I don't like dumb characters in movies, but it's hard to have a movie if the lead character says "**** that!" and drives off to safety. Most characters in horror films are just dumb. Really, really dumb.
LOL. I didn't say he should have said "F**k that," and driven off to safety. I said he should have gone and tried to report it to the police. Here's how I would have written Jeepers Creepers (or at least that earlier scene).
The two kids are driving along the highway. They see the beat up looking old truck parked next to what appears to be an abandoned and condemned church. They slow down and watch as a figure in long brown coat and hat is removing things from the back of the truck and dumping them down the drain pipe. The objects are the relative size and shape of human bodies, wrapped in red stained white sheets. As they drive by, the mysterious person stops what he's doing and looks in their direction. They panic and hit the accelerator. As they're driving away, they try calling the police. The battery on the cell phone is dead and the brother realizes that he forgot to pack the charger. They decide to drive straight to the nearest town and report what they saw to the police. As they're barreling down the highway, they drive past a speed trap and are pulled over by the highway patrol.
"Thank God, officer. We were just on our way to try and find a police station. We think we may have witnessed a murder."
"What do you mean 'You think you may have witnessed a murder'? Have you witnessed one or not?"
"We didn't actually see a murder taking place. But we saw what looked like someone dumping bodies."
"Are you sure?"
"Well we weren't about to stick around and ask the guy if those were dead bodies he was throwing down the drainpipe! But they were the right size and shape, and they looked like they were wrapped in bloody sheets or something!"
"What drainpipe?"
"It's over by the old abandoned church."
"I know the place. Okay, I'll go check it out. You two come along. I want to keep an eye on you just in case you're pulling my leg."
Then the three of them go back to the old church. The kids feel like they should be safe now, because they have an armed police escort. When they arrive, the highway patrolman notices the fresh tire marks in the dirt, lending credibility to their story. Then he climbs down the pipe, not Justin Long, and discovers the dead bodies. As the kids are waiting at the top of the pipe, they hear the patrolman tell someone to freeze. Then they hear several gunshots and a blood curdling scream. Then there's silence. The kids call down the pipe to the officer, asking if he's okay. There's no answer. Panicked, they head back to their car and take off. Then the rest of the movie continues pretty much the same way it originally does.
See the difference? He does the smart thing (going to find help) and still ends up going back to the church. We still get the big reveal of all those dead bodies stitched together. We get our first death of the movie (done off screen, so we still don't see The Creeper and are still unaware of his supernatural nature). And Justin Long doesn't come off looking like he took the short bus to school. Win-win.
