Jeepers Creepers 2

Jeepers Creepers 2 prologues with a farmer witnessing his son being whisked off by 'The Creeper', a creature that awakens every twenty three years to feed (on humans) for a month.  Switching scene to a bus-load of football players (alongside a handful of cheerleaders) who are heading back home after a victory, their vehicle succumbs to what appears initially to be a tyre blow-out.  The driver finds evidence that it might have been caused deliberately (due to the embedded presence of an arcane shuriken), but they are unsure by who, or what.  Unable to get moving they try, in vain with it being quite a remote road, to radio for help.  Then one of the group is pulled off into the air by an unseen assailant.  Panic ensues, the group pile back onto the bus, which from then on offers only limited protection for them from the creature lurking outside and clearly intent on picking them off, one terrified individual at a time.

Following in the footsteps of the popular Jeepers Creepers only two years later (2003), this slightly longer sequel brings us an entirely fresh group of victims, sorry, people.  Returning, naturally, is The Creeper of course, as well as a fleeting appearance by Justin Long as Darry.  Again I think there is a well-handled, methodical build-up, outside of the prologue, with the group initially starting off as a brash, overly-confident bunch that are gradually brought back down to earth as their situation becomes starkly critical.  I love the performances throughout this film, I think the actors nail the arrogant-gradually terrified characters nicely - some fine drama/conflict ensuing along the way - and obviously Jonathan Breck pins down The Creeper's blackly humorous, simultaneously nasty character as though he was made for the role.  The stranded-bus setting, utilised for most of the story, has great power in its natural limitations, oddly claustrophobic despite the whole thing taking place aside open fields.  This entry in the series in my view matches the quality of the first film, and likewise has stood up well over time.

As with the first film, my copy is part of a double-bill Blu-ray pack (imported from the US), although extras-free for the second entry unfortunately.  Jeepers Creepers 2 has a good 2.35:1 HD transfer, adequately grainy and colourful.  The surround (DTS 5.1) track has great cinematic power, well-mixed and delivering a fine audio experience.  At time of writing the Germans have released what appears to be a superior edition of part 2 (both as special limited packaging and standard edition), although it is oddly absent on Blu-ray in the UK, so it is a case of importing it from the US or Deutschland.