#Jezelle Gay Hartman

[juniperhillpatient]

also I just fucking LOVE characters who are literally doomed by the narrative like I know we overuse “doomed by the narrative” here on tumblr but the absolute existential horror of recognizing that your death has been prophecized that your fate is written & there is no unwriting it vs the human desire to try anyway ??? I eat that shit up

[spookytuesdaypod]

meet our barbies and kens ✨

[odditycircus-2002]

Jeepers Creepers: Unexpected Turn of Events Chapter 7

JEZELLE GAY HARTMAN

" Would you tell Dad to stop shouting, please?

Trisha asks her mother over the phone before listening as her mother continues to endlessly pry how they are. 

"Mom, it's fine, really-"

"No, it is not! You were being chased down by some bum fuck psychopath and you're saying that it's fine???"

Trish holds the phone away from her ear, not wanting to get another earful from her father. On the other end, Mrs. Jenner shushes her husband before speaking to her daughter in a calmer tone. 

"What your father is trying to say is, we're just worried and don't even worry about transportation. We'll be over as soon as we can"

Trish thanks her mother before continuing to explain to them where they all are. Meanwhile, Darry and Corbin were leaning against the wall the payphone is on, Trish's conversation becoming white noise to them. Darry looks with a raised eyebrow at Corbin eating a peach she had on her. She looks back at Darry with an inquisitive look as she swallows another bite.

"I thought you're carnivorous or something like that."

The disguised blonde takes another bite of her fruit snack, shrugging at her friend. 

"I enjoy the taste even if it really does nothing for my body, kinda like how much you like those cheeto puffs."

Taking one last bite, Corbin walks over to a trashcan to toss the peach's pit away, licking at the stray juices in her fingers, before heading to a bathroom. Darry's eyes fall onto a corkboard that's practically had missing posters completely covering everything on the board. Corbin exits the bathroom just as Darry walks up to the board. Darry observes, upon closer inspection, that under the more recent missing persons posters were ones that dated back to entire decades including the 50s. Corbin frown beside Darry at the sight of some of these posters including children as young as 10 years old. She looks to her friend, her emerald-colored orbs looking into his chocolate brown eyes that look at her in a silent pleading question and then back at the corkboard, which may as well served as obituaries for all those poor lost souls.

"I try to go after those who won't be missed."

Darry is just barely able to swallow, what he thinks, is his own bile before staring back at the wall. Corbin reaches out a hand towards Darry before dropping, deciding to keep her hand to herself and head low. Darry looks up at his dear friend, sensing her own discomfort and maybe even guilt. Slowly, he raises up a hand and places it on Corbin's mustard-colored shoulder. The barest form of a smile appears on her face.

"I'll talk to you in a few hours."

Trish finalizes as she then hangs up the phone, and walks next to where her brother is standing. Trish bites the inside of her cheek, having a strong feeling about how each of those people ended up having their faces posted on the board. The eldest Jenner sibling slaps a hand on her brother's back.

" Dad,"

Trisha starts in an amused tone to which Darry answers.

" Thought I wrecked the car?"

Darry gives a dry chuckle.

"For once no, it's more of Corbin. I may have changed a few details a bit"

Trisha then warily glances back to see Corbin giving her a displeased frown but doesn't protest. 

" Either way, She's trailer trash."

Darry gives a snort before replying.

"Pig fucker,"

"Booger eater."

Corbin looks up from picking at her nails at the sound and scent of someone else entering through the front. Immediately, from her facial expression alone, Corbin could tell the elderly woman bearing bad news.

"Trisha?"

The siblings stop their banter as they look up to the source of the voice, instantly recognizing her as the woman on the phone from earlier. She's an African American with curly light brown hair and age lines with wrinkles decorating her face.

"Trisha, Darry, and Corbin right?"

 The Jenner siblings look away from the board, both having distrust and confusion written on their faces at the woman who knew all their names, apparently. Corbin walks in front of them both with her arms crossed over her chest and her chest squared as if she were a club bouncer. She narrows her eyes at the woman as she walks up to all of them. The police officer at the front desk glances up from his paperwork before he leans out from his desk to address the woman.

"Jez, what are you doing here?"

"Jez" continues walking on by him. The sergeant lets out an irritated groan and slams his pen down on the table in frustration before shouting.

"Excuse me, Jezelle?"

Sergeant Tubbs, a man just entering his 40's with a noticeable gut, shouts but is once again ignored by Jezelle, who stops in front of the trio. She doesn't mind Corbin's warning glare too much, although she can't stop the feeling of the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She didn't exactly make direct eye contact, but she didn't need to in order to feel those piercing eyes trying to pick her apart.

"Darry, Darry Jenner,"

Jezelle then holds out a hand towards the young man.

"Jezelle Gay Hartman, how do you do?"

Jezelle tries to shake Darry's hand, but he doesn't take the offer. Sergeant Tubbs comes up behind Jezelle, grabbing her arm in an effort to usher her away from the group

" Come on, they've been through a lot."

" Trisha,"

Jezelle starts, desperate for the Jenner siblings to listen only to be interrupted by Tubbs once more as he insistently tries dragging her away.

"Godammit Jez!"

"I really need to talk to you, if you could just spare me a minute." 

Tubbs gives up on dragging the woman away, seeing as Jezelle isn't going to budge anytime soon. He figures he may as well ease the frightened young adults by giving them an idea of who she is.

" Jezelle here likes to think she's the resident psychic here. She helped us on a missing person-"

"Could I just talk to these kids by myself!"

Jezelle shouts over the ringing of one of the phones, throwing her hands in the air. Tubbs points his index finger at Jezelle as he also shouts.

" You go home, turn off that police scanner and go to bed!"

Jezelle only was raising her hands up to usher Tubbs away as he walks back to his desk to answer the ringing phone. 

"You got missing persons and a fire in the next County, go do something useful!"

Sergeant Tubbs turns around briefly, pointing back at Jezelle even though her back is turned to him.

"I mean it, now, leave them alone! "

He finalizes before going back to his workstation to continue with tonight's hectic report. Jezelle then continues to address the trio, subconsciously taking a step back when Corbin leans slightly forward.

"You don't have to believe I'm psychic. You don't have to believe a word I say, but I've come a very long way to see you."

Trish and Darry both shared similar expressions of skeptism towards Jezelle. 

'F*ck this bullshit.'

Trish thinks to herself before turning to her brother to hold him by the arm to start walking away from the supposedly psycic woman

"You know, I'm not sure we should be talking to anybody right now."

Trish starts off.

"I'm not sure we should be talking to anybody right now."

Trish and Darry start to walk away, stopping when Jezelle speaks once again, her tone grim and frightened as if she wishes she doesn't see all she does. Upon closer inspection, Corbin notices the bags forming under Jezelle's eyes, no doubt from sleepless nights from the visions that plague her in her sleep. Yet, unable to forget them in the waking world as the images are seared into her mind.

"You found all those bodies, down in that cellar. I saw them too."

Darry stares back in bewilderment, his attention now fully captured by Jezelle.

"How?-"

"Because she dreams of it. "

Corbin then turns her head from Darry's direction to look back at the psychic, recognition written all over her face. The blonde's able to sense the slight surprise from Jezelle over the underlying horror swirling around within her. 

