Pedophilia in Jeepers Creepers?

[Akira Tubo]

I've read a lot about the veiled pedophelia in Jeepers Creepers.  I've just got to wonder if people are reading a little too much into it, though.  Jeepers Creepers does about the same thing Nightmare on Elm Street 2 did, it messes with the audience's mind by doing things to the male lead that are normally done to the female lead.  I, personally, would never have read any hidden pedophilic messages in the movie had I not heard them from other people and, I'll bet, most of those people themselves wouldn't have read into it if (director) Victor Salva's past was not known.

Just to play Devil's advocate, though, I'll ask this:  If those hidden messages do exist in Jeepers Creepers, perhaps Salva is trying to *apologize* for what he's done.  The things that happen which can be read as disguised pedophilia are portrayed as awful, evil things that shouldn't happen to anyone.

[Ash]

When I 1st saw this film I had no idea that the director had been previously charged with sex crimes.  It was on this phorum and the I.M.D.B. that I finally saw the truth about him.  I enjoyed this film but after watching it I recognized
hidden, buried elements in it that could amount to pedophilia.  WHAT A SICK f**k!!  He should be a prison b***h instead of a movie director!!

[Fearless Freep]

about the same thing Nightmare on Elm Street 2 did, it messes with the audience's mind by doing things to the male lead that are normally done to the female lead

The problem with comparing Elm Street 2 with the other Elm Street movies in the treatment of the lead role is that the male lead in "Freddy's Revenge" was such a whining wimp of a character.  The female leads in the other movies were much stronger in character and perseverance and will-to-fight than Jessie ever was.  In fact , it was Jessie's girlfriend who did all the real work and ultimately saved the day.

The 'role reversal' doesn't bother me, the fact it was done so badly does.  Actually, think about the role reversal in reverse.  If any female lead acted as helpless and whiny as Jessie and had to be saved by her strong willed boyfriend, it would be seen as condescending at best .  Swicthing the roles didn't  help it any.  

I would love to see an "Elm Street" movie with a male lead role that actually had as much strength and depth as Nancy and Alice.  Jessi ain't it

[Chadzilla]

Squishy pointed out some 'undertones' in the movie in the "Movies With Disturbing Messages" post.  Or maybe Andrew posted a link to them when we were all babbling about pedophiliac movies (or books or moviemakers or whatever) a little while back.  He made some good points.

How much was put in there intentionally, or unintentionally, is beyond me.  I haven't seen the movie and have no intention to do so.

[Dano]

Just to clarify: was the director charged or convicted?  I don't know the background, but if he wasn't convicted, we might consider presuming him innocent.

You can read anything into anything with enough creativity.  I once had a born again Christian tell me Star Wars was a religious parable.  I think Jeepers Creepers was about a big ugly monster that replenished himself with other peoples' body parts.  There is nothing new introduced by that movie, at its core it is just a rehash of some old Grimm Brothers plots.

[Chadzilla]

Dano wrote:
>
> Just to clarify: was the director charged or convicted?  I
> don't know the background, but if he wasn't convicted, we
> might consider presuming him innocent.
>
>

Good point Dano, but Salva's guilty as sin, he pled guilty to the charges becuase he was caught redhanded with a videotape of himself going down on the child star of Clownhouse.

[Dano]

Chadzilla:  Good point Dano, but Salva's guilty as sin, he pled guilty to the charges becuase he was caught redhanded with a videotape of himself going down on the child star of Clownhouse.
*****  Thanks for the info, Chad.  My question now is why the hell isn't he still in jail?

I still have trouble connecting the movie to pedophilia, although the possible undertones may have been what attracted the guy to  the script.  As I said it was basically a variation on the old fairy tale themes, and most of those were intended as warnings for children to stay away from strangers (pedophiles included).

[Chadzilla]

Salva WROTE the script, so I think that people are really reading a lot into it.  If you buy the autuer theory, then there could be subconscious subtext to the narrative.  However some have pointed out that Salva downplayed the chance to explore the pedophiliac subtext in greater detail because of his history.

Not having seen the movie in question (just clips of it) I cannot say.  I might watch it someday, just not right now.

Salva did do prison time, also paid a fine, and jumped through all the flaming legal hoops repeatedly (whether he did community service and underwent therapy for his behavior, I don't know).  He registers as a sex offender wherever he goes and, as far as all reports that I have read, has been a law abiding citizen, albeit one reluctant to discuss his criminal past in greater detail.

Some footage of Jeepers Creepers had to be retooled when the school he was to film at saw the director's Sex Offender registration and booted the crew out.

