By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The Creeper in front of the camera is coming back, though the creeper behind it is not.
Screen Media announced this morning that it has picked up worldwide rights to JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN, and will give it North American release this fall. Taking over from the highly problematic franchise creator Victor Salva, Timo Vuorensola of the IRON SKY films directed the new film from a script by Sean-Michael Argo; shooting took place in Louisiana at Orwo Studios and on location in Jackson, LA, and at the UK’s Black Hangar Studios. The synopsis: “When the Horror Hound festival holds its first-ever event in Louisiana, it attracts hundreds of geeks, freaks and die-hard horror fans from far and wide, to howl and celebrate into the night. Among them is lovable fanboy Chase and his devoted sweetheart Laine, who is forced to come along for the ride. But as the event approaches, Laine begins to experience unexplained premonitions and disturbing visions associated with the town’s past, and in particular, local legend/urban myth The Creeper. As the festival arrives and the blood-soaked entertainment builds to a frenzy, Laine believes that something unearthly has been summoned…and that she is at the center of it.”
“With JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN, we are going back to the basics of what made this horror franchise so indelible: young people, away from home, who find themselves unwittingly stumbling into the hunting grounds of a terrifying creature,” says Jake Seal, who produced with Michael Ohoven.
Adds Vuorensola, “It was a great opportunity for me to jump into the horror world and get to work with a franchise that has a large following and a great central character, the Creeper. I wanted to find a way to refresh the creature and introduce it to the new audiences of today, and together with an amazing cast, we managed to make a story that is fresh, fun and creepy.”
“As excited as we are, we know that fans will be even more thrilled (and chilled) to return to the world of the Creeper, now with a much scarier vision from director Timo Vuorensola, who is the perfect fit to restart this franchise,” Screen Media says in a statement. Stay tuned for updates on the film, which is now in postproduction, and its release.