"You dream of a lot of things don't you, human who sees beyond?"

Jezelle flinches when seeing those green eyes flash into an intense amber color. Nonetheless, even if both women already knew the answer, Jezelle nods her head in confirmation and then turns her attention back on the siblings.

"Have you seen the cats yet? I saw you with all those cats too."

Darry and Trish look at each other in shock and the realization that everything the woman said would happen, has been proven to be true thus far. Darry looks at Jezelle, with wide terrified brown eyes as he points a shaky finger at her. 

"The Diner, you're the one who called us."

Trish swallows the large lump in her throat that made it difficult to breathe, but the older sister hardly notices. Not when her brain is scrambling from the warnings and information implies. She didn't want to believe it, no, she wants to deny it. A part of her felt the urge to grab the woman around the throat and demand that Jezelle stops with all these cryptic warnings and to the hell get away from her brother! Trish clears her mind of all of this, opting to walk around Corbin and gently put her hands on Jezelle's shoulders

"Will you excuse me for a second?"

She then turns back to her brother.

"Darry I need to talk to-"

Jezelle already frustrated as she is that no one will listen pushes Trish out of the way to grab Darry by the shoulders to maneuver him to sit down on a nearby bench.

"I need you to listen and not talk."

Jezelle deliberately avoids making eye contact with the disguised blonde when she hears a barely audible growl.

"Truth be, I'd be lying if I said telling you this would do you any good."

The psychic woman solemnly warns them, the metaphorical weight of the bad news she carries somehow appearing to increase to the group.

"Any good? What does that mean?"

Trish questions in an almost inaudible tone with her gaze fully on the older woman, with her ears open to take in every word she had to say. Corbin's own attention fixates on elderly humans, fully aware as well that each word is to be listened to and heeded. With all these gazes on her, Jezelle takes a moment to take a breath before exhaling. 

"Every 23rd Spring, for 23 days it gets to... eat."

Nothing is said for a long period of time. Darry had his suspicions, hell he saw what that thing did to that severed head! Yet he couldn't blame it all on hallucinations or trick of the eye, not with the final nail in the coffin being confirmed. 

"Eat?"

That is all the youngest brother could utter in shock. Noticing this state, Corbin reaches out a gentle hand to rub into his back in an attempt to soothe him which did only so much for the poor man.

" You know that it eats the same thing as Corbin and don't make me tell you!"

Jezelle's breathing starts picking up as her brow creases deeper.

"You think I like having this in my head? Well, I don't."

Biting the inside of her cheek, the psychic woman then continues in distress.

"I don't like knowing this and not knowing why I do."

Corbin's stomach gives a loud growl in response to her picking up Jezelle's fear that settles thickly into the air. She raises her head up slightly as drool starts to pool in her mouth at the sweet delectable meal sitting in front of her. Corbin licks her lips as she makes direct eye contact with the psychic's own brown eyes; another flash of those cat-like eyes makes Jezelle scoot as far as she can from the hungry beast in front of her. Jezelle shuts her eyes tightly as she picks up the mental words whisper into her mind, unable to block them out. The voice being femine and smooth, easily coiling around her head with no trouble besides a pinprick of pain.

'Mmhhhh... Lungs, eyes, stomach... all so warm and tasssty...'

Corbin feels her muscle tensing in a familiar way as the hunger in her starts to grow louder in volume; however, she stops herself when catching sight of Trish's terror-stricken face. The blonde bites her lower lip as she pushes down the primal voice to the back of her mind. She then crosses her arms over her chest to also dig her nails into her arms. 

However, Darry doesn't appear to notice the exchange between Corbin and Jezelle as his mind blanked out briefly from the realization hammered into his mind.

"You said it eats?"

If it were possible, the grim expression on the psychic woman's face turns even grimmer. 

"Only certain things, from certain people."

Jezelle elaborates, wincing to herself at the image of its gnarled claws covered in blood that glowed black in the moonlight appearing in her mind's eye. Trish once again, still in denial about any of the woman's warnings, reaches out to her brother again.

"Just get away from her."

Jezelle puts out an arm to block Trish before she shouts

"It eats lungs to breathe!"

Dark and cold the cavernous room was, the candlelights only making the shadows dance mischievously against the walls. They seem to dance in twisted glee at the inhuman figure pulling out a bloodied organ with a carving knife and its claws.

The older woman tries to think of her dog, her niece, anything else as the vision of brown human eyes stared back at her from a beastly face. Fortunately, Corbin spares her from giving the next detail.

"Eyes so it can see; legs, so it can walk; tongues, so it can taste; ears, so it can hear your screams."

Corbin finishes for Jezelle, who nods vigorously in agreement even with tears threatening to spill out. The disguised blonde didn't miss the horror-stricken expressions of both siblings at the details she just divulged. Taking another breath and heavily exhaling, Jezelle picks up for Corbin.

"It all becomes a part of it. Whatever it eats, becomes a part of it. It dresses like a man, only to hide that it's not. You hurt it out there on the road, but only as much as it can be hurt. 'Cause, it can keep eating, till it hurts no more."

Unknown to either of them, a familiar figure pulls up behind the station in his worn-looking truck. The creature from earlier carefully climbs out of the driver's seat and onto the ground, not wanting his already heavily damaged to collapse from a simple impact. The creature takes a moment to look up at the building, its expression mostly shadowed by his wide brim hat but leaving its mouth visible in the low light. He licks his chops at the thought of the feast waiting within the walls before it starts dragging himself on his good foot, to the building; more specifically, towards where the junction box is.

After Jezelle pauses to gather her wits, gripping at her knees, she continues her dreadful warning. She forces herself to look at each of them in the face before continuing. 

"You've got something it likes, one of you, and it's not gonna stop chasing you until it knows which one."

Jezelle then makes herself look at Corbin in the eyes, which noticeably has softened out of concern for her charge. A whole plethora of emotions run through the psychic woman; her fear subsiding enough to give way to pity, sorrow, and hesitation. Completely unaware of the blonde picking up each color of emotion and her barely audible thoughts from over the others.

'She has to already know that he wants her... Could she do it if the time comes?'

Jezelle is brought out of her ponderings when Darry piques up.

" How?"

Darry refuses to be left in the dark about what's going on. In his mind, if it's imperative for his survival, he has the right to know!

"Never mind how."

Trish tries to convince her brother, but he shakes his head in response.

"How does it find out, by running people off the road?"

Before Jezelle could say anything, Corbin explains.

"He needs to scare you. There's just something in fear that attracts us to a particular person, in order to find something inside someone, that we might,"

"Like."

Jezelle finishes for her, her tone barely above a whisper. Darry frantically looks towards both Corbin and back to Jezelle. As he spoke, he's unable to stop his voice from trembling, making him almost stumble over some of his words.

"Y-you're telling us this thing is out driving down the highway, trying to f-freak people out, so it can smell them?"

Trish finally lets out her frustration boil over. 

"Christ Darry! Why are we still standing with her?"

The power then goes out, stopping Trish from going on a full tirade. Dread simultaneously crawls up the small group's spine.

"Hello?"

Sergeant Tubbs puts the phone to his ear, hearing no answer not even the familiar sound of the receiver. He hangs up the line in frustration before shouting.

