Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Learn about the true story that inspired Jeepers Creepers, one of the most disturbing horror films out there.
Jeepers Creepers film
Jeepers Creepers is one of the most scary movies in horror cinema. The main character is a demon whose face is similar to a snake and wakes up every 23 years. He haunts human beings whom he chooses by their smell.
When the demon perceives a smell he likes, he won’t stop himself and eat eyes to see, ears to hear, lungs to breathe. This demon becomes immortal during his feeding period which last 23 days and everything he eats will become part of him.
The true story
A married couple used to live in the county of Michigan in 1990. Dennis DePue was an ordinary man who loved his kindful wife. But she wasn’t that happy and after asking for a divorce, Dennis lost his mind so he took the life of his beloved wife as an act of revenge and then dumped her remains at the back of an abandoned school.
In the Jeepers Creepers film, the demon can be seen throwing the bodies of the victims behind a ruined church. There’s also a very creepy scene in the movie in which two brothers observed what the mysterious demon was doing and when he noticed them, the demon went after them.
In real life, two brothers who were road traveling, noticed how Dennis DePue was throwing his wife’s body, but weren’t cautious enough for the man not to notice them. Dennis was furious and began to go after them for several miles.
The police got involved and managed to catch him. But days later, Dennis took his life after famous television show called “Unsolved Mysteries” chose his case, remaking scenes for one of the episodes.
Ten years later, the movie Jeepers Creepers was released and used same dialogues made by the show. They even used the same scenes where the license plates of the vehicle on the road were shown. This was with the intention to give credits to the show, although director Víctor Salva never gave them openly.
No doubt, creatures, ghosts or demons that are shown in horror movies are nothing compared to the brutality that exists in real life.
Did you know Jeepers Creepers was based in real life?