What Is Creeper, the Jeepers Creepers Monster Supposed to Be?

As far as modern horror franchises are concerned, Victor Salva’s the Creeper is certainly one of the more popular creatures that has been scaring viewers since 2001. Salva’s Creeper is an original creation, but it was influenced by several elements that helped shape the creature into its best-known form. In today’s article, we are going to discuss the Creeper’s nature and tell you what exactly that creature is and why it is so scary. Keep reading to find out more!
As far as is known, the Creeper is an ancient demonic creature that has been present for centuries. The earliest records date his existence back to the Aztec era. The records indicate that he might be immortal, although not necessarily unkillable.
In today’s article, you are going to find out about the Creeper’s origins and his true nature. You’re also going to find out whether he can be killed and if he can, you’ll find out how. It’s going to be a terrifying ride, so stick with us!
What is the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers based on?
In a recent article, we have discussed the true-crime inspiration for some narrative elements of the first Jeepers Creepers movie, but what inspired the monster itself? Did Victor Salva have something specific in mind or was this creation completely original?
And while Salva certainly borrowed some elements from other works, the exact origins of the Creeper remain unknown and we can consider him an original creation. The name was, as we have explained in the above-linked article, borrowed from an old Louis Armstrong song, but that song had nothing to do with the creature Salva created. Still, we might have found a possible inspiration for the Creeper and once you see it, we think you won’t be able to unsee it!
These four videos show the 1970 episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! titled “Jeepers, It’s the Creeper”, where the masked monster called the Creeper appeared. And while this episode predates Jeepers Creepers – the movie debuted 31 years later – Salva never acknowledged a direct influence, despite the similarities.
Scooby-Doo’s Creeper is, of course, a masked man who pretends to be a monster to scare people and commit crimes, but you cannot ignore the similarities. The name is the first clue, but there are some visual similarities, as both are supposed to be humanoid demons/monsters that dress up in human clothes and have a strange skin color. Also, the “original” Creeper was unable to speak anything aside its own name, while Salva’s Creeper seemed to be completely incapable of speech (although a deleted scene actually contradicts this).
So, while Salva never acknowledged any direct influence, we think we might have found something that at least planted the idea into the controversial director’s head.
Was the Creeper once human?
Just like the Creeper’s out-of-universe origins are unclear, his in-universe origins are likewise enigmatic. We know that he wakes up every 23 years for 23 days to feast on humans and that he has been on Earth for a long time. A deleted movie scene confirmed that he was there since medieval times, while the companion comic book confirmed that he has been present since the Aztec era, when he was responsible for rituals involving human sacrifices.
But was he ever human? We don’t know. From all we know, it does not seem likely that the Creeper was ever human. He is humanoid in a way and he does wear human clothes, but the latter is so that he can approach his prey with more ease. His face is that of a monster and he also has giant bat wings which clearly confirm that he is not human.
But, since we don’t actually know anything about the Creeper’s origins, we can’t really confirm or deny – explicitly – whether he was human at one point. He is very old, as the sources claim, so he could have been an unknown human who transformed into a demon, but he could also be just a regular demon without any human origins. Hopefully the new trilogy will explore this further.
How can you kill the Creeper?
The Creeper seems to be immortal. The demonic creature has been appearing every 23 years for centuries now and there is absolutely nothing that would indicate that he is going to stop with that tradition. As far as time and ageing are concerned, he seems to be immortal. But is he unkillable?
We know that the Creeper can definitely be injured, but that does not seem to kill him, at least – injuries that would kill a human definitely don’t seem to kill him. But they do damage, enough damage, in fact, that he has to consume more human flesh to regenerate himself.
Also, his feeding cycle is also highly suggestible. Namely, the Creeper wakes up every 23 years for 23 days to feast on humans. Sure, he’s a foodie, but these 23 days of feeding also seem to have a vital role in his life cycle, as he uses the flesh to regenerate and to keep himself alive until the next cycle, i.e. for 23 years. So, what does that tell us?
That seems to tell us, in theory at least, that there is absolutely a way to kill the Creeper as he is, despite being immune to the effects of time, dependent on his feeding cycle. He uses it to regenerate and he uses it to survive between cycles, so without this nourishment, he might die, right? This is all in theory, of course, as we have no confirmation that he would really die without food, but it’s a possibility.
This means that the Creeper could be killed by starvation. If one would find the Creeper during his slumber and then close him in some large metal or concrete box from which he could not escape, or if one could trap him during the feeding cycle but before he began eating, there is a possibility that the monster would die from starvation, but we’ll have to see whether the future movies confirm or deny that.
And that’s it for today. We hope you had fun reading this and that we helped solve this dilemma for you. See you next time and don’t forget to follow us!