"We got lights and phones out up here!"

When he gets no answer, the Sergeant demands somebody to talk to him. The trio and Jezelle look up to the ceiling, despite the lack of lighting as if expecting to catch a glimpse of the monster slithering from the shadows.

"I-it's gone, we ran it over till there was nothing left. "

Darry whispers in disbelief. How can this be? No regular guy could survive such injuries! However, a little voice in the back of Darry's head mockingly whispers that he already knows. Corbin gathers the Jenner siblings near her when Sergeant Tubbs announced the station going into lockdown after the emergency lights were activated. She knew that no matter what the police do, it won't stop him.

"We pounded it to dust. We watched Corbin f*cking tear it up."

Darry doesn't dare raise his voice, a part of him knowing that doing so could give him away to the creature. Corbin follows them as they slowly walk under one of the lights with Jezelle walking in front of them all.

"I think it's eaten too many hearts for its own to ever stop."

Jezelle breathes into the dead silence, leaving them all with heavy dread about whatever fate awaits them. 

...

Jezelle maybe had a point about the hearts keeping the Creeper going, however, she failed to mention how his own determination and hunger pushes him to drag his meat suit to the next suitable meal. Which is how he found himself walking down the hall of the County jail, his left arm flapping uselessly by his side. One inmate made the mistake of reaching his hand through the bars, trying to catch the mysterious figure's attention. He pays an arm and leg for this lack of judgment, leading the Creeper to tear off his tattered clothing to force open the bars to get to the rest of his meal. Fear heavily fills the air as the inmate's fellow criminals could do nothing but watch in paralyzing horror as the Creeper tears into the poor soul, who's unable to scream after his jaw was torn off. 

The Creeper digs into the carcass with more force than required, taking out his frustrations with his chosen prey causing a delay and Corbin's relentless defiance with each bite of flesh. He doesn't even mind the growing puddle of blood growing below him as his mind turns to his main focus as of now. 

'While it always makes it interesting for prey to fight back so they may break even more when realizing the futility of it all, it doesn't make getting run over any less aggravating. I still don't know which of those meats have what I'm looking for, but it's one of them for sure.'

Still, the Creeper knew the real reason for his anger and that person is someone whose face he hasn't even fully seen in all its glory. He won't deny the skills or prowess she displayed enraptured him like nothing before; proving to possess both great strength and level-headed even as passionate as she became during their fight. She would make a fine and strong mate as well as a fierce mother to their offspring. Unfortunately, Corbin ( as he has learned to be her name) seems to be delusional or out of her mind for daring to interfere in hunting those two humans! He hates when the hunt doesn't go according to plan! He just has half the mind to kill her just to relieve himself of this anger, however, the more logical side of him argues doing so would be an unnecessary waste.

'It's not as if you'll have another opportunity with or without the cycle. Carpe Diem, as humans say but she'll only get one last offer, otherwise...'

The Creeper's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of one of the policeman's footsteps approaching the cell he's feasting in. However, the Creeper felt no panic or fear rather, he feels a twisted sense of glee as his limbs stat to repair himself and his wounds close up. He finishes up swallowing his late few bites before rising from his crouched position. A malicious smile makes its way to the creature's expression, which only the other inmates can see.

'Nothing wrong with grabbing a few more quick bites.'

The Creeper barely flinches as a couple of rounds are shot into his person, not when the problem is solved easily when he pounces at the officer. The delicious scent of mouth-watering fear leaving him to eat in more of a feeding frenzy than the last one.

...

Back at the front of the station, Tubbs answers his radio to receive a call from the County jail. 

"Hello?"

The only thing to answer him is blood-curdling screams and wet hard thumps, that sounded like a watermelon being hit with a mallet before it cuts to static. Tubbs may not have worked in homicide for over a little 20 years, but he still knows a death scream when he hears one. He gets up from his desk to rub behind the trio.

"Okay, you three, you kids wanna come with me? We're putting you in a holding room, down the hall."

Sergeant Tubbs doesn't notice how Corbin's claws grew longer and darker as he attempts to herd them to one of the said rooms. Yet, Jezelle stops the Sergeant from moving any further, waving her hands in front of the group.

" You can't do that! He finds you in there! He finds you, hiding in a room!"

Tubbs ignores her insistent warning and gestures to Jezelle with two fingers.

"You too."

Instead of obeying the officers, she sings the lyrics from the songs she and the group heard way back at the diner.

"Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get those peepers?"

Darry shakes his head in response to the lyrics. 

"We heard it in the car hours ago."

The knot forming in his stomach only tightens further at what the psychic is implying. 

"No! It's playing on an old phonograph."

Before Jezelle could explain any further, Tubbs speaks over her once again as he addresses one of his fellow officers.

"Escort Jezelle here to the big blue Winnebago she's, no doubt, blocking the driveway with."

"Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get those eyes?"

Jezelle reiterates once more, her eyes pleading desperately for the siblings to truly listen to her. However, Tubbs fails to recognize her legitimate urgency as he responds with vexation clear in his voice.

"I swear, I will lock you up, Jez."

One of the officers pulls out their cuffs from their belt to use on Jezelle, who she only shakes off as she hurriedly tries to finish her sentence.

" I hear it playing, while one of you is screaming! Screaming down in the dark somewhere, screaming the last scream, you'll ever scream!"

"Once stop li lounye a! You're scaring them!"

Corbin shouts at the psychic, inadvertently letting her fangs show to which Jezelle visibly flinches at. Trish doesn't pay the creole or her friend's fangs any mind, as she asks her own inquiry.

"What are you exactly doing here?"

Trisha demands with her voice slightly trembling near the end of her sentence. Jezelle notices how the younger woman's own brown eyes seem to water up while screaming out her fright. Jezelle doesn't get a chance to answer when one of the officer's walkie talkie buzzes to life.

"Up top?! Anybody on ground level? We have an 11-99, repeat, we have an 11-99!"

Corbin recognizes the code from countless encounters with the police to know that it means this is an extreme emergency. Tubbs takes the walkie talkie from one of the officer's possession to answer.

"This is Tubbs, go ahead."

"We got a situation down here, Sarge!"

The man screams over the line, clearly scared out of his wits. 

"It's headed toward you, up the rear stairs. You copy? Coming up the rear stairwell."

At the same time, a whole group of policemen thunder hurry down the stairs, clearly to act as the requested backup. The small group takes notice of this and watches as they all flooded the halls to run past them. Tubbs hands his coworker's walkie talkie back to reach for his own.

"Stay here."

Tubbs instructs them before running to the rear stairwell with the rest of his coworkers. At the same time, the fire alarm blares throughout the building. Jezelle, unsurprisingly, immediately disobeys instructions to walk ahead of the trio.

"I'm gonna get you here. "

Jez looks back, finding neither of the trio moved an inch. Letting her own frustration pour into her tone, she gestures to the trio to follow.

" Come on I said!"

The Jenner siblings look towards Corbin, who, after a slight hesitation, nods in response, giving them the all-clear to follow the psychic. They run with her past the other policemen running in the opposite direction of the darkened halls. Corbin made sure to have both hands on the backs of both Darry and Trish to assure herself there'd be no stragglers.

