Where Was 2001’s Jeepers Creepers Filmed?

The monster slasher flick Jeepers Creepers took audiences on a spine-tingling joyride throughout multiple locations and with the magic of the internet, it’s possible to know the exact places where the horror hit was filmed. The 2001 film features Gina Philips and Justin Long as siblings driving home through the desolate countryside for spring break. They are pursued by a psychotic truck driver, who they soon discover is a serial killer. During the film’s climax, it is revealed that the killer is actually a winged monster that harvests and consumes human organs to survive. The Jeepers Creepers monster origin story separates the film from other slashers, making it a unique addition to the genre.

Jeepers Creepers was released 22 years ago, but it remains a staple in the horror genre, spawning three sequels. The most recent addition to the franchise, Jeepers Creepers: Reborn was released in 2022. While “The Creeper” is not real, a true crime inspired Jeepers Creepers,making the film even more frightening. The movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, but Jeepers Creepers was ultimately a commercial success, earning $59 million at the box office. Jeepers Creepers was filmed in multiple locations within the same state, and a couple of the locations have creepy histories of their own.

The Majority Of The Driving Scenes Were Shot in Dunnellon, Florida

Jeepers Creepers was filmed exclusively in the state of Florida. The opening scene, which introduces audiences to college siblings Trish and Darry Jenner, is filmed on the north-south stretch of SW 180th Avenue Road, referred to as “Tiger Trail.” In addition to the opening scene, almost all the driving scenes were filmed on this road, which is located in the city of Dunnellon. According to Movie-Locations.com, Tiger Trail has a real-life haunted history. Allegedly, the spirits of three children who were killed at an intersection near the nearby high school have been sighted on Tiger Trail during early morning hours.

The Church Scene Was Filmed In Ocala, Florida

The run-down, abandoned church in Jeepers Creepers was located at 3602 SW 110th Avenue in Ocala, Florida. This was a prime filming location for essential scenes in the film. The church is where the siblings first spotted “The Creeper” dumping what appeared to be bloody body bags inside a drain pipe. Upon investigating the drain pipe, the siblings make a gruesome discovery, finding preserved corpses covering the ceiling and walls. The church used for filming was previously known as St. James Church, and according to Then & Now Movie Locations, it mysteriously burned down a few years after the movie was made.

Related: Jeepers Creepers Ending Explained

Additional Scenes Were Filmed In Ocala, Lake Panasoffkee, And Reddick

There is a scene in Jeepers Creepers where the siblings stop at a diner and receive a disturbing phone call from a woman who tells them they are in danger. This scene was filmed in Lake Panasoffkee and the diner was named “Opper’s Diner” after film producer Barry Opper. The filming of Poho County Sheriff’s Dept. was done in Reddick, FL, at the location of the former “Reddick High School,” which closed in 1964. Inaddition to the church site, the ending scene of the film was also shot in Ocala. The final scene was filmed at 15 NE 14th St. Ocala, which was the site of the former “White’s Meat Packing” business.

Jeepers Creepers was filmed in different locations throughout Florida. Interestingly, two of those locations have been linked to unexplainable events. Additionally, several of the filming sites, such as the meat packing plant, church, and high school, were already abandoned long before the filming began. The deserted conditions of these locations only heightened the eerie ambiance during the movie’s production. Jeepers Creepers remains a modern classic, combining two subgenres within the horror category to take viewers on a wild ride along with the film’s main characters.

Sources: Movie-Locations.com, Then & Now Movie Locations

Originally published at https://screenrant.com on October 6, 2023.