150 Movies You Should See Before You Die (31 page)

Betcha Didn't Know

Director Barbara Peeters was fired from the picture after she refused to film certain scenes requested by producer Roger Corman.

The music for the soundtrack was composed by James Horner and it's better than the film itself.

Trivia Quiz

For what movie did Roger Corman win an Academy Award?

A:
The Haunting of Hell House
(1999)

B:
Black Rose of Harlem
(1996)

C:
Revenge of the Red Baron
(1994)

D: None of the Above

Answer: D. None of the Above. In 2009, Roger Corman received an Honorary Academy Award for “his rich engendering of films and filmmakers.” As either or both a director and producer, he also gave early roles to then-unknown actors such as Jack Nicholson, Charles Bronson, Robert De Niro, and Sylvester Stallone.

PRODUCERS
Barry L. Collier and Barbara Javitz (executive producers), Jeremy Paige and Vicki Slotnick (producers)

WRITERS
Michael Cooney and Jeremy Paige

DIRECTOR
Michael Cooney

STARS
Christopher Allport (
Sam
), Scott MacDonald (
Jack Frost
), Stephen Mendel (
Agent Manners
), and Eileen Seeley (
Anne
)

A homicidal maniac named Jack is killed in a freak accident as he is being transported from one prison to another and resurrected as a snowman — a mass-murdering homicidal maniac snowman. Naturally, he sets about getting revenge on the small-town sheriff who captured him (Allport), but happily kills anyone else who crosses his path.

Why It Sucks

It's a movie about a killer snowman who, among other things, rapes a girl to death with his carrot nose. And there's the amazingly lame special effects, the godawful acting, and the fact that Jack is “killed” at the end of the movie by antifreeze. Oh, yeah — and just to hit you over the head with it, the town where all this takes place is named Snowmaton.

Thumbs Down Rating:

The Crappies

The Worst Director Award goes to …
Michael Cooney for not coaxing even minimally competent performances from his actors.

And the Worst Writing Award goes to …
Michael Cooney and Jeremy Paige for a horror movie in which one of the key scenes is of a girl being raped to death with a carrot.

They Really Said It!

Jack Frost
: Is it cold in here, or is it just me?

Betcha Didn't Know

This was the first screen appearance of Shannon Elizabeth, who would go on to star in
American Pie
.

In 1998 Michael Keaton starred in a completely different film about a man reincarnated as a snowman, also titled
Jack Frost
. The Keaton film is a children's movie.

Trivia Quiz

Which star of Jack Frost was killed by an avalanche in 2008?

A: Eileen Seeley

B: Christopher Allport

C: Scott MacDonald

D: Stephen Mendel

Answer: B. Christopher Allport. In January 2008, Allport was killed while skiing in an offtrail canyon near the Mountain High ski resort in the San Gabriel mountains.

PRODUCERS
Francis Ford Coppola, Willi Baer, Eberhard Kayser, Mario Ohoven, and Linda Reisman (executive producers), Tom Luse and Barry Opper (producers)

WRITER
Victor Salva

DIRECTOR
Victor Salva

STARS
Gina Philips (
Trish Jenner
), Justin Long (
Derry Jenner
), Patricia Belcher (
Jezelle Gay Hartman
), and Jonathan Breck (
the Creeper
)

A brother and sister on their way home from college (Long and Phillips) are stalked by a flesh-eating monster on an isolated stretch of highway.

Why It Sucks

About forty minutes into the film you're looking at your watch, tapping your feet, going to the fridge for another beer. Finally some tension and atmosphere start manifesting themselves. Of course, by that time most viewers have passed out on the couch. The story keeps going, sadly, but only because the characters are stupid beyond words.

Thumbs Down Rating:

The Crappies

The Worst Writer Award goes to …
Victor Salva for populating his story with the dumbest horror movie characters ever. How many times do we have to tell characters not to go into the dark basement if they think the insane killer is hiding there?

And the Worst Director Award goes to …
Victor Salva for a movie that starts boring and ends in a cavalcade of stupidity.

They Really Said It!

Trish
: You know that part in scary movies where somebody does something really stupid and everyone hates them for it? This is it.

Betcha Didn't Know

A financial success,
Jeepers Creepers
cost around $10 million to make, but earned over $37 million during its U.S. theatrical run alone.

Gina Philips declined to return for
Jeepers Creepers II
, but Victor Salva announced in September of 2009 that she would be reprising her role as Trish in
Jeepers Creepers III
.