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Josh Aboody

Nutshell Review: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

PG Score: 3/10

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn was released in theaters on 9/19/22


Those who are still grinding their teeth in disdain over the travesty that is Jeepers Creepers III should seek solace elsewhere. Director Timo Vuorensola, who directed the fun, campy Iron Sky B-movies, unfortunately lowers the bar even further with a CGI-dependent, misguided, and dull attempt at a rebirth for the creature feature franchise. Jeepers Creepers: Reborn is an undeniably bad film, but the fact that it is boring piles on another level of suffering to an already wounded fanbase.

 

Plot

The reboot follows Laine (Sydney Craven) and her boyfriend, Chase (Imran Adams) to the Horror Hound Festival, hoping for an entertaining getaway. The carefree gathering takes on a foreboding weight when Laine is haunted by visions related to the urban legend of The Creeper.


Reliance on CGI

The technological advancements in the film industry are glorious when utilized properly. Vuorensola wields them like a toddler with a set of power tools. His reliance on green screens is unconscionable. It is not merely how often he uses them that is so jarring, but also where he uses them and how unrealistic the CGI looks. Some baffling examples include a mausoleum, the exterior of an abandoned house, the roof of an abandoned house, and rusted pipes. Considering COVID related precautions and the limited budget, there is still no reason why any of those items should not feature the real location/object. The most egregious instance occurs towards the end of the hour and a half runtime in the form of a cartoonish, digitized night sky. Aside from the sequence looking incredibly fake, it is a mystery why Vuorensola would not instead use a shot of the ACTUAL night sky.


Litany of Flaws

Moving past the visual deficiencies in Reborn just worsens the pain. Sitting through the laughable excuse for dialogue is a struggle rivaled only by doing so without a constant flow of eye rolls. Then, there is the glaring lack of creativity when it comes to The Creeper’s hunting scenes. The slayings have minimal entertainment value and the stalking that precedes them is devoid of tension. Finally, the acting is pathetic across the board. It is not a good sign when the standout performance comes at the hands of someone portraying a nonverbal, ancient demon. On an elusive positive note, the makeup department did an admirable job with the prosthetics and overall appearance of the antagonist.


An Absolute Disaster

After the cult sensation that amassed following the first two movies, it is a shame to see how far the series has fallen. Timo Vuorensola may have had noble intentions in bringing Jeepers Creepers: Reborn to life, but the result is an unmitigated failure. Perhaps filmmakers should take a page out of The Creeper’s book and wait 23 years before defiling the franchise again.


PG Score: 3/10


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