Just when you thought Jeepers Creepers 3 had turned a corner and put its storied production woes in the rear-view mirror, Victor Salva’s horror threequel is hit with another setback. And this time, it’s a big one.
The TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles has scrapped plans to host the world premiere of Jeepers Creepers 3 due to threats of protesting. Initially, the theater chain had earmarked September 13th for a back-to-back screening of the original Jeepers Creepers movie, its long-anticipated threequel, along with a Q&A session with the cast and crew – most notably franchise creator and director, Victor Salva. And therein lies the source of controversy.
To cut a long story short, the filmmaker was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor almost two decades ago, and served 15 months in state prison. During that time, many feared (hoped?) The Creeper would never fly again under Salva’s supervision, but some years later, the idea for Jeepers Creepers 3 was hatched, and it’s purportedly a direct sequel to the nightmarish cult classic of 2001.
That momentum continued to build until Jeepers Creepers 3 landed a theatrical release date (spoilers: it’s September 26th), with event organizer and promoter Kory Davis securing that world premiere at the request of fans. But it seems a vocal majority has forced TCL into pulling the plug altogether – understandable, really, given the severity of Salva’s crimes.
In a statement, a spokesperson for TCL made it crystal-clear that this cancellation is more to do with “circumstances beyond [Davis’] control.”
I want to make it 100% clear: This is not Davis’ fault; over the years he’s produced many successful screenings throughout Los Angeles, including an incredible double-feature of Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky last month. These truly are circumstances beyond his control. The event was legitimate and was intended to be the world premiere of Jeepers Creepers 3.
The real question now is whether this cancellation will have a knock-on effect for the current Jeeper Creepers 3 release date. September 26th has been earmarked by the Powers That Be, but we’ll notify you if and when that situation changes.
