"Jeepers Creepers 2" is one of those films that get worse the more you think about it. I came out of the theatre upon seeing it over a week ago and thought that it was above average at most. I would tell those who asked me my about on it that it was "alright," nothing more, nothing less. Eventually, however, the more people that asked me, the more negative my response would become. Now it's a "skip it" or "wait for it on video." The more I gave thought to just how I felt about this sequel, the more I disliked it. I've read various reviews and no one seemed to hit the nail on the head with this one. It's not so much that it's a bad Horror film, it's just that it doesn't hold up at all to the original. Now, don't think that because I said it wasn't a bad Horror film that it makes it good either. It ends up somewhere in the middle between appalling and average as far as the Horror genre goes. But when compared to the original film, this one certainly seems like the work of an idiot. I can't really say that this is one you will want to purchase when it makes it's way to video, nor one you will actually enjoy.

A bus of high school students are making they're way home after a winning basketball on the famous highway that the original "Jeepers Creepers" took place in. This is the last day out of a 23 day eating frenzy that The Creeper will have before it is to go back into "hibernation." Spotting a bus full of potential victims, The Creeper takes a home-made shuriken (throwing star) of sorts and punctures not one, but two tires eventually. One by one the three coaches are picked off and the students are left alone to fight for their lives against what seems to be an unstoppable creature. The setting is dark, the plot has its fair share of a sense of doom, and the darkness of the rural highway lends quite a bit to an above mediocre plot. Director Victor Salva seems to be great at the setup but falters when it comes to execution.

Salva handles the "boo" scares well and even a few of them got to me. Seeing as how when a friend can do this to you and nothing occurs in terms of fright, having a scene this elementary obtain a jolt from the viewer means one thing; atmosphere. I will mention this word again and again because this is what Salva is good at. He can setup even the most mundane of shots and still manage to engage the viewer. I found myself sitting still in my seat during a quiet moment and sighing when the tension was relieved. He is certainly good at handling suspenseful moments and perfectly balancing the setting in order to have everything work successfully. If I give Salva credit for nothing more than the jolts, than so be it. He has proved himself an above average Horror movie director in my book.

I've read many comments about this film that state that the acting is horrendous. I'll have to agree to disagree on that matter. I found the cast talented, though working with a poor script can make even the best of actors seem like no-talent hacks. I didn't find this to be the case here as the talent actually beat out Salva's poor script and laughably inept dialogue. Emotion can be seen when problems start to occur and we even get some decent character development. Not too shabby for a Horror film. Even with that said, I wouldn't go in expect an Oscar winner. Let's not forget that this is still a Horror film and, no matter how good the talent is, the script (and this should be a rule) is either average or an attempt at comedy unbeknownst to the writer. Salva has proved that he has talent behind the camera and not operating a writing utensil.

For gore hounds going into this one expecting a blood-fest will surely be let down. I myself can be considered a gore hound so this dry Horror movie disappointed me on yet another level. The most you get is a decapitation, not to mention a BLOODLESS one at that. Some make-up FX such as The Creeper missing part of it's head & then growing another one and some dismembered body parts come into effect but are, yet again, lacking any form of gore. I will say this though, as far as sequels go, it breaks the rule of having more blood and gruesome violence that the first. The make-up FX are good, however, and the decapitation scene was done well. The rest is off-screen or lacking in anything shown besides a writhing body.