"Jeepers Creepers" was released in 2001 with a sequel in 2003. The films explore a monster who comes out of hiding every 23 years to feed on people for 23 days before returning to the dark corner he crawled out of. The second film left off with the creeper being captured on his last day of feeding, leaving viewers unsure if he had been truly slain or simply at rest for another 23 years. Jump ahead to 2017 and fans have their answer. The monster has returned to feed on the fearful once again. So if third time's the charm, then why didn't the once popular franchise do so well at the box office?
Trends in popular culture come and go and eventually come around again. The same holds true for horror films. People have redefined scary over the years, jumping across the five main horror sub-genres, gore, monsters, psychological, killers, and paranormal.
Horror found its start with monsters like "Nosferatu" and "The Wolfman" terrorizing villages. Popularity later shifted focus to the killer category with slasher films like "Friday the 13th." From there the "Saw" franchise brought gore into focus, making horror, truly horrific. Psychological horror was next big trend with films like "Kill Theory" and "You're Next." Though it should be noted that the first hit in this sub-genre was Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" back in the 1960's.
Paranormal becomes popular
Though nothing beats "Poltergeist," thanks to films like "Paranormal Activity" the last decade of horror movies have been consumed by the paranormal sub-genre. The public's newfound obsession has allowed other film franchises like "The Conjuring" and "Insidious" to take off with unforeseen success.
More monsters
Tired of seeing possessed dolls, failed exorcisms, and homes that try to murder their residents, horror fanatics were craving a change. While the monster sub-genre attempted to make a comeback once before, it seemed as though the creatures were beginning to fit more into a romantic sphere. Sparkling vampires and perfectly groomed werewolves turned monsters into misunderstood lovers that greeted dreams rather than nightmares.
So when it was announced that "Jeepers Creepers" was coming out with a third installment, fans of the series were eager to see what was in store when a true monster, who is in no way handsome or romantic, returned to the screen.
However, the scariest part of the entire film was its Release Date. Available in theaters for one night only, the film was released September 26. Sadly horror fans were still consumed by the "IT" remake, which was released September 8.
Not only was the films release date poorly planned, but limiting the viewing to one day was a massive misstep. Attempting to make the film an exclusive experience that no fan should miss did not go as planned. When given the option of now or never, fans chose never. It may be in the film's best interest to do an encore screening the week leading up to Halloween for fans who missed the original event. Otherwise, the film will continue to be a flop.
