Let the "Jeepers Creepers" franchise die already!

ACCORDING TO

MARCO VITO ODDO

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

Maybe the Creeper should disappear for more than 23 years.


Creeper holding teenager by the neck Image via United Artists

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn hits theaters this week as a reboot of the popular horror series created by filmmaker Victor Salva. Not only does the film bring back the Creeper, but Reborn is also said to be the first chapter in a new franchise. There's a lot of money being invested in the return of the Creeper, with a new cast and crew taking over the franchise and staying as far away as possible from Salva, a convicted pedophile who many people feel hasn't gotten a fair shot. crimes. All of which begs the question: does the Jeepers Creepers franchise really need a reboot? Or should we just let the Creeper die? After all, even if Salva has no involvement with the reboot, the buzz surrounding Reborn will definitely drive more people to watch the original trilogy, which inevitably benefits the original director.



COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY




But should we really still condemn Salva for his crimes, even though he has confessed to them, been tried and done his time? Shouldn't we separate the artist from the art and judge the Jeepers Creepers franchise for what it does without thinking about Salva's history? The matter is more complicated than it seems, as Salvo's magnum opus unfortunately has a thematic relationship to his crimes, making his actions difficult to forget.


RELATED:

'Jeepers Creepers: Reborn': Release date, trailer and everything you need to know about the horror reboot




History of the Creeper

Let's get this nasty business out of the way. In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy who starred in the director's feature debut, Clownhouse. Salva was in a position of power being an adult, being the young boy's "boss" and a close friend of the boy's family. To add insult to injury,


a bus full of teenagers. The third film tries to diversify the Creeper offering, but the main targets are still teenagers. Knowing Salva's history, how can we watch these films without wondering where the filmmaker got the inspiration for his highly sexualized predator?

Jeepers Creepers Crew: Reborn knows the problems surrounding Salva and the Creeper himself. So much so that they constantly tried to gain some distance from the creator of the franchise. Taking to Twitter, Reborn director Timo Vuorensola was quick to tell fans that Salva "is in no way connected to this production and has no benefit from it." Vuorensola also emphasized that "the creeper and the script are completely new creations" for the reboot. They're even bringing in a new actor to play the creature, as Jarreau Benjamin takes over from Jonathan Raymond Breck. But if they're using the same name, lore, and want to bring back the Creeper, how far is the reboot from the original trilogy?


If the goal was to create something completely different, Reborn wouldn't be a reboot, but the start of a brand new franchise. Instead, the new Jeepers Creepers tries to rely on the success of the original film to convince audiences that they can enjoy this horror universe guilt-free. In short, Reborn wants to have his cake and eat it too. Which begs the question: if everyone involved is so ashamed of the Salvo connection, why are they still going ahead with the project? The Jeepers Creepers series may have a nice creature, but the Creeper itself has too much real subtext to ever surpass the history of its disturbing creator. So maybe it's best to let this franchise die.