A horror film that was shot entirely in Florida, with multiple scenes in Ocala, Dunnellon, and other parts of Marion County, became the most commercially successful film ever shot in the county after its release in 2001, grossing nearly $60 million worldwide.
Jeepers Creepers was filmed exclusively in Florida during the late summer months of 2000. The movie was officially released in theaters on August 31, 2001.
The film follows the lives of two siblings who are traveling home from college through the Florida countryside for spring break. After they visit an abandoned church, they discover that a creature (“Creeper”) is eating victims as part of a ritual he does every 23 years.
Last year marked the “23rd Spring” since the movie’s release, an allusion to when the creature in the movie makes his appearances to “eat” his victims.
Perhaps the most iconic fixture in the movie is the run-down, abandoned church where the siblings first encounter the creature’s victims.
Located at 3602 SW 110th Avenue in Ocala, the church allegedly burned down in the years following the release of the film.
In addition to the church, the final scene of the film was shot in Ocala at 15 NE 14th Street.
Outside of Ocala, several other scenes were also shot around Marion County. The opening scene and several of the driving scenes in the movie were filmed on SW 180th Avenue Road in Dunnellon. That stretch has been colloquially referred to as Tiger Trail.
At one point in the movie, the Creeper runs the siblings off the road. That scene was filmed just north of the intersection of SW 180th Avenue Road and SW County Highway 484, according to ThenNowMovieLocations.com.
The sheriff’s office depicted in the movie was filmed in Reddick, at the former site of the Reddick High School, and a diner in the movie was filmed in Lake Panasoffkee.
Jeepers Creepers grossed over $59 million on a budget of $10 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. In the years since its release, the film spawned at least three sequels.
Do you remember the filming of Jeepers Creepers in Marion County? Share your experiences and photos with us, or write us a letter to the editor.