# Jeepers Creepers (film series)
**Jeepers Creepers** is an American horror film series centered on the Creeper, a winged humanoid monster that emerges every 23rd spring for a 23-day feeding period during which it hunts humans for their body parts. The series began with [Victor Salva](https://www.edgepedia.org/victor-salva)'s 2001 film *[Jeepers Creepers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeepers-creepers-2001-film)* and comprises four theatrical releases: the 2001 original, *Jeepers Creepers 2* (2003), *Jeepers Creepers 3* (2017), and the reboot *Jeepers Creepers: Reborn* (2022).[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First film | *Jeepers Creepers*, released Aug 31, 2001, wide; directed and written by Victor Salva; distributed by United Artists[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) |
| Monster's cycle | The Creeper emerges every 23 years for a 23-day feeding spree[3](https://jeepsland.com/how-many-years-does-jeepers-creepers-come-out/) |
| Highest-grossing entry | *Jeepers Creepers 2* (2003): $35,623,801 domestic and $63,102,666 worldwide on a $25,000,000 production budget[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) • [21](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0301470/credits/) |
| Original film gross | $37,904,175 domestic and $58,939,035 worldwide on a $10,000,000 budget[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) |
| Later entries | *Jeepers Creepers 3* (2017) took $2,235,162 domestic; *Reborn* (2022) took $2,033,057 domestic and $5,510,722 worldwide[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) |
| Critical standing | The 2001 film scored 47% on the Tomatometer (116 reviews); *Reborn* holds 0%[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) • [4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/jeepers-creepers-reborn/umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b?at=1001l3duQ&itscg=30200&itsct=plexinc&mttnsubad=umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b) |
| Story placement | *Jeepers Creepers 3* is a midquel set between the first two films; *Reborn* is a separate continuity from the original storyline[5](https://cinesort.com/watch-orders/jeepers-creepers/release-order) |
## The Creeper
The antagonist is an ancient creature that, according to the franchise's legend, appears once every 23 years with the intention of feeding on human flesh for a 23-day period.[3](https://jeepsland.com/how-many-years-does-jeepers-creepers-come-out/) • [6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/hace-25-anos-nacio-uno-de-los-monstruos-mas-perturbadores-de-la-historia-del-cine-f202608-n/) It is humanoid, dresses in black and wears a hat, can fly, and drives a truck in which it collects its victims and works on their bodies.[6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/hace-25-anos-nacio-uno-de-los-monstruos-mas-perturbadores-de-la-historia-del-cine-f202608-n/) The monster is described in horror-guide summaries as a cloaked, winged flesh-eating figure whose 23-day eating spree sets the scene of the films.[7](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/Fright-Guide-2017.pdf) • [8](https://flex.flinders.edu.au/items/929dc5e6-34c1-479e-905a-5b1f97b54282/1/?.vi=file&attachment.uuid=3b6af5d9-f1d4-4b60-a3ff-00d7738514e3)
The character was played by Jonathan Breck in the original trilogy era.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) The last day of each feeding spree is described in one analysis as the setting of each of the first three films.[8](https://flex.flinders.edu.au/items/929dc5e6-34c1-479e-905a-5b1f97b54282/1/?.vi=file&attachment.uuid=3b6af5d9-f1d4-4b60-a3ff-00d7738514e3)
## The original film (2001)
In *Jeepers Creepers*, siblings Trish Jenner ([Gina Philips](https://www.edgepedia.org/gina-philips)) and Darry ([Justin Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-long)) are driving home from college when they make a horrific discovery in the basement of an old abandoned church, and their routine road trip becomes a race for their lives against an indestructible pursuer that gives the old song "Jeepers Creepers" a chilling new meaning.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) The film was directed and written by Salva, produced by Barry Opper and Tom Luse, shot by cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy, and released through [United Artists](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-artists) by production companies including American Zoetrope; a Los Angeles Times review noted that Francis Ford Coppola had long been a Salva mentor.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) • [9](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/62061) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/jeepers-creepers/critic-reviews/)
