Dennis Depue: The Man Behind Jeepers Creepers

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On Easter Sunday in 1990, a brother and sister would come across a man who committed a crime so violent that it would become the inspiration of a horror film 11 years later.
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Sources:
pastebin.com/FDnU02By

[@kaylasargent2590]

That picture of the Depue’s is absolutely terrifying.

[@geeker6350]

Dennis reminds me of the the disguised alien Edgar in the 'Men in Black' movie.

[@Hello-rp4gy]

Fr, I dont like assuming stuff about people based on their appearence, but if someone showed me the picture of him with his wife without knowing any context about him and told he killed his wife I would totally believe it

[@doctorthirteen5499]

@@Hello-rp4gy If I'm ever on a jury and a guy who looks like that walks in I'm like "Yep he's guilty".😆

[@boobookittyphuck8729]

All pictures of him are terrifying 😳

[@joshpointoh]

@@geeker6350 he's wearin an eggar suit

[@rewby23]

"No one thought he could ever commit something that atrocious" *Proceeds to show a picture of the most terrifying man I've ever seen*... you sure bout that?

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

And he's trying to look *nice* in that picture...

[@greycatturtle7132]

Lmao yea

[@Nikki_with_the_blikki]

* shows his picture * me: _"whatever you're about to tell me he did: yes he did it"_ 😭

[@BelakorVenator]

Another chilling aspect of this story is that the photographer who took that picture of Dennis and Marilyn got away with it… and could still be out there..: taking atrocious portraits of couples… to this very day.

[@mr.onethirtyeight5088]

The fuckin' Munsters! That was one creepy, very creepy photo. OMG!

[@ToyInsanity]

He did his best

[@hollyjollyxmas]

Oh my gosh I felt bad for laughing but they looked unhinged

[@ALL_that_ENDS]

Nailed it! Lol

[@edaturk7529]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 🤔🤔🤔

[@MorningStarMidnightSun]

Assumed this was going to be about the gross behaviour and criminal activity of the man who directed Jeepers Creepers-this was an incredibly engaging story I’d never heard before, but it’d be cool if you’d consider a follow-up video on the director to raise awareness of how light he got off and how his victims suffered ): Edit: his name is Victor Salva

[@ethanmoore7645]

That's exactly what I thought

[@wolfdass1948]

Im really glad you mentioned that a lot of people don’t know that about the disgusting director !

[@KellieSuttle]

... I didn't know about that. I just Googled it. How horrible! D:

[@nathanjones8667]

Same

[@kenwilson9262]

EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT. I thought the beginning of the story was him retelling the beginning of the first JEEPERs Creepers movie.

[@StonesAndSand]

She was a counselor at my high-school, and our entire community had a front-row seat to this tragedy. RIP Mrs. Depue, you were taken far too early.

[@cathyschermerhorn2970]

What school was that? She was also a counselor at my high school for one year.

[@AM-eo8dg]

​@@cathyschermerhorn2970 coldwater

[@onbearfeet]

I legit thought this was going to be an exposé on the director of Jeepers Creepers or something. Great video! Edit: Welp, now I've googled, and maybe it should've been.

[@anajelic6160]

man that guy is a horror story for himself i stg

[@gjmarkjesse1324]

I'm one of those people who cannot separate the art from the artist sometimes. I can't stand watching any of the Jeepers Creepers movies because of the evil POS that directed them. It's insane, all these top hot shot directors and actors were fighting tooth and nail for him including Francis Ford Coppola, which may indicate that Coppola is in some evil shit too.

[@kelleh711]

Me too, wasn't the dude an actual pedo?

[@anajelic6160]

@@kelleh711 yeah i think so

[@DeezN00tz99]

its why I clicked on it, kind of disappointed.

[@Boggythefroggy]

It’s quite fitting that the guy who made Jeepers Creepers is also a giant monster himself, being that he was partly inspired by a monster like Depew.

[@stevenhetzel6483]

For the uninitiated, from wikipedia: In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with one of Clownhouse's underage stars who was 12 years old at the time and videotaping one of the encounters. Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under 14, and procuring a child for pornography. And they say Hollywood pedophilia rings are a myth.

[@ZombieSazza]

Birds of a feather and all that

[@cindycostello463]

I dont mean to sound stupid, but I'm confused by these comments. Please help me understand better. Thanks.