She's able to feel both siblings flinch at each gunshot that rings out across the entire building. She already knows from personal experience that bullets are more like mosquitos than anything for her, by that logic, which she secretly prays she's wrong about, no matter how much ammo all those men and women use, they won't do jack sh*t against the male. Corbin bites her tongue at the spike of fear coming from all three of the humans with her.

'No, no, no! Worry about it later!'

They all stop at a lit exit, jumping in shock at the chorus of gunfire coming from the other side of the building. Wasting no time, both Darry and Trish start banging against the locked metal double doors to no avail.

"This is your way out?!"

Darry shouts at Jezelle before going back to slamming his hands futilely against the doors.

"These must lock automatically if the power's out!"

Corbin moves Darry out of the way before she backs up a few feet and slams her shoulder against the door, creating a dent. A small one, but a noticeable dent nonetheless. She ignores the bolt of pain that came from her abdomen and continues to repeat the process. Darry's eyes widen at the sight of his Bannon sweatshirt darkening around Corbin's injuries including her shoulder and stomach with, what he now knows to be, her blood. Before Corbin could try a fifth attempt, Darry grabs Corbin by her arm. She's about to tug it away when she caught sight of Darry's concerned expression. She tries tugging her arm away, but Darry vigorously shakes his head in response, gripping on to Corbin tightly even though he's fully aware she can break his grip if she so wishes. Reluctantly, the disguised blonde gives in, lest her own frustration get the best of her.

While both Corbin and Darry were attempting to open the two doors, Trish turns to Jezelle with her face contorted in fear and anger.

" You didn't know that?"

" I don't dream of everything!"

Jezelle shouts, barely covering up her agitation which is mostly covered by her extreme anxiety.

"This isn't everything! This is our way out!"

Trish shouts into the woman's face. The older woman fidgets with her hands as she almost stumbles over her words to explain.

"  It's not like watching a movie, honey! T-there are parts missing sometimes!"

Everyone stops what they were doing, the entire building eerily quiet, too quite. They couldn't hear anymore gunshots or shouting. Trish's mind automatically jumps to the conclusion that the thing killed and ate everyone; she quickly mentally swats the thought away like an annoying gnat as she knew she couldn't focus too much on that right now. Corbin's ears strain, picking up something the other humans with her couldn't here. It starts off as a tip tap with the occasional scrapping noise, Corbin clenches her jaw at the familiar sound of claws.

" We have to get out of here, now."

Corbin whispers, subconsciously crouching down in a defensive stance as she searches for any sight of those scales with concentrated green eyes. Trish and Darry, instead, work to pound the door open, hoping to use the dents their friend caused to gain leverage.

" The only way out is, the front door."

Trish huffs in frustration at the psychic woman. Abandoning the double doors, she walks up to the woman to let out her pent-up aggravation.

"  The front door is out! Why don't you predict something useful?"

It seems, Jezelle shares the same sentiment, clawing up her hands to bellow out.

" I thought if you knew what I saw, maybe you could change it! Why the hell do you think I'm here?"

Darry also gave up on opening the metal doors, opting to lean against the doors with both index fingers to his temples. His eyes widening as the realization strikes him as a bolt of lightning would in a storm.

"You know,"

All the women glance over at these uttered words.

"Don't you? You knew when it walked in."

Jezelle doesn't answer, pressing her plump lips together in a tight line as she shuts her eyes tightly. Darry gets up from against the door to slowly approach Jezelle, pointing an accusing finger at the older woman.

"You know who it wants. You know what it wants."

Jezelle catches both Trish's and Corbin gaze, knowing they both share the same question on their mind. Licking her lips, the psychic nods in answer.

"I dreamed this."

Darry's now only a foot away from the woman, making her back up against a nearby wall, whispering in an almost demanding tone.

"Then you know what's gonna happen."

Jezelle's brows knit deeply on her face as she reveals to the college student what she dreamed of, praying to the Holy Father that this fate can somehow be avoided.

"You will run up the stairs and hide, but I don't know what happens to me." 

Darry abruptly grabs the poor woman by the arms to start shaking her.

"Jeepers Creepers. Jeepers Creepers, right?"

Darry doesn't wait for an answer before continuing by now, breathing heavily from the marathon his heart is running.

"Who? Who hears Jeepers Creepers while screaming in the dark?"

Instead of giving a direct answer, Jezelle turns her head to Trish. Trish, Corbin, and Darry all concurrently feel their hearts seize at the implication. Take in another breath, Darry puts both of his hands on either side of Jezelle's face. The woman in question, now letting all the tears she was holding in, come flooding out.

"Are they ever wrong?"

Jezelle doesn't answer immediately. Being as hard headed as she is, even now Trish tries to deny what she's hearing.

" I don't believe you."

Yet, Trish did believe. Considering the monsters and the fact that everything the woman predicted so far came true, presents pretty strong evidence. Not to mention, the fact that Corbin doesn't rebuke any of this is also a good indicator of how screwed they all are.

"You don't understand."

Jezelle sniffles as she shakes her head, but Darry pays this no mind, opting to repeat his earlier action.

" Your dreams, are they ever wrong?"

Trish whispers loud enough for all to here. 

"You go to hell. Same for you, Corbin."

Corbin flinches at the hard glare her friend gives her as utters those words. The words cutting deeper into her than an ax, even as she tries reasoning to herself that Trish is just scared. Yet, the more pessimistic side of the disguised blonde argues it's likely that after this is all over, Trish isn't going to want to ever hear from her again.

'I mean, it wouldn't be the first time this happened.'

Corbin's heart begins to twist at that thought, as if someone took a dagger and twisted into her person again.

Why did she think this place would be any different? It's all the same, as long as they distance themselves from those they deem monsters far enough from human, even if it's an innocent girl! Oh God! None are spared from the rope! No, please, she's just a child! Blood, Blood everywhere, on her skirts, her claws, it even stains the stones into a permanent red color... Your fault! Your fault! Your fault!

'Ferme ta gueule!!!'

She roars to herself mentally before forcing herself to focus on the present moment, as sh*tty as it may be. The present moment including Trish vilifying the only other person who knows what's going on.

"She doesn't know shit."

Corbin growls lowly within her chest, having up to here with Trish's connerie. Trish feels her stomach drop when the blonde speaks.

"Patricia..."

Whatever she was about to say doesn't matter, as everyone utters a sound of surprise and fright when the creature chasing after them for so long pops from around the corner.

" Get upstairs, now!"

Jezelle hollers to the trio, Darry and Trish immediately complying. Corbin, however, takes the moment to whisper into the psychic woman's ear. 

"You'll be fine."

The blonde turns to then swiftly catch up with the Jenner siblings before Jezelle could fully let her last words sink in. Understandable, given she's left to face the monster on her own as it rapidly climbs towards her direction on the wall, the emergency lights giving the elderly woman a clear view of its horrid face. Left with no other options, Jezelle gets on her knees to bow her head and clasp her hands together. 

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy,"

The psychic looks up when the sound of claws scraping against the wall cease. 

'Where in the?'

Bewildered, Jezelle's eyes quickly scan the area in front of her for any place the Creeper could've hidden. She doesn't have to wonder long when his clawed hand grabs her head and pulls it back in an inescapable grip. Jezelle couldn't do anything as she's left completely at the mercy of the beast from all her visions, who breathe her scent in deeply with a couple of huffs. The psychic lets out utterances of fright, closing her eyes tightly as she tries to mentally prep herself for its fangs to dig into her tender flesh.

