Witch & Popcorn

 

Review of Jeepers Creepers 2

Bright Blessings, film lovers. Today’s review focuses on a horror film- my favorite genre- and how the determination of two men overcome a seemingly invincible force…at least for twenty-three years. The film grossed over $100,000,000 worldwide and at the time of release was the highest grossing film for four days straight. It is now in ninth grossing place of all films released before Labor Day. It was nominated for three prestigious awards including the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Before reading the review, watch the trailer for Jeepers Creepers 2 here:

 

The plot is- three days after the events of Jeepers Creepers part 1, the creature that wreaked havoc appears in the field of farmer Jack Taggart and it kidnaps his son Billy. Jack Sr. and his eldest son, Jack Jr. futilely try to catch the beast to save Billy, but if flies away with the boy who is lost to them. They then disappear from the film as it refocuses on the creatures’ brutal hunt of a bus full of high school students, their coaches, and bus driver.

If you are like me, you love the thrill of watching a villain or monster hunting terrified people, picking them off one by one. The film uses the expected convention of moments of idyllic quiet in the golden farm fields and then terrifying attacks from the monster, which is sprung upon the screen suddenly, making you just about jump out of your skin. I don’t know about you, but I make sure I don’t have my cup of tea or glass of wine in my hands during a horror flick for just that reason!

The students reveal their true colors during the creature’s hunt of them, breaking out into fights amongst themselves, finding it difficult to work together to evade the creature. Like in Jeepers Creepers part 1, a psychic presents visions she has had- and in this case, it is a student on the bus instead of an adult who appeared to try and help in part 1.

The creature by now has been explained well. It is some non-human being who lives underground, sleeping for twenty-three years, and at the end of it’s twenty-three years sleep it emerges, and “It gets to eat” is what the psychics say. Guess what it eats? Humans! However, it doesn’t just eat whoever it can get it’s claws on- but it sniffs out the people who have some special quality it smells in their fear.

After the thing eats Billy, the bus driver, both coaches, and starts picking off the high school students it wants, Jack and Jack Jr. reappear, heroically doing what both psychics said was impossible. They said no amount of running could deter the beast from killing and eating, but father and son Taggart show different, and the last scene shows the power of two determined men who will stop at nothing to do their utmost to ensure nobody ever loses a loved one to the beast’s appetite like they lost Billy.

The film is easy to watch, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it is so enjoyable, the time you watch it will fly by faster than the creature flew by the Taggert’s farm and snatched up Billy! The imagery is positively gorgeous with the spent corn stalks tinting a marvelous shade of gold in the scenes, making you want to pack up, and move onto a farm, enjoying your days in the natural beauty of the splendid earth. Besides the fun, scary story, as well as good acting that makes you believe the film is actually happening- I mean that creature is SO believable because of the skilled stunts and acting but the costume looks one hundred percent REAL- there are magical messages for all to learn.

• • Never underestimate people who will NOT give up. Ever. The creature seemed unbeatable, but father and son Taggert proved that wrong. Sure, there are some things all of us cannot do. We can’t walk on water, for example, but we CAN travel over it by plane or boat or drive or walk over it by bridge. Where there is a will, there is a way, and father and son Taggert have one hell of a way to nab the beast! If only we have half the determination of those two, imagine the great things we could do in our own lives!

• • Stick together with your team when times get tough- don’t go at each other’s throats because you are stressed. A few of the teenagers literally hated each other, and it was all instigated by ONE of them. Of course- there is always ONE asshole, isn’t there? However, a few of the kids let him instigate them and the time they spent squabbling could have been better spent planning and sticking together. When you and the people you are with are going through hell, it’s time to band together and be as supportive of one another as possible. Don’t let things divide you, and don’t let disagreements get in your way.