[@evdev8419]

​@@cindycostello463the writer and director of Jeepers Creepers is a child abuser and pedophile. Long before the movie was even made. It's honestly insane he was allowed to have a career after that. He even was charged for it, not just accused.

[@zlivzzz]

@@cindycostello463 the guy who made jeepers creepers is an abuser and a convicted p*dophile

[@trashcrow]

Ironic how he murdered his family because he was "too old to start over", but then when he was on the run with a new identity he had a girlfriend within a year.

[@stevenhetzel6483]

To be fair he might have just needed a bang.

[@theresaaubry2481]

👀 Exactly, typical!!!... These hoes ain't loyal 😒

[@lanac7974]

Right…he said she messed up his life

[@cathyschermerhorn2970]

He only killed his wife. And a nicer woman you would never have met.

[@manuxx3543]

Ray and Mary had some balls to follow the van and seeing more blood, but man why they went to the school house again to confirm, i mean i get why, you don't want to believe it, but getting out of their car after being seen by the murderer on a possible drop body location, it's risky asf

[@stevenhetzel6483]

And they say the dumb teenager horror movie trope is unrealistic.

[@stevesmith1810]

Tbf, the monster from Jeepers Creepers is not NEARLY as creepy looking as this dude.

[@RenegadeGunn]

No The monster was just a indestructible force who feeds off feared people in every 23rd of spring

[@lionelhutz5137]

And the director of the movie is an even worse ghoul than both.

[@brianlbeck]

"too old to start over" Proceeds to start over

[@kelleh711]

"I am too old to start over" **still tries to start over**

[@lauren9004]

*EXACTLY

[@fatbgmanbg975]

*PRECISELY

[@IvanPavlov]

Wow… that moment when you realize that the first 20-25 minutes of Jeepers Creepers is actually a documentary film.

[@Str8Gass]

Really?

[@squish1e]

And that the director is a pedo

[@zoeyrochellezhombie829]

​@@Str8GassBased on a true story, yeah.

[@hollymartens8059]

He wasn't too old to start over, he was too GD creepy.

[@ihaveaname699]

5:06 I got an ad break right here and it sounded like you'd said "at", so cutting from a grim true crime video straight to a cheery car salesmanship was some insane whiplash.

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

Underneath that perky exterior, many car salesmen are as scary as murderers. So it's actually appropriate.

[@SakuraAsranArt]

He kept the murder van. Wow...just, wow.

[@sabresister]

Once a selfish coward, always a selfish coward

[@LittleBiscuit]

@@desolark8616 yeah I think being an abusive father and husband who kills his ex wife because he couldn’t control her anymore and then ran from police under a new identity, with a new girlfriend- is a selfish coward. Why are you playing devils advocate for a soulless killer? Do you think his ex wife would want a redemption arc after she was brutally beaten and disposed of like a piece of garbage. Because that all she was to him, garbage after he couldn’t have her anymore. That is not something to be redeemed. He was a selfish coward who died like a selfish coward. He took the life of his children’s mother for his own control, not even thinking about them. He doesn’t care about anybody but himself and took his own life to prove that.

[@LittleBiscuit]

@@desolark8616 Listen, he clearly didn't want to change. He found a girlfriend after killing his ex wife. He didn't care for anybody BUT himself. Nobody can change yourself but you, and he clearly didn't want to. There are just some people in this world who want to hurt people and don't want to do better.

[@havenandaura]

Idk man it takes some serious balls to take up arms against police. His treatment of his wife was cowardly though

[@chikari123]

@@desolark8616 Shut up

[@Sanakudou]

The fact he rationalised the murder with the fact he was too old to start over… yet that’s literally what he did, getting a new girlfriend. I’m glad he didn’t get to live out that new life for very long. Nothing is more disturbing than murderers who try to make out they were justified in doing what they did, blaming their victim. Maintaining a delusion they’re a “normal” and “good” person still. At least other killers are honest in saying they did it because they wanted to or enjoyed it, no “actually I was the real victim!” bullshit like in this particular case.

[@TheMightyZwom]

He was probably a psychopath... and a cowardly piece of shit, of course.

