Film Review: Jeepers Creepers 5 (2025) – A Blood-Soaked Return to the Roots of Terror

After years of rumors, reboots, controversies, and fan theories, the fifth installment in the Jeepers Creepers franchise has finally arrived. Jeepers Creepers 5 (2025) attempts the near-impossible: to revive a horror icon while washing away the sins of its troubled past. Directed by James Cotter, a relative newcomer with an indie-horror background, the film aims to ground the story in suspenseful terror, rich atmosphere, and a return to the original’s stripped-down intensity.

The question everyone asked was the same: Does the Creeper still have what it takes to terrify us? And surprisingly — yes, he does.

Plot Overview

Set 23 years after the original events of Jeepers Creepers (2001), this sequel ignores the uneven narratives of the third and fourth entries and instead builds on the mythos of the first two films. The story follows a group of paranormal investigators who track down legends of a shape-shifting entity that resurfaces every 23rd spring to feed for 23 days. They stumble upon a remote, near-abandoned town in the rural Midwest where eerie disappearances, mutilated livestock, and whispered warnings hint at something monstrous.

At the heart of the story is Allie Jensen (Sophie Thatcher), a determined journalist who survived an encounter with the Creeper as a child. Haunted by repressed memories and night terrors, Allie returns to the same region where her nightmare began. As the days count down, the group’s skepticism turns to panic, and a deadly game of cat-and-mouse unfolds beneath the endless cornfields and shadowy backroads.

A Return to Suspense Over Gore

Unlike Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022), which was plagued by poor CGI, clunky storytelling, and production issues, Jeepers Creepers 5 succeeds by taking a less-is-more approach. Cotter wisely dials back the overexposure of the Creeper and reintroduces him as a shadowy, almost mythological force. For the first half of the film, he’s barely seen — instead, we hear wings in the distance, witness strange symbols carved into barns, or find abandoned cars with windows torn out. The atmosphere is heavy with dread.

The film takes its time, building a palpable sense of unease. The jump scares are earned, not cheap. There’s genuine tension in how the Creeper hunts — he’s cunning, toying with his prey rather than merely slaughtering them. In one standout sequence, he stalks the group inside an abandoned high school during a thunderstorm. The flickering lights, echoing footsteps, and oppressive silence are enough to make your skin crawl.

The Creeper Reimagined

This time around, the Creeper is played by Joe Manganiello, who brings a new physicality and menace to the role. Gone is the cartoonish villain of the third installment. Here, the Creeper is part-demon, part-predator, and wholly terrifying. His design has been updated subtly — still recognizable, but more organic and primal. His wings are more leathery, his movements more animalistic, and his presence feels heavier. When he lands, the ground shakes. When he speaks — which is rare — it’s in guttural, cryptic growls.

The lore is also expanded in this film, but wisely not overexplained. We learn fragments through old journals, native folklore, and cryptic dreams, hinting that the Creeper may be older than recorded history — an entity that predates human civilization. These additions enrich the mythos without robbing it of mystery.

Characters and Performances

The cast is refreshingly solid for a modern horror entry. Sophie Thatcher anchors the film with a layered performance that blends fear, guilt, and resolve. Allie isn’t a typical scream queen; she’s vulnerable but smart, and her trauma doesn’t define her — it motivates her.

The supporting cast includes:

• Ramon Rodriguez as Eli, the tech expert of the team, who brings a bit of levity but also humanity.

• Fiona Dourif as Mara, a medium who senses the Creeper’s presence and plays a key role in unraveling his cyclical curse.

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Sheriff Cole, a local lawman with a buried past and a fatalistic worldview.

The characters feel like real people, not just body count fodder. Their relationships matter, and that makes the kills — when they inevitably come — all the more impactful.

Kills and Practical Effects

This wouldn’t be a Jeepers Creepers film without grisly kills, and Part 5 delivers — tastefully. The practical effects are brutal and creative, with a heavy focus on body horror. One particularly gruesome sequence sees the Creeper “harvesting” parts from different victims and stitching them together in a grotesque shrine of flesh. It’s Cronenbergian in tone but grounded enough to feel real.

Fans of the earlier films will appreciate that most effects are done practically, with minimal CGI. The attention to detail — the texture of the Creeper’s skin, the blood-splattered feathers, the snapping of bones — adds a tangible, visceral quality to the horror.

Themes and Symbolism

At its core, Jeepers Creepers 5 is a film about memory and fear — how trauma shapes identity, and how ignoring the past allows monsters to resurface. Allie’s journey is both literal and psychological. As she descends into the heart of Creeper territory, she also confronts suppressed memories from childhood, including the chilling truth about her connection to the Creeper’s last cycle.

There’s also a subtle critique of sensationalist media and the dangers of turning horror into spectacle. The paranormal team initially sees their trip as a content opportunity — until the cameras stop rolling and the real terror begins.

Cinematic Quality

From a technical standpoint, Jeepers Creepers 5 is the most polished entry in the series. The cinematography by Russell Carpenter (of Titanic and Ant-Man) uses wide rural landscapes to evoke isolation, while tight interiors trap the viewer with the characters. The score by Ben Lovett is moody and orchestral, subtly nodding to the original’s eerie 1930s jazz motifs, including the infamous “Jeepers Creepers” tune — used sparingly, and to haunting effect.

Final Verdict

Jeepers Creepers 5 (2025) is not just a return to form — it’s a redefinition of what this franchise could and should be. It honors the atmosphere and suspense that made the first film a cult classic, while updating its visuals, characters, and pacing for a modern audience.

By treating its monster with reverence and its characters with care, the film finds the perfect balance between horror spectacle and human storytelling. It’s not flawless — some pacing lags in the second act, and the ending leaves room for yet another sequel — but it’s by far the most compelling, frightening, and emotionally engaging entry since 2001.

Rating: 8.5/10 – A smart, scary rebirth of a horror icon. The Creeper lives again — and this time, we’re glad he does.