Critical reception was mixed. The film earned a 47% Tomatometer score from 116 reviews and a 49% audience Popcornmeter rating from over 250,000 users, with a critics' consensus that it "has a promising start" before the tension "deflates into genre cliches."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers) On Metacritic it scored 49 out of 100 based on 24 critic reviews, categorized as mixed or average; the Los Angeles Times called it "as stylish as it is grisly" and wrote that it "has cult film written all over it."[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/jeepers-creepers/critic-reviews/) Commercially it opened to $13,106,108 in 2,944 theaters and grossed $37,904,175 domestically and $58,939,035 worldwide against a $10 million production budget.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers)
The film's success helped revive the road horror genre: scholarship on the form records that the road horror film's popularity decreased in the 1990s but saw a resurgence in 2001 with *Jeepers Creepers*, which led to new road horror franchises such as *Wrong Turn* (2003) and *House of 1,000 Corpses* (2003), as well as remakes including *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (2003).[11](https://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/focus-2010-2011.pdf)
## Sequels: 2 (2003) and 3 (2017)
*Jeepers Creepers 2* followed on August 29, 2003, with a winged creature terrorizing stranded basketball players, coaches, and cheerleaders on a highway.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) • [7](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/Fright-Guide-2017.pdf) It earned $15,269,324 on opening weekend, the franchise's largest opening, and $63,102,666 worldwide on a $25 million budget, making it the series' highest-grossing film by worldwide total.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) • [21](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0301470/credits/)
A third film took much longer. Victor Salva had worked for years to get a third installment off the ground, with a script ready under a working title of *Jeepers Creepers III: Cathedral*.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263488/faq/) *Jeepers Creepers 3* arrived in 2017 as a midquel set between the first two films.[5](https://cinesort.com/watch-orders/jeepers-creepers/release-order) Its commercial performance collapsed relative to the first two entries: [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists a $19,151 opening in 10 theaters, a lifetime domestic gross of $2,335,162 in 669 theaters, and a September 26, 2017 release through Screen Media Films, while The Numbers dates the release October 31, 2017 and lists a domestic gross of $2,235,162.[13](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr1615302405/) • [1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) Rotten Tomatoes summarized it as "an unremarkable entry in a cult favorite franchise" that "offers fans little to get excited about."[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers_3)
## Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)
*Jeepers Creepers: Reborn* was directed by Timo Vuorensola, previously known for *Iron Sky*, from a script by Sean Michael Argo, with the working title *Going Places*; it was shot in January and February 2021 in Jackson, Louisiana, and the United Kingdom, with Lighthouse Pictures attached.[15](https://www.productionlist.com/production/jeepers-creepers-reborn-wt-going-places) • [16](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=16523) The plot follows a couple, Chase and Laine, attending a Horror Hound festival in Louisiana, where Laine experiences premonitions tied to the local legend of the Creeper.[15](https://www.productionlist.com/production/jeepers-creepers-reborn-wt-going-places) After a Fathom Events rollout, the film expanded to select theaters nationwide on September 30, 2022 and arrived on demand October 4, distributed in the United States by Screen Media.[17](https://screen-connections.com/2022/09/27/jeepers-creepers-reborn-theatrical-on-demand-release-dates/)
The film was poorly received and performed weakly. It holds a 0% Tomatometer score from 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Guardian called it a "shoddy, aesthetically ugly reboot" that the Creeper "deserves better than."[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/jeepers-creepers-reborn/umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b?at=1001l3duQ&itscg=30200&itsct=plexinc&mttnsubad=umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b) • [18](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/21/jeepers-creepers-reborn-review-reboot-of-low-rent-bogeyman-is-horror-cannibalism) The Numbers lists $2,033,057 domestic and $5,510,722 worldwide.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) Horror trade reporting in 2026 claimed, as an unconfirmed rumor, that Reborn was made without proper legal clearance and that prior rights holder Myriad Pictures pursued legal action.[19](https://www.screamhorrormag.com/rumour-fifth-jeepers-creepers-film-allegedly-in-the-works-at-paramount/)
