Where was Jeepers Creepers 2 filmed?
2003
City Locations
Tajon Ranch (USA), Long Beach (USA)
Location Types
Ranch
Location Styles
Ranch Style, Bus
About Jeepers Creepers 2
Jeepers Creepers 2 is a spine-tingling American horror film helmed by the talented Victor Salva. Catching up on the harrowing events of 2001, a malicious entity known as The Creeper takes after an entire busload of high schoolers in this edge-of-your-seat thriller! The diabolical force has no mercy when it comes to killing its victims.
Ray Wise also stars as Jack Taggart, a farmer who's out to hunt down and slay the Creeper in vengeance for his son whom it murdered only days prior. Francis Ford Coppola also returns as an executive producer on the 2003 sequel.
United Artists released the movie on August 29, 2003, but unfortunately, it received mostly negative reviews from critics. It garnered just 24% on Rotten Tomatoes from over 127 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The consensus read that the film was "competently made, but it doesn't have the scares of the original."
Metacritic gave it 36/100 from 29 reviews while Variety's Andy Klein noted that it was substantially better than the first installment. However, The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen felt that it lacked scares. Roger Ebert only came away with 1 out of 4 stars, while Dave Kehr in The New York Times argued that the creature lost personality when repurposed as a movie series.
Gene Seymour from The Los Angeles Times commented that this sequel did not share in the atmosphere of the first movie, and also complained about its unsympathetic characters. Conversely, Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club found the sequel to be a rare case in which it outdid its original on quality, and audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "C+" when evaluated with A+ to F scale.
Despite the mixed reviews, this film proved to be a remarkable success with its modest budget of $17 million, making roughly between $63.1 and an impressive $120 million worldwide (varying depending on sources). The success of Jeepers Creepers led to a prequel that was released in 2017, Jeepers Creepers 3.
Jeepers Creepers 2 Locations
American Zoetrope and Myriad Pictures collaborated on Jeepers Creepers 2. Principal photography took place in two different regions of the United States: Tejon Ranch in California and Long Beach, California.
Tejon Ranch is a vast expanse of land covering over 270,000 acres located between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. It’s the largest privately owned piece of land in the state, isn’t difficult to see why it provides an ideal backdrop for filming.
The ranch offers a wide variety of terrain ranging from rolling hills to mountainous areas, as well as forests, rivers, and creeks. Its proximity to Los Angeles makes it an attractive destination for filmmakers.
Long Beach is situated on the Pacific Coast near Los Angeles and it has served as a backdrop for lists of productions over the years. Jeepers Creepers 2 used some of its distinctive landmarks such as the Queen Mary ocean liner docked at Long Beach Harbor and Seal Beach Pier stretching out into the Pacific Ocean.
The unique urban landscape of Long Beach also served as a backdrop during filming with locations such as Bluff Park in Belmont Shore featuring prominently.
Given that these two locations provided the setting for most of Jeepers Creepers' filming locations, a visit to either or both would definitely be interesting and worthwhile. Fans of the movie can explore self-guided tours leading them to all of the memorable spots where the film’s best scenes were shot, making for an unforgettable experience!
Creeper abducting Billy scene in Jeepers Creepers 2
Long Beach, California, USA
Three days after we last saw the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) in the first film, and one day after he appeared in the third, the evil creature abducts young Billy Taggart (Shaun Fleming) in front of Jack Sr. (Ray Wise), Jack Jr. (Luke Edwards) and their dog, Mac, marking its 22nd day of feeding.
Long Beach, California is one of the most exciting and dynamic cities in the United States. With its beautiful beachfront views and stunning landscape, this city is becoming increasingly popular with both locals and tourists alike.
The sand and surf are a delight for people who enjoy sunbathing or playing Frisbee on a warm day. But if you're looking for more of an adventure, there's plenty to do here in Long Beach, including zip lining, biking along the boardwalk, and jet skiing.
Long Beach is accessible via a variety of transportation services available to both locals and visitors. Those traveling from nearby cities can opt for a train as Amtrak provides service into Long Beach Station. Alternatively, the Metrolink train offers a more economical option for a comfortable and scenic journey through Southern California.
For those further away, there are plenty of flights that arrive at the city’s airport each day. However you choose to make your way to sunny Long Beach, you won’t regret it!
School bus blowout scene in Jeepers Creepers 2
Tejon Ranch, California, USA
The following day, a school bus carrying a basketball team and cheerleaders get a blowout, the result of one of their tires being struck by a hand-crafted shuriken made out of bone fragments. Cheerleader Minxie Hayes (Nicki Aycox) then receives a vision from Billy Taggart (Shaun Fleming) and Darry Jenner (Justin Long) who are warning her about an entity known as the Creeper (Jonathan Breck).
Soon after, he strikes again and disables the bus, leading to Betty Borman (Diane Delano), Charlie Hanna (Thom Gossom Jr.), and Dwayne Barnes (Tom Tarantini) getting abducted. Six students remain behind in the bus,- Dante Belasco (Al Santos), Jake Spencer (Josh Hammond), Scotty Braddock (Eric Nenninger), Andy "Bucky" Buck (Billy Aaron Brown), Deaundre "Double D" Davis (Garikayi Mutambirwa) and Minxie herself - who, during another vision, learns that the Creeper arrives every 23rd spring for 23 days to feed on humans.
Tejon Ranch in California is an incredible landmark; a nearly 270,000-acre property that stretches across four counties. Its size and location (representing 31 niches of the state's vegetation zones) make it an important resource for preserving biodiversity.
It has also been preserved as one of California's longest continually operated cattle ranches. Besides its conservation efforts, Tejon Ranch is a popular tourist destination with multiple outdoor recreation opportunities and it is also home to award-winning event venues, vineyards, and retail outlets.
Tejon Ranch, California is a stunning destination that can easily be reached by car. The most direct route from Los Angeles is via Interstate 5, which takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes depending on traffic. For the more adventurous traveler, the nearby Grapevine Recreational Area provides an opportunity for scenic drives through the rolling hills of California's Central Valley.
Conclusion
Just days after his first attack, The Creeper returns with a vengeance as he begins the final day of his 23-day feeding spree. With wings wide and hunger ravenous, he strikes a championship basketball team's bus in pursuit of flesh and blood.
The Jeepers Creepers 2 production team made use of a range of filming locations around the United States to create its eerie and spine-tingling atmosphere.
Even with the mixed reviews, the film received an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Film nomination as well as a Best Horror Film Saturn Award nomination and a Motion Picture Sound Editors nomination.