Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 21, 2022

Jeepers Creepers is not exactly a juggernaut of the Horror genre, at least not in the same way that film franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween seem to just continue to pile up the movies almost as fast as their respective killers pile up the bodies. Still, Jeepers Creepers is a respectable Horror franchise, thanks mostly to the fan-favorite and very well done original film. That was followed up by the obligatory sequel and, now, about 20 years later, Jeepers Creepers: Reborn, a low budget and oftentimes bottom-scraping film that desperately tries to outperform its meager means but which can never quite get there. "A" for effort, but "D" for execution.

Chase (Imran Adams) has the ring in his pocket, ready to spring the question. He's hoping to propose to his girlfriend Laine (Sydney Craven), and what better place than a depraved, demonic, hellish, horrific, bloody, and brutal Horror festival? As the couple enters the festival, they discover all things Horror. Chase and Laine are Horror geeks, Chase especially, who is thrilled to bear witness to all of the macabre around him. He's also a conspiracy geek who, among other odds and ends, believes in the legend of the Creeper, the demonic madman that emerges every 23 years, kills for 23 days, and returns into seclusion. When Chase and Laine "win" an exclusive trip to an escape room at the festival, all they will be trying to escape is the clutches of the Creeper, who is back and out for blood.

The film opens with a flashback to one of the Creeper's previous sprees, which serves as both a crude introduction to the series for newcomers as well as a nod to Duel. Beyond that, the film teeters on the brink of "unbearable." It just tries too hard and never quite finds a groove or even a sense of purpose. The film maneuvers through a litany of content and characterization that doesn't result in much in the way of interesting dynamics or dilemmas. It's fairly cookie cutter in its totality, and it certainly strives to make the Horror spectacle its front-and-center showcase. As good as the production design might be in these scenes, it still feels cut-rate, small, and inorganic. There's never a sense of immersion into the place, and there's no sense of connection with the characters, either, leaving the film feeling empty.

The acting is decent enough. There's a fair bit of chemistry between the leads, though as they are drawn the characters aren't exactly teeming with purpose or personality. They're created around base elements; they are soulless, essentially, but look and act well enough independent of any script shortcomings to offer satisfactory performances. The gore and violence should appease genre fans; this one is every bit as creepy and nasty as one would expect of a Jeepers Creepers film, and even if some of the gore is clearly digital rather than practical, it works fairly well together to create an uneasy atmosphere populated by disturbing visuals.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn looks good enough, but it also looks its budget. The picture holds to a lower grade video-y look. Clearly, this is a lower budget film utilizing lower grade equipment. Still, it offers substantial clarity and detail in both human characters and the Creeper; audiences will certainly see all the nasty prosthetic bits and pieces that give this creature a unique look. Location details are nicely defined, too, whether out on the grounds at the festival or in the house where act three action takes place. Colors are nicely saturated, but they lack that realistic tone and flavor found on superior digital productions. Black levels are nice and deep, which is vital to the many low light and nighttime exteriors. Look for some severe banding and compression issues at the 25:50 mark; this timestamp represents the single worst offender in the movie, but these issues do creep in elsewhere from time to time.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of Jeepers Creepers: Reborn features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is more than adequate, offering excellent spacing and good dynamics. Surround usage is commonplace, more for envelopment than for discrete effects, but this is particularly noteworthy in the second and third acts at the festival and, later, during various scenes featuring the Creeper and the characters battling him. Music is clear and widely engaging, gore effects are suitably squeamish, and dialogue is clear and consistently grounded in the front-center speaker.

A 2.0 LPCM uncompressed track is also included, which offers good foundational dynamics, clarity, and efficiency along the front, which is wide. Dialogue does image nicely enough to the center. The film works better in 5.1 with more opportunities for immersion, especially in crowded venues and in horror action scenes.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Jeepers Creepers: Reborn contains two featurettes. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Behind the Creeps (1080p, 10:43): Looking at how the film fits into the modern landscape, the Creeper's role in the film, core story dynamics, cast qualities, character details, production design, the films budget and scale, digital effects, recreating iconic franchise elements, and more.
• Creeper Transformation (1080i, 16:37): An in-depth look at the Creeper design for this film.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn doesn't put much of a new spin on this franchise, expect to drag it into the low-budget realm. The film is decent enough as an independent time killer, but don't expect anything that is strikingly cinematic or expertly crafted. Everything here is done "well enough" but it's clear that the film is lagging far behind the original and its sequel for basic story interest, cinematic workmanship, and overall balance. This new Blu-ray is OK, too, offering passable video, solid audio, and a couple of extras. For hardcore genre fans only.