## Franchise status and context
The series' box office arc is sharply front-loaded: the first two films, released within two years of each other through United Artists, grossed a combined $178.9 million worldwide, while the two later entries, released fourteen and nineteen years after the original, grossed under $10 million combined by worldwide totals.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers) Salva's criminal history drew lasting controversy to the trilogy's production.[20](https://www.looper.com/1192426/movie-franchises-with-only-rotten-scores-on-rotten-tomatoes/) As of 2026 reporting, a fifth film and a rights purchase by [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) were the subject of unconfirmed rumors, with a new movie expected to ignore *Reborn*. A reboot fronted by [Jenna Ortega](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenna-ortega), with original actors Gina Philips and Jonathan Breck reportedly eyed to reprise their roles, was among the reported possibilities.[19](https://www.screamhorrormag.com/rumour-fifth-jeepers-creepers-film-allegedly-in-the-works-at-paramount/)
## References
1. [Box Office History for Jeepers Creepers Movies, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Jeepers-Creepers)
2. [Jeepers Creepers (2001), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers)
3. [Jeepers Creepers Release Dates: A Complete Franchise Timeline and Movie Order, Jeepsland](https://jeepsland.com/how-many-years-does-jeepers-creepers-come-out/)
4. [Jeepers Creepers: Reborn, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/jeepers-creepers-reborn/umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b?at=1001l3duQ&itscg=30200&itsct=plexinc&mttnsubad=umc.cmc.4cqrxmz9zixmwp0zvnp0jk75b)
5. [Jeepers Creepers Movies: Release Order, CineSort](https://cinesort.com/watch-orders/jeepers-creepers/release-order)
6. [Hace 25 años nació uno de los monstruos más perturbadores del cine, MeriStation (AS)](https://as.com/meristation/cine/hace-25-anos-nacio-uno-de-los-monstruos-mas-perturbadores-de-la-historia-del-cine-f202608-n/)
7. [Fright Guide 2017 (horror film guide listing)](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/Fright-Guide-2017.pdf)
8. [Analysis of the Creeper monster in Jeepers Creepers 2, Flinders University repository](https://flex.flinders.edu.au/items/929dc5e6-34c1-479e-905a-5b1f97b54282/1/?.vi=file&attachment.uuid=3b6af5d9-f1d4-4b60-a3ff-00d7738514e3)
9. [Jeepers Creepers (2001), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/62061)
10. [Jeepers Creepers critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/jeepers-creepers/critic-reviews/)
11. [Road horror film scholarship, UC Santa Barbara Film and Media Studies](https://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/focus-2010-2011.pdf)
12. [Jeepers Creepers (2001) FAQ, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263488/faq/)
13. [Franchise: Jeepers Creepers, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr1615302405/)
14. [Jeepers Creepers 3, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jeepers_creepers_3)
15. [Jeepers Creepers 4: Reborn (w/t: Going Places), Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production/jeepers-creepers-reborn-wt-going-places)
16. [Jeepers Creepers: El Renacer, ICAA Film Database](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=16523)
17. ['Jeepers Creepers Reborn' Expanding To Select Theaters Nationwide, Screen-Connections](https://screen-connections.com/2022/09/27/jeepers-creepers-reborn-theatrical-on-demand-release-dates/)
18. [Jeepers Creepers: Reborn review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/21/jeepers-creepers-reborn-review-reboot-of-low-rent-bogeyman-is-horror-cannibalism)
19. [Rumour: Fifth Jeepers Creepers Film Allegedly in the Works at Paramount, Scream Horror Magazine](https://www.screamhorrormag.com/rumour-fifth-jeepers-creepers-film-allegedly-in-the-works-at-paramount/)
20. [Movie Franchises With Only Rotten Scores On Rotten Tomatoes, Looper](https://www.looper.com/1192426/movie-franchises-with-only-rotten-scores-on-rotten-tomatoes/)
21. [Jeepers Creepers 2 - Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0301470/credits/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license