• • Don’t panic. Now coming from somebody who has panic attacks, I must sound like a hypocrite. However, HAVING those has taught me to stop myself when I feel anxiety coming on. 12.5 years working in Long Term Care probably helped with that too, but still…I have learned that panicking never helps and can often make things worse. The students panicked and ran for most of the times the creature attacked them. They did figure out how to stab it in the head once, significantly slowing it down, but instead of maintaining that momentum, when it came back, they did not stand and fight, but they ran.The Taggarts kept their wits about them and totally kicked ass. Jack Jr. was probably the same age as the kids on the bus, and maybe his dad taught him not to run and cry from struggles, so he had an advantage over the other kids, but imagine the fight the creature would have had on its hands, sparring with over a dozen strong healthy teenagers considering the terrible fight one man and his one son put up.

• • When you are presented with new facts, no matter how weird or unbelievable they sound, don’t try to pretend it isn’t so. The creature was very very smart. It knew people were unaware of its existence, and it realized that when people saw it, they flat out refused to believe what they saw was real. It used that as an opportunity to attack. In both Jeepers Creepers part 1 and part 2, the psychics explained what their visions told them about the creature to the people who knew it was hunting them, and multiple people wasted time arguing that such a thing just wasn’t possible. Well, it was, and most especially since they had seen it, it was incredibly stupid to deny what was happening. How many of us take that attitude? “I could not POSSIBLY be broke, because if I am, that would be bad” as we blow money on shit we don’t need and then are late paying a bill. Believe what you are shown. Don’t deny reality.

A lot of horror films serve as reminders of human stupidity. How we deny what we witness, panic instead of keeping our wits about us, fight when we should be working together, and tell ourselves things simply cannot be done. Sometimes I think horror stories would not exist at all if people didn’t do these ridiculous things. It’s part of human nature, but as magical individuals, we work to be in control of ourselves so we can maneuver our lives as well as possible. Sometimes, people like father and son Taggart step in, but sometimes, WE are called to be the heroes who rescue everybody, stopping a seemingly unstoppable tragedy from happening.

Oh, don’t take my word for it. Go watch both part one and two of Jeepers Creepers, and I will go find part three to watch myself. I am dying to see whatever becomes of the Taggert father and son twenty-three years after the attacks!

Happy Viewing!

Blessed Be!

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About the Author:

Saoirse is a practicing witch, and initiated Wiccan of an Eclectic Tradition.

A recovered Catholic, she was raised to believe in heaven and hell, that there is only one god, and only one way to believe. As she approached her late 20’s, little things started to show her this was all wrong. She was most inspired by the saying “God is too big to fit into one religion” and after a heated exchange with the then associate pastor of the last Xtian church she attended, she finally realized she was in no way Xtian, and decided to move on to see where she could find her spiritual home.

Her homecoming to her Path was after many years of being called to The Old Ways and the Goddess, and happened in Phoenix, Arizona. She really did rise from her own ashes!

Upon returning to Ohio, she thought Chaos Magic was the answer, and soon discovered it was actually Wicca. She was blessed with a marvelous mentor, Lord Shadow, and started a Magical Discussion Group at local Metaphysical Shop Fly By Night. The group was later dubbed A Gathering of Paths. For a few years, this group met, discussed, did rituals, fellowship, and volunteering together, and even marched as a Pagan group with members of other groups at the local gay Pride Parade for eight years.

All the while, she continued studying with her mentor, and is still studying for Third Degree, making it to Second Degree thus far.

She is a gifted tarot reader, spellworker, teacher, and was even a resident Witch at a Westerville place dubbed The Parlor for a time.

Aside from her magical practice, she is a crocheter, beader, painter, and a good cook. She has been a clown and children’s entertainer, a Nursing Home Activities Professional, a Cavern Tour Guide, a Retail Cashier, and a reader in local shops. Her college degree is a BA in English Writing. She tried her hand at both singing and playing bagpipes, and…well…let’s just say her gifts lie elsewhere! She loves gardening, reading, antiques, time with friends and soul kin, and lots and lots of glorious color bedecking her small home!

On the encouragement of a loved one several years back, she searched for a publication to write for, and is right at home at PaganPagesOrg.

She is currently residing in Central Ohio with her husband, and furbabies.

Saoirse can be contacted at [email protected].