Last year, Jeepers Creepers: Reborn came to theaters to reboot the popular horror franchise created by filmmaker Victor Salva. Reborn is reportedly the first chapter in a new trilogy. Despite the low budget of the reboot, there are still many people investing money and energy into bringing the Creeper back, with a new cast and crew taking over the franchise. Despite their best efforts, Reborn failed to connect with new and old fans. In addition, the movie did all it could to stay as far away as it can from Salva, a convicted pedophile who many people think didn’t get the appropriate conviction for his crimes. All this leads us to ask: does the Jeepers Creepers franchise really need a reboot? Or should we just let the Creeper die? After all, even if Salva is not involved in any way with the reboot, the buzz surrounding Reborn led more people to watch the original trilogy, which inevitably benefits the original director. So, continuing the trilogy might not be the best idea.
Now, some of you may argue that we don't have to keep condemning the franchise because of Victor Salva's crimes. The whole "separate artist from the art" debate is a divisive one and one that still needs to be talked about more than ever, with the likes of David O. Russell still making movies. The Jeepers Creepers matter is even more complicated than it sounds, as Salva’s magnum opus, unfortunately, has a thematic relation with his crimes, which makes it harder to forget his actions.
The History of Victor Salva's Sex Abuse and Crimes
Let’s get this nasty business out of the way. In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy, Nathan Forrest Winters who starred in the director’s feature debut, Clownhouse. Salva was in a position of power for being an adult, the "boss" of the young boy, and a close friend to the boy’s family. To add insult to injury, Salva not only raped the young star but recorded the crime. After the boy spoke to his family about the abuses he suffered at the hands of the filmmaker, Salva was apprehended, and the police found child pornography at his home.
Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under 14, and procuring a child for pornography. For his crimes, the filmmaker was sentenced to three years in state prison, a sentence of which he only served eighteen months. Let’s be honest, that doesn't sound like a proportionate sentence for Salva’s crimes. So, while Salva was convicted for his crimes in a court, under the rule of law, and officially paid for his crimes, some of us find it difficult to support the filmmaker.
Don’t get me wrong. The entire justice system is founded on the belief criminals can be rehabilitated, and ex-convicts should have a second chance to become a functional part of society. But in Salva’s case, his history didn’t prevent him from signing a deal with Disney to direct Powder only five years after getting released from incarceration. Powder, to underline the seriousness of the issue, is a movie about an outcast child. So, while Salva had the right to build a life for himself after fulfilling his sentence, it seems weird, to say the least, to put him in charge of a movie featuring a child star.
By the time Powder was released, Salva’s crimes were made public when his victim decided to step forward and ask people to boycott the film. However, the filmmaker’s past remained mostly hidden from the audience until 2017, when Salva released Jeepers Creepers 3. Thanks to social media, Salva’s history reached millions of unaware fans. By that time, the Creeper was already a horror icon. And while many watched the Jeepers Creepers movies as uncompromising horror fun – myself included – it was no longer possible to dissociate the Jeepers Creepers films from their creator. And that’s because, even if we choose to believe in redemption and second chances, the whole issue becomes more complicated with art, a human domain that works with the creation and distribution of ideas. And once the cat was out of the bag, and everyone learned about Salva’s past, watching the Jeepers Creepers movies became a difficult task.
Why the ‘Jeepers Creepers’ Movies Are So Uncomfortable
Every Jeepers Creepers movie follows an ancient creature that feeds on humans to stay alive. The Creeper eats the organs of its victims and claims them as its own. An interesting concept at first glance, which explains why the first chapter of Salva’s trilogy was so popular. There’s also an aura of mysticism around the Creeper, as he follows some very strict rules that are never explained. The Creeper hibernates for 23 years, and after his long slumber, he hunts for 23 days before falling asleep again. The three Jeepers Creepers films written and directed by Salva take place in the same 23-day cycle.
From the very first film, it’s easy to find some of the Creeper’s behaviors uncomfortable. The creature takes pleasure in making his victims afraid and likes to sniff dirty clothes to check if his potential victim is tasty enough. And while the Creeper can eat people of all ages, and will kill anyone who gets in its way, it’s easy to realize the monster prefers young victims. In the first film, Justin Long plays the role of the Creeper’s main target, a college student who still takes his laundry home for his mom to wash. The second movie’s first victim is a child, no older than Salva’s real-life victim. And for the rest of the movie, the Creeper will hunt down a bus filled with teenagers. The third movie tries to diversify the Creeper’s menu, but the main targets are still teenagers. Knowing Salva’s history, how can we watch these movies without wondering where the filmmaker got the inspiration for his very sexualized predator? While sex and horror have walked side by side for as long as horror has existed, it's not so pleasant watching a franchise about a monster that seems to be attracted to the young, especially when the Creeper frequently comes out on top instead of getting caught and killed.
'Jeepers Creepers: Reborn' Tries to Resurect a Tainted Franchise
The Jeepers Creepers: Reborn crew knew of the issues surrounding Salva and the Creeper itself. So much so that they constantly tried to get some distance from the franchise’s creator. On Twitter, Reborn’s director Timo Vuorensola was quick to let fans know that Salva “is in no way associated with this production and not benefiting from it in any way.” Vuorensola also underlined how “the Creeper and the script are completely new creations” for the reboot. They are even bringing a new actor to play the creature, as Jarreau Benjamin takes over the role from Jonathan Raymond Breck. But if they use the same name, lore, and look to bring the Creeper back, how distant is the reboot from the original trilogy?
If the goal was to create something completely different, Reborn would not be a reboot, but the start of a brand-new franchise. Instead, the new Jeepers Creepers tries to bank on the original movie’s success to convince the audience they can enjoy this horror universe without feeling guilty. In short, Reborn wants to have its cake and eat it too. Which begs the question: if everyone involved is so ashamed of the Salva connection, why are they still moving forward with the project? The Jeepers Creepers franchise might have a nice-looking creature, but there’s too much real-life subtext to the Creeper itself for it to ever surpass its creator’s disturbing history.
Victor Salva is entitled to build a new life and atone for past mistakes. However, in the Creeper case, the monster represents things we should not celebrate. The bad reception of Jeepers Creepers: Reborn might be enough to bury the trilogy plans and leave the franchise alone for a while. But this is Hollywood, an industry as hungry as the Creeper itself, which means someone will try to make some bucks with the Creeper further along, probably for the next 23rd anniversary. Still, considering everything Jeepers Creepers movies echo, maybe the best thing for it is to just let it die.