It never came, however. No, instead, Jezelle hears a deep raspy voice within her mind. The voice being masculine and causing, something like a nail, to strike to her frontal lobe.

'She's mine'

She's then released from its grasp, free to pursue the trio up the stairs. Jezelle looks up at the stairwell, bile rising up to her throat as dread weighs heavily in her stomach.

'It's about to come true.'

...

Corbin takes Darry and Trish to a door with distorted glass. She opens the door for them, flinching when it gives out a loud creak, gesturing with her head to enter the room, which they do so without any complaints. The siblings immediately run toward the windows of what looks to be an interrogation room. Darry and Trish start to search around the windows, hoping to find a latch anything to open them.

Meanwhile, Corbin slowly walks up to what looks like a mirror, from which she caught the same earthy scent as the Creeper from. She puts her hand over her eyes, as she tries to look through the two-way mirror to see if her suspicion is correct. Unbeknownst to her, that a grey hand covered in scales caresses her cheek through the mirror with great want in the owner's eyes as he puts his face only centimeters away from her image. He couldn't help but to purr in content at her scent from behind the glass.

'Beautiful...'

He thought at the sight of Corbin's amber eyes that are as bright as a flame. He could also make out the other humans pulling her towards them, urging towards the other window in the room. They refuse to listen to her warning, however she still complies and removes the Bannon sweatshirt to tie around her waist, revealing two black bat-like wings. All of this transpires silently behind the mirror, which is broken when the Creeper unceremoniously breaks through the door, showering the floor with glass shards.

Corbin stands in front of the siblings giving a low dangerous growl, as the creature approaches after it flips the table. Corbin pounces at the creature, only for it to dodge as it then takes Darry and Trish by their necks. She watches in horror at the ones she cares gasp for breathing. She watches the creature give each of them a sniff and, to her disgust, lick Trisha's face. Luckily, that's all he did before tossing her out of the room.

Corbin immediately rushes to check on Trish, sniffing her for any injuries as she holds her close. Corbin then raises both her and Trish up on their feet, seeing as the creature intends for Darry to be his meal. Before they could get to them, however, the windows seemed to burst from nowhere as S.W.A.T team members start to flood the room, Tubbs in the lead. The Creeper holds Darry in front of him, in a vice-like grip, huffing and growling at its "audience".

Corbin and Trisha's walk past the officers, as it lowers its head for a bit, a wet and clicking sound being heard as its crest opens up, revealing it to have spider-like appendages with webbing between each of them.

" RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW"

It roars out, screeching out its lungs. Its true face on display to everyone in the room. Trish's face looking like she stared right into oblivion in contrast to Corbin's own determined expression. No one said anything except Tubbs.

" What in the holy name of God?"

Darry continues to gasp for air like a fish out of water, writhing in vain in an attempt to break its hold on him. He may as well have been trying to push a brick wall away, as the Creeper keeps an iron grip on the young man. Everyone in the room freezes in place, except for Trish. She walks from Corbin's grasp to look at the creature dead in the eyes. She knew what she had to do, or so she thought at least.

A/N: What did you think guys? This book is coming close to an end, but the story ain't. It's far from over. Don't forget to comment, reblog, and like! Stay weird, my fellow humans. ;)

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[adamwatchesmovies]

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

You don’t need to disapprove of director Victor Salva to dismiss 2001’s Jeepers Creepers. This movie has a lot of ideas thrown into the mix. Many don’t mesh together. Despite the elements that come out of nowhere, the questionable uses of humor and several logical gaps, you can see why this film spawned a franchise. It's exactly the sort of movie you’d like to see remade.

While traveling home from college for spring break, Trish (Gina Philips) and her brother Darry (Justin Long) spot a strange man in the distance dumping what looks like a body down a large pipe. After narrowly losing him on the road, they investigate and discover a horrifying secret.

I'll pause my review to comment a bit on Victor Salva. He served his time and people deserve second chances. Good people are capable of making terrible films. Bad people are capable of making great films. Is this an example of the latter? No. Jeepers Creepers begins on a promising note. Trish and Darry are engaging protagonists because they feel like real people who have seen horror movies - just like you and I. Their banter before things go crazy is quite natural and memorable too, which makes them endearing. Yes, they ultimately make the “dumb choice” to investigate a dangerous place after narrowly escaping from “The Creeper” but they’re doing it because someone needs help. There’s something very unsettling at the bottom of the pipe sticking out of the ground. If Trish and Darry hadn’t investigated, who knows how long what was going on would’ve continued. Similarly, when they knock down the killer, they don’t just give him a tap and turn their backs towards him. They’re smart about it.

Some of the film’s issues are only noticeable after the fact. The Creeper drives this big, aggressive, rusty truck with a license plate that reads BEATNGU. Why a serial killer would have such a noticeable and memorable plate, I don’t know and it makes even less sense once you know some of the movie’s twists. Other choices made by Salva (who also writes) are creepy and memorable but feel like they’ve been included because they were neat - not because they actually make sense. The Creeper’s lair is this gigantic structure filled with mummified corpses stitched together in bizarre ways. It’s unsettling, but why does he do that? It gets even wilder when we meet Jezebelle Gay Hartman (Patricia Belcher), a psychic who mostly shows up to tell our heroes that the Creeper is after them and give us bits of information about him… without actually explaining where he comes from, why he’s doing what he’s doing or making sense of the points I mentioned earlier. This character feels like a late addition; a way to spoon-feed information test screeners said was missing.

No aspect of this film embodies its “I have a stack of great ideas so I’m going to include ALL” feel better than the title. Jeepers Creepers is actually the name of a song Jezelle heard during one of her visions. When Trish and Darry hear it, they’ll know The Creeper is after them. Some of the lyrics also describe the killer’s modus operandi - which is obviously the reason why it was included. It’s fine in that “ooh, it’s an old song that sounds upbeat but is actually sinister when you listen to the lyrics” kind of way but it's still shoehorned in. At one point during a chase, Trish and Darry hear the song playing on the radio, except it’s not the 1938 version Jezebelle heard, it’s some new, faster-paced, hipper version. That’s one hell of a coincidence for that song to be playing on this specific night, at this specific time. When it comes down to it, you could’ve taken the tune out of the movie completely if you’d wanted to.

I can sort of recommend Jeepers Creepers to horror movie fanatics. I don’t mean people who like horror movies, I mean people who watch nothing but horror movies. If you gobble up anything that includes serial killers, monsters, ghosts, demonic possessions, etc., this film has some great ideas that you’ll be happy to see play out. Even for that crowd, Jeepers Creepers does not live up to its potential. (November 5, 2023)

[vidicus-com]

The Best Horror One Liners in Movies

Here are some of the most recognizable single lines of dialog from some of the best horror movies ever made.

“We’ll tear your soul apart.”

Spoken by Pinhead (Doug Bradley) in Hellraiser (1987)

“Here’s Johnny!”

Spoken by Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in The Shining (1980)

“Sometimes, dead is better.”

Spoken by Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) in Pet Sematary (1989)

“There here.”