I am curious as to what he did with the upcoming sequel.

[Steven Millan]

                  Yeah,you are right,Akira,for Victor Salva having both pedophilia and gay undertoned themes in "Jeepers Creepers",regarding Darry and the creature's semi-sexual attraction to him,which do suggest Salva's real life sexual feelings toward young guys(remember,"Scream" scribe Kevin Williamson also shares these same feelings,with "Dawson's Creek" semi-reflecting his same feeling for young,over 18 guys),who are hopefulyy over 18,in Mr. Salva's case.

[Dano]

Salva did do prison time, also paid a fine, and jumped through all the flaming legal hoops repeatedly (whether he did community service and underwent therapy for his behavior, I don't know). He registers as a sex offender wherever he goes and, as far as all reports that I have read, has been a law abiding citizen, albeit one reluctant to discuss his criminal past in greater detail.
*****  Yeah, my questioning as to why he is out of jail wasn't so much that I doubted he was punished as much as I am baffled by our society's practice of releasing those kinds of people ever.

[AndyC]

Dano wrote:
>
> You can read anything into anything with enough creativity.
> I once had a born again Christian tell me Star Wars was a
> religious parable.

Not entirely, but elements of it are certainly borrowed from scripture, as are many classic stories. For example, Luke Skywalker is obviously a Christ figure. There are other parallels.

[Fearless Freep]

Not entirely, but elements of it are certainly borrowed from scripture, as are many classic stories. For example, Luke Skywalker is obviously a Christ figure. There are other parallels.

Only very indirectly.  George Lucas was a big fan of Joseph Cambell's.  Joseph Cambell did a lot of work with societal myths and archetypes that keep occuring throughout  various societies and their myths, legends, and stories.  Star Wars represents George Lucas casting those archetypes into a concrete story with a Sci-Fi setting.    Luke represents a  particulr archetype, and Cambell would claim that Christ represents a similar archetype.  So the only real correlation between Luke and Jesus is that, according to Cambell (and probably Lucas), they both represent concrete examples of the same archetype figure

[AndyC]

I've got enough reason to hate Jeepers Creepers, just on the basis of it being a really disappointing movie with a lot of wasted potential and lazy writing.

As for the pedophilia, I have to ask why, considering his past, would the director touch this story with a ten-foot pole? It's a story about a monster that preys on young people, and a teenage boy in particular. Salva should know that enough can be read into it to draw unfavourable attention to himself. My conclusion is that it is no coincidence. He has to be trying to say something.

Is it an apology? I doubt it. If it were an apology, then why does the monster get away with these dispicable things, in spite of everyone's best efforts? Why do people pay dearly for trying to stop him? Why the implication that it is just going to go right on happening?

Is this a statement on what a deep-rooted problem pedophilia is? If so, the demon could still be killed off with supreme effort on the part of the heroes. That would at least suggest that something can be done. The way it plays out seems more like Salva is saying that sexual predators are here to stay, that pedophilia is a fact of life, and we'd better get used to it.

[AndyC]

Fearless Freep wrote:
>
> Only very indirectly.  George Lucas was a big fan of Joseph
> Cambell's.  Joseph Cambell did a lot of work with societal
> myths and archetypes that keep occuring throughout  various
> societies and their myths, legends, and stories.  Star Wars
> represents George Lucas casting those archetypes into a
> concrete story with a Sci-Fi setting.    Luke represents a
> particulr archetype, and Cambell would claim that Christ
> represents a similar archetype.  So the only real correlation
> between Luke and Jesus is that, according to Cambell (and
> probably Lucas), they both represent concrete examples of the
> same archetype figure
>
>

The influence is still scriptural, whether directly or indirectly. The bible has been influencing art and literature for a very long time, even if some people want to deny it. You don't have to be a religious person to acknowledge its significance as a collection of literary works.

[Fearless Freep]

The bible has been influencing art and literature for a very long time, even if some people want to deny it.

Oh, I definately agree; as a genral principle

My only point was that tieing Jesus to Luke is a fairly indirect path.

I for one don't really like the correlation, either, because as a Christian myself., I find Luke a rather weak messiah-figure.  Luke is a savior figure, Christ is a savior-figure, that's about as far as it goes, because George Lucas liked the idea of the savior-figure, not really Jesus himself.  Or rather, Lucas would reintepret who Jesus is not in a Christian tradition but in a more universalism tradition, which I would object  too

I think "Out Of The Silent Planet" and "Perelandra" make much better modern, sci-fi parallels of Christ