[@billhughes7927]

That picture is scary as hell. Why would they ever keep it? If you took a pic with your spouse and it came out like that, wouldn’t you immediately destroy it? He looks creepy and she looks like a dead person with their eyes open. I’m going to have to watch a comedy to get this image out of my head

[@P-P-Panda]

I feel so bad for the children that had to witness that : (

[@gazer99]

: (

[@Bludgeoned2DEATH2]

I literally just learned that the director of jeepers creepers was convicted of and served jail for raping a minor like last week and thought this was going to be a video about him haha.

[@hollymartens8059]

As a recently escaped lifelong Floridian, when I saw it, for the majority of the film I thought it was a documentary. I've seen some rather peculiar shit going down.

[@am2023]

Do tell

[@fatbgmanbg975]

Care to elaborate?

[@cashkitty3472]

Rather be in Florida then California 🇬🇧

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Dennis: “It’s too late to start over.” Also Dennis: “Make me a sammich, woman, I don’t care how long you’ve been my new girlfriend, I gotta hit the road to go see mom.”

[@kay2-5-3]

The rare time a killer actually looks creepy af 😳

[@oncezek]

fr

[@Peace-lr7mt]

I had NO idea until this moment, that the movie was based on any sort of factual story. I of course own the movie and it's only 1 of 2 where I was literally sick after watching it. That guy looks like a maniacal beast.

[@yotetoob]

You were literally sick? Like threw up? What was the other movie lol

[@guhrizzlybaire]

Jeepers creepers gave me so much driving anxiety. I watched it when it came out, frequently, so I was probably 12-13 at the time. Then when I had to learn to drive I would get terrified if anyone tailgated me for any amount of time

[@milkywaymike6756]

Depue: I was too old to start over. Also Depue: Runs away to Dallas and starts over.

[@cygnia]

I remember this case on the OG Unsolved Mysteries back when I was a kid!

[@doctorthirteen5499]

Me too 😲 Rewatching the old episodes on KZbin triggered the memory of me watching it. The show Sightings was good too.

[@Probably_Deadpool]

I’ve been here since the beginning man! I’ve watched you grow so much ever since the watcher video! Please keep doing this! You are the best!

[@aultic]

Same. He deserves it

[@stee8613]

I just found your channel and by coincidence right after getting finished with one of your previous videos this one just came out. I really love the content so far!

[@Pood369]

Jeepers!

[@CaulkMongler]

I just think it’s ironic that his reasoning is that it was too late for him to restart… yet he was caught in the middle of his new life.

[@Strype13]

[6:50] That family portrait is bone-chilling all by itself. That is definitely the face of a cold-blooded psychopath if I've ever seen one.

[@Kurazaybo]

Probably the most effective and solid video to date on this channel. Subject is original and well handled, pace is perfect and satisfying ties the begining to the end.

[@Jusuff]

He also used very little stock footage compared to his other videos

[@damnbro_idc]

I want to apologize to horror movie directors for saying their characters are "unrealisticly stupid"

[@efe_aydal]

Haha I said the same thing.

[@nakiazagorski5361]

Lol, right? Same here.

[@andrewosborne7544]

The schoolhouse isn't far from where I live. My coworker almost bought it a few years ago to love in and sent me pictures when he stopped by. Said he remembers the whole ordeal and I think the victim was his old school teacher or he knew her somehow. I can't remember

[@Emma-yf9yn]

This is the movie that inspired my love for gore makeup, horror movies, and true crime as a kid Just watched Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2 last night and i was still in awe

[@nonbinarysunset555]

man first the director of jeepers creepers being an awful person and now the inspiration being this...cursed media

[@fatbgmanbg975]

What did he do??

[@nonbinarysunset555]

@@fatbgmanbg975 sexually assaulted and filmed said assault of children

[@karamei]

@@fatbgmanbg975 from wikipedia: "In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with one of Clownhouse's underage stars who was 12 years old at the time and videotaping one of the encounters.[4] Commercial videotapes and magazines containing child pornography were also found in his home.[4] Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under 14, and procuring a child for pornography.[4][5] He was sentenced to three years in state prison, of which he served 15 months.[2] He completed his parole in 1992.[5]"

[@Jusuff]

@@karamei how does a person get three years for CP but get life in prison for selling weed?

[@karamei]

@@Jusuff 15 months* for cