he spreads his narrative concerns too thinly over a broad range of interchangeable characters: The elements of homophobia and racism which initially divide the young heroes - until they're forced to overcome their differences in order to survive the Creeper's onslaught - are rendered increasingly meaningless as the movie progresses, until they no longer have any direct influence on the wider storyline.

But Salva is too much of a craftsman for his movie to be a complete washout. The action/horror set-pieces are genuinely spectacular, and Breck camps it up superbly as the hideous Creeper, swooping out of the darkness to carry unsuspecting victims to their doom. Working in scope format for the first time in their respective careers (REAL scope, not that Super 35 rubbish), Salva and cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy conjure a series of startling images from the outset, many of them tinged with visual poetry: The golden cornfield in the opening sequence, where the film's first victim suffers an appalling fate (a genuinely horrific set-piece); the point-of-view shots from the Creeper's perspective as it swoops on fleeing prey; and the eerie calm of the closing sequence, which portends sequels to come. Salva's regular composer, Bennett Salvay, delivers a terrific symphonic score, as brassy and frightening as any in recent years, which serves to boost the film's dramatic appeal in no uncertain terms.

Wise, a late addition to the cast, dominates the film as an avenging farmer who is every bit the Creeper's equal in terms of strength and persistence, and he's given strong support by veterans Diane Delano and Thom Gossom Jr. The younger cast members are enthusiastic and talented, and it's a fair bet that some of them (Travis Schiffner, Al Santos, Nicki Aycox, etc.) will figure heavily in various Hunkiest/Sexiest lists during the next few years. Look out for a brief - but welcome - cameo appearance by Justin Long from "JC1". It may not live up to every expectation, but there's still much to enjoy in JEEPERS CREEPERS II.