Spoken by Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O’Rourke) in Poltergeist (1982)

“I ate his liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

Spoken by Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

“Be afraid, be very afraid.”

Spoken by Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) in The Fly (1986)

“I see dead people”

Spoken by Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) in The Sixth Sense (1999)

“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”

Spoken by Brody (Roy Scheider) in Jaws (1975)

“The power of Christ compels you!”

Spoken by Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) in The Exorcist (1973)

“We all go a little mad sometimes.”

Spoken by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in Psycho (1960)

“They’re all gonna laugh at you!”

Spoken by Margaret White (Piper Laurie) in Carrie (1976)

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

Spoken by Ghostface (Roger L. Jackson) in Scream (1996)

“Death by stereo!”

Spoken by Sam (Corey Haim) in The Lost Boys (1987)

“This is my Boomstick!”

Spoken by Ash (Bruce Campbell) in Army of Darkness (1992)

“We all float down here.”

Spoken by Pennywise (Tim Curry) in It (1990)

“I want to play a game.”

Spoken by Jigsaw/John Kramer (Tobin Bell) in Saw (2004)

“He’s got his father’s eyes.”

Spoken by Roman Castevet (Sidney Blackmer) in Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

“When there is no room left in hell, the dead will walk the earth.”

Spoken by Peter (Ken Foree) in Dawn of the Dead (1978)

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”

Spoken by Johnny Blair (Russell Streiner) in Night of the Living Dead (1968)

“We’ve traced the call… it’s coming from inside the house.”

Spoken by Sgt. Sacker (Bill Boyett) in When a Stranger Calls (1979)

“Every 23rd spring for 23 days it gets to eat.”

Spoken by Jezelle Gay Hartman (Patricia Belcher) in Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Context: Eccentric psychic Jezelle may indeed have a few screws loose, but her brief summation of The Creeper’s mythology is extremely chilling.

“Welcome to Fright Night… for real.”

Spoken by Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) in Fright Night (1985)

“It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters.”

Spoken by Vincent Smith (Rory Calhoun) in Motel Hell (1980)

“Brains!”

Spoken by Tarman (Allan Trautman) in Return of the Living Dead (1985)

“Outlander!”

Spoken by Malachai (Courtney Gains) in Children of the Corn (1984)

“Get out!”

Spoken by an invisible malevolent entity in The Amityville Horror (1979)

“Groovy!”

Spoken by Ash (Bruce Campbell) in Evil Dead II (1987)

“Pancakes!”

Spoken by Dennis (Matthew Helms) in Cabin Fever (2002)

For plenty more horror, check out www.vidicus.com.

[insydemymynd]

The Real Monsters in Lovecraft Country and Tropes

[Class assignment for African American Studies 188a at UCLA for the Winter 2021 quarter. This assignment is my own work, except where I acknowledged the use of the works of other people.]

In January 2020, I began to rate every film and series I watched. I started this list out of boredom, but it became a reference for movie suggestions for friends. That growing list has multiple genres such as adventure and romance, but my most-watched would be comedy and drama. I thought I had no preference when it came to my entertainment, but after making this list I realized that I watch comedy and drama as a way to escape reality. With the ever-expanding problems in the world and in my personal life, having a laugh watching a comedy or watching everyday problems end with a happy ending in a drama, made the world suck a little less. I don’t often watch horror films (not because I dislike it, I actually find it exciting), but when I did, I never stopped to think about the way that horror might differ by perspective. 

Because of this class, “The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival & the Black Horror Aesthetic” taught by Professor Tananarive Due, I started watching Lovecraft Country, and it is now #40 on my list. The pilot begins with the main character and Korean War vet, Atticus (also known as ‘Tic’), in search of his missing father, Montrose, with the help of George, his uncle, and Letitia, a high school friend and later-to-be-lover. Throughout the journey to find Montrose, all 3 of the other characters have to face racist encounters as Black people in the 1950s. They run into monsters that make their expedition a living hell and I’m not only talking about the White sheriff that forces Atticus to beg and call himself the n-word to let him leave the ‘sundown town’ (municipality that racially segregates through violence and other practices) on time, but also literal monsters that have thousands of eyes and hundreds of teeth. 

I won’t speak about the other episodes to prevent any spoilers (we don’t do those here), but I will discuss the way that Lovecraft Country is different than other horror series and films. In Lovecraft, the source that empowers the White individuals is control and evil, and the source that empowers Black individuals is family and justice. This opposes the way that power is commonly illustrated between both groups in a series like American Horror Story (no hate towards AHS – I’m a fan, “Coven” is actually my favorite season, and I love Stevie Nicks) where White witches are simply depicted as troubled and Black witches are depicted as revenge-seekers. The way that films and series like AHS portray Black people is one way that stereotypes are perpetuated in the media. Horror films use tropes such as ‘the first to die,’ ‘the spiritual guide’ or ‘the ‘sacrificial n*gro’ that exploit Black characters for the benefit of the (mostly) White characters. An example of the ‘spiritual guide’ trope is of actress Patricia Belcher (Jezelle Gay Hartman) in Jeepers Creepers who serves as an aide for the other characters by warning them of the forthcoming horror, or Viviva A. Fox (Vernita Green) in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 who is shown to die first. There has been articles that have gone out of their way to prove that Black characters do not die first, but it cannot be denied they do die an unreasonable percent of the time. 

I’ll close this mini-review/commentary/critique by saying that there is a need for more horror films and series like Lovecraft Country that consist of more-than-a-few Black characters that don’t die or that don’t serve the White characters. Though graphic (it is a horror series after all), I appreciate the creator (Misha Green) being a Black woman instead of a White man or woman profiting off of producing/sharing trauma porn.

[mockymyths]

Jeepers Creepers: Jezelle Gay Hartman - Psychic, Informant, Badass Grandma? - In My Dreams

Aside from providing some tension, information, and giving the plot one final push to the finale, this character is relatively simple and disappointing as a whole. Now before you decide to comment, let me discuss her specific role and actions in the movie and WHY she ends up being relatively disappointing with very little payoff. I’m also going to bring up a few suggestions as to how her character could have been used better.

It’s gonna be a spoiler palooza up ahead so if you care about that kind of thing don’t read I guess?

1.) The phone call:

So the first time we meet Jezelle it’s through a phone call that Trish and Darry receive while waiting for the cops at a diner. She calls to warn them that they’re in danger and what will happen to one of them if they’re caught by the Creeper.

This introduction feels very confused for multiple reasons.

First of all, we’re told that she doesn’t remember/see every little detail in her visions which allow her to have this kind of information in the first place. It gives us leniency in what we are and aren’t allowed to know, thus leaving an air of mystery until the very end. The frustrating thing about this though is the fact that later on it’s implied that she kinda lied about what she does and doesn’t know (expanded upon in number 2). It’s implied that she DOES know who will die and somehow she’s able to figure out when the two will be at the police station for her to meet up with. But if she’s able to see and figure that out then she should also have known when they would have a run in with the cats as well. That, along with the fact that she calls the diner at the exact time Trish and Darry are there, basically make this phone call stupid for so many reasons; because let’s be real: either she calls that diner constantly to try and catch them or she’s got some weird ass spidey sense going on (if she doesn’t actively know when they’re going to be there).

