In my Best and Worst of 2020 list, I put The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run on the Number 1 spot of worst of the year. I confessed that I hadn’t reviewed it as I just couldn’t be bothered. I regret that. I feel like I should’ve made the effort to explain my negative reaction to the film instead of letting its Worst of the Year position do the talking.

I was scared I was going to make the same mistake this year. I watched Jeepers Creepers: Reborn not that long after its VOD release and like with the Spongebob Movie, I hated it so much I didn’t have the energy to explain why.

However, Reborn only came out over a month ago and the year’s not out yet so here is my full written manifesto on why this might be the Worst film I’ve seen in 2022 so far.

While attending a horror festival, a young couple win a spot in an escape room at an abandoned house. Unbeknownst to them however, the house will soon become the hunting ground for the legendary Creeper.

The Characters

Every idea, every story has potential. We’ll never see the final draft of Reborn, it could’ve been a masterpiece. The point is, the final product, the execution of Reborn’s idea, is its greatest failure.

Laine and Chase are our young couple. On their way to the Horror Hound Festival, Chase intends to propose to Laine but is struggling to find the appropriate moment. Meanwhile, Laine learns that she’s pregnant and begins to struggle to find her own appropriate moment to tell Chase.

Ok, not stunningly original characters with stunningly original dilemmas. With enough personality and conflict however, they could be engaging.

They are not. Their secrets take a backseat as soon as they arrive at the festival. Their browsing of the festival attractions and the inevitable approach of the Creeper are the few things that keep your attention. They’re not slasher stereotypes, which is somewhat commendable. The film seems to try to portray them as actual twentysomethings but when the Creeper appears they’re nothing but witnesses. They don’t experience any significant change, they’re just witnesses to the horror that they try to survive, which makes them painfully boring to watch.

The Creeper has a pretty interesting motivation in Reborn, unfortunately that’s all there is to him. We learn that he wants Laine’s baby, which is quite original but since you’re barely invested in Laine, Chase or any of the other characters, you just don’t care.

The ingenuity and mystique that made the character so iconic in the first three films are gone. The way the Creeper’s presented in Reborn begs the question of why this film holds the Jeepers Creepers name. He could’ve literally been any other monster or slasher villain, the difference would’ve been so minor.

The Horror A.K.A The Production Value

I only talk about the technicalities, i.e., cinematography, sound design, costume etc, if they’re either exceptionally great or exceptionally abominable.

One of the jump scares startled me and that’s all the praise I can give to the film’s horror. Reborn had a limited theatrical release in the United States and it looks like an average fan film.

The makeup for the Creeper is servable, resembles the original and is kind of convincing. Whenever flying, taking off or landing from a great height, the CGI for the creature is mid-2000s Asylum standard.

Green screen is used abundantly and appallingly. There are scenes set in the woods and outside of the house that are done using green screen. The actors stick out like shadows on a projector screen. It’s the worst green screen I’ve seen in a theatrical release.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn clearly doesn’t have the resources its story demands. It should’ve been put on hiatus or shelved until the proper funds were available. Since that didn’t occur, the result is a film I can’t recommend.

Even if you’re a diehard Jeepers Creepers fan, it’s not worth the watch. The film doesn’t even take place in the same universe as the first three. We learn that the first three were inspired by the legend of the Creeper so the monster we see here, the Star Trek: Discovery reject, is supposed to be the real Creeper. If that doesn’t put anyone off, I don’t know what will.

It’s been a while since I have to write this but I give Jeepers Creepers: Reborn an unforgivable 1 out of 10.