The only purpose this phone call really provides is tension. Later on when the siblings get a police escort and hear an alternative song to the one Jezelle played for them, Darry begins panicking saying that they’re in real danger whilst Trish tries to explain to him that it’s not even the correct song and that they’re fine. Ironically, they actually ARE in danger, they just don’t notice it yet because the action is happening in the background. It’s a nice scare and tension builder, by all means, but it really only works once and could have been alluded to better.

2.) The Police Station:

So as I mentioned earlier, near the climax of the movie, Jezelle finally meets the siblings in person at the police station. It’s here that she expands upon the nature of the Creeper and what their fates will be when he finally catches his intended target. This provides an excellent tension builder because this also gives the siblings the chance to confront her about who it will be that the Creeper chooses. This allows for a proper climax and a wonderful “stepping up” moment for Trish whom tries to bargain with the Creeper to save Darry and it’s wonderful because it gives us the reaffirmation that she truly is the caring protective older sister that we only see hints of throughout the movie.

But as you’ve probably guessed by now, I have an issue with this too.

Jezelle being promoted as a psychic character just feels tired. No one believes her and everyone thinks she’s crazy. Just that one sentence alone makes me feel TIRED of that trope. Now that being said, I do understand the reasoning for it. There’s really only so many ways you can provide information on a supernatural creature, but when the movie recycles the “visions” trope on another character it just feels even WORSE because now it’s cliche in the franchise with barely any rhyme or reason aside from information. Realistically, it would have been fine to not have these bits of information. Everything we were told could have been gleamed from what we saw in the movie and the only real important piece she provides us with is that one of the siblings will die by the creature’s hands. That’s it.

Now i’m not saying that psychic characters themselves are tiring, but the way they were handled in this series itself was. And this will be something I will be discussing further in part 5.

3.) Jezelle’s Last Stand:

So then we go off to the climax and Jezelle tries to buy the kids some time to escape by using herself as bait for the monster. She faces off with him and either she isn’t actually scared or she has absolutely nothing the Creeper desires for himself. He promptly ditches her to head straight for the kids. This paired with the ending where she responds to Trish by saying “I’m just a crazy old lady.” really gives everyone the feeling of inevitability and uselessness. These scenes were the most impactful for Jezelle and can really give us a deeper feeling and emotion than what was probably intended. And this is also where I feel like her character was most powerful.

Jezelle goes out of her way to try and help them because she can’t stand the thought of anyone else suffering by the Creeper’s hands whilst she does nothing. She doesn’t listen to what the others say when they claim that she’s crazy and even puts herself in harms way to try and save the siblings. So the look on her face when the Creeper barely gives her a second look and immediately goes after Trish and Darry is a little heart breaking. It’s like she realizes that she wasn’t even good enough to buy them a few minutes, that there wasn’t much she could do in the end.

And then later on, when Trish confronts Jezelle about her lying about who the Creeper was going to take, that gives us even more heart break. Jezelle was probably hoping that by telling them that Trish would be taken, that Darry would become less scared and maybe make himself undesirable to the Creeper in doing so. But ultimately there was nothing she could do to help, in the end she really was a “crazy old lady”, and it’s in that pain and acceptance of failure that we can feel the most for Jezelle.

4.) Payoff:

This is also why I feel like the use of her character was disappointing and the payoff was too small. Two thirds of her scenes amount to very little aside from building tension and scares and the information she gives is wholly unnecessary. If she had a larger part in the film then perhaps her final scenes would have been even more impactful. Because as much as this movie is about the siblings, the ending really paints us a depressing picture that begs the question of “if you can’t change the outcome, is there even a point in trying?”

Because although we can hear and feel Darry’s terror build until the finale and shudder at the...sight... EVEN THOUGH we can feel the pain in Trish as she chases down the Creeper and is left to face the awful fact that she couldn’t do her job of the elder sibling properly and protect Darry despite everything else she’s done in the movie to protect him, Jezelle possibly contains the most widespread emotion I think that we as humans can REALLY get on board with the most.

“If you can’t change the outcome...”     “If you don’t succeed...”

“...Is there a point in trying?”

5.) Improvements:

So earlier I mentioned things such as Jezelle’s phone call, the information she provides on the Creeper, and her ability as a Psychic.

My primary complaints on her use as a character is that the scares and tension as well as information provided were ultimately pointless due to the lack of actual use. The information she provided on the Creeper, being a super old creature, reappearing for 23 days every 23rd summer, and can’t really die due to the fact that he can consume human parts to rejuvenate his body which is mostly why he hunts- All of this could have been provided in alternative ways and really kinda was. Things like missing people cases in the area, the Church of Pain (where all the bodies were sprung up like a mockery to the Sistine Chapel mural and others), and what we see in the later half of the film where Trish runs him over and then he eats cops to fix his parts, all of this was really all we needed in order to learn of the Creeper’s culture and motive. The only piece of information needed from Jezelle at this point was (ultimately) the ending. And even in this I have a simple solution.

One of my head canons happen to be that the close proximity to the Creeper allows for random individuals to have psychic abilities in order to combat him (he’s lived in that area presumably for at least a few hundred years, so if Jezelle lived in that area she could be one of the few who have insight to his habits. This would also be a great explanation for why Minxie was given the information needed on the Creeper.) This paranormal seepage into the world around him would also allow for technology to flicker and react to his presence and in the very first scene where he harasses the siblings in their car (as well as the second time) this could allow for the radio station to skip around and play bits of the song for Darry to connect to the Creeper later on. He’d hear bits in the car the first two times, hear the actual thing at the church of pain via a gramophone, connect it to the creeper when they have the police escort and start panicking, and then BOOM problem solved and we still feel that same terror at the end when it’s playing. No dumb phone call that has basically no real payoff; however Jezelle could still allude to it being Trish later on for the aforementioned reasons.

The only downside to this is that this would make Jezelle’s character SEEM completely unimportant and that’s where I say NAY! Because now that we’re not focusing on dumb attempts to build a one off scare we can actually USE her LOGICALLY. If she can track them well enough to know when to call them at the diner then she can fucking FIND THEM AT THE DINER HERSELF, or just as well, FUCKNG FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE GETTING ESCORTED BY THE POLICE. Either way, she’s there when the escort get essentially FUCKED by the Creeper and Jezelle with a gun just shoots the hell out of the fucker and Trish runs him over for good measure (or the other way around, or they trade off, fuck it’d still be a cool scene either way!) Jezelle escorts them to the closest police station and THATS when she could tell us about her visions and desire to help out.

This would lead to an even greater payoff with her character because now we can feel more engaged with her (imo). This wasn’t just someone who kinda tried to help and then finally at the last minute decided to come in to still do essentially nothing- No, NOW it’s someone who was so fed up with being unable to help that she gets off her ass and ACTUALLY HELPS. She gets badass granny moments, maybe even bips him a few times in the police station while also acting as bait and is STILL IGNORED AND STILL FAILS.

That would be THE BIGGEST KICK and makes her failure and pain even more palatable in the end. Just imagine it and tell me that wouldn’t be badass and depressing as hell with the same amount of horror aspects built into it.

[reeltoreal-cl]

Black Girl Magic: A Rise in Fantasy Representation on Screen

"Black Girl Magic” is a phrase coined in 2013 by blogger CaShawn Thompson, in “celebration of the beauty, intelligence and power of Black women everywhere.” It has since become a rallying cry for black women of different backgrounds to celebrate their accomplishments and moments together in sisterhood. But unlike the phrase and recent movement behind it, “Black Girl Magic” in the literal sense has rarely been showcased at the forefront of film and television. There are many film franchises and shows built on fantasy or supernatural stories, but these largely feature white casts and protagonists. Since the 1990s, however, more black women with magical abilities have moved to center stage.

Rochelle Zimmerman - The Craft, 1996

An outcast at her Los Angeles school because of her skin color, Rochelle befriends girls on the fringe who form a coven to regain power over their teenage lives. Rochelle is not only one of the witches in the main cast, but a skilled swimmer whose goal is to make the high school team. When this is hindered by a racist school bully, Rochelle aptly casts a spell to make the girl’s hair fall out. In addition to this, she has the power of telekinesis, levitation, and glamouring. Though left without power at the end of this cautionary tale, Rochelle is a rare portrayal of black women unapologetically using their power towards their own goals.

“I drink of my sisters and I ask for the ability to not hate those who hate me. Especially racist pieces of bleach-blonde shit like Laura Lizzie.” - Rochelle

Eve Batiste, Mozelle Batiste Delacroix, Elzora - Eve’s Bayou, 1997

This trio took African-American cinema to new heights in its portrayal of black women with clairvoyance and voodoo. Eve, the youngest, finds her dreams to be visions of tragedy to come. Her gift of sight mirrors her aunt Mozelle’s, a woman who not only has visions, but reads people’s lives by holding their hands. Mozelle also sparingly uses voodoo to help customers if they’re desperate enough. Eve and Mozelle encounter Elzora, an elderly woman who tells fortunes at the market and proves to be quite twisted. The three are brought together in a tragic coming-of-age tale in which Eve takes on her troubled family one summer in a Louisiana bayou.

“Like others before me, I have the gift of sight. But the truth changes color, depending on the light. And tomorrow can be clearer than yesterday. Memory is the selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain. Each image is like a thread, each thread woven together to make a tapestry of intricate texture. And the tapestry tells a story, and the story is our past.” - Eve

Raven Baxter - That’s So Raven, 2003 - 2007

Dealing with friendships, boys, and dreams of becoming a fashion designer, a huge part of Raven’s life are her psychic visions of the future. She’s very insecure about being seen as a freak if anyone finds out, but also has unique experiences and life lessons during her adolescence in San Francisco because of her gift. Raven afforded many children and teens a lighthearted, relatable portrayal of Black Girl Magic in comedy. She returns as the star of spinoff and sequel series Raven’s Home, which aired in July 2017 and is set in Chicago.

“Oh, snap!” “Ya nasty!” “I’m okay!” - Raven

Alex and Cam - Twitches, 2005, & Twitches Too, 2007

Cam and Alex discover their powers and one another on their 21st birthday, and soon find out that they belong to a world of witches and warlocks called Coventry that they were taken from at birth for their own safety. They must save the day in both films, using their combined powers that coincide with the sun and moon. This portrayal of witches is on the spectrum between previously-mentioned Raven Baxter, an original TV character, and the upcoming Bonnie Bennett, another book character that undergoes a race lift for the TV adaptation.

Bonnie Bennett and The Bennett Family - The Vampire Diaries, 2009 - 2017

Bonnie discovers her penchant for witchcraft as a teenager when her best friend gets involved with vampires. She goes on a journey of honing her powers, learning from her grandmother Sheila that they hail from a long line of matriarchal witches. They are descendants of Emily Bennett, who was a powerful witch in Mystic Falls, VA in the 19th century, as well as one of the most powerful witches of all time, Qetsiyah. Bonnie experiments with both dark and natural magic, eventually developing the powers of divination, healing, necromancy, and psychokinesis (aero, bio, pyro, and tele). Through Bonnie’s storyline, audiences have an example of Black Girl Magic through several generations of powerful women in the same family.

“Witchcraft has its limits. If I push too hard, it pushes back.” - Bonnie

Queenie and Marie Laveau - American Horror Story: Coven, 2013 - 2014

Queenie, a new student at Miss Robichaux’s Academy in New Orleans, is descended from Tituba of the Salem Witch Trials, and calls herself a “human voodoo doll,” able to transfer self-inflicted wounds and pain to others. She later performs telekinesis, teleportation, mind control, and astral projection. For a time, Queenie joins the fold of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, based on the real-life, renowned figure. Marie survives to modern times because of an immortality deal with Papa Legba, in which she must sacrifice an innocent once a year. In addition to her voodoo mastery, Marie demonstrates telekinesis, teleportation, necromancy, and a war cry that causes people to turn on one another. Both Queenie and Marie take on an immortal racist and other threats in the war between hunters, voodoo practitioners, and witches in this campy, dark story.

“I grew up on white girl shit, like Charmed and Sabrina The Teenage Cracker.” - Queenie

Abbie & Jenny Mills - Sleepy Hollow, 2013 - 2017

Abbie, who has prophetic dreams, learns that she is one of Two Witnesses in the Book of Revelation meant to prevent the apocalypse with Ichabod Crane. A Lieutenant originally headed to the FBI, she remains in Sleepy Hollow, NY to rise to the cause. She can also see spirits, have visions of the past, and assist with casting spells. Her sister Jenny is drawn into the fight, having seen the demon Moloch when they were children, as a supernatural relic hunter. This is one of the rare portrayals of black women, fantasy, and the Bible coming together.

“Here's what we can do: no more first-hand accounts of witches or founding fathers. Or donut tax outrage unless you want to be sent back to the asylum.” - Abbie

These portrayals of Black Girl Magic, which feature characters who have storylines independent of their white counterparts, are markedly different from “The Magical Negro” stereotype in cinema. The Magical Negro was first seen with The Song of the South (1946), but mostly lends itself to male characters. The handful of black women who fall into this category are Oda Mae Brown in Ghost (1990); Mother Abagail in adapted miniseries The Stand (1994); Jezelle Gay Hartman in Jeepers Creepers (2001); Missouri Moseley on a single episode (2005) of Supernatural; and Evelyn in Annabelle (2014). These characters have no purpose in the story beyond helping white ones, even going so far as to sacrifice themselves in some instances.

Black Girl Magic speaks to a beauty and power that black women have on their own, as evidenced by stronger characters in TV and film recently. Fortunately, the road doesn’t end here. Coming to television soon are actresses Sibongile Mlambo in the role of a mermaid on the Freeform show Siren, and Clark Backo in the role of a psychic and descendent of Supernatural’s Missouri Moseley on Wayward Sisters at The CW. On the big screen, expect to see Oprah Winfrey in the role of Mrs. Which for Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time in 2018.

As black women continue to see the magic within themselves, they can now see even more of it represented on screen.

*This piece was published August 9th to Shades of Melanin, Inc.

**Update: On September 7th, Twitches was added to this Tumblr post.

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Every twenty-third Spring, for twenty-three days, it gets to... eat.

Jezelle Gay Hartman (Patricia Belcher) from Jeepers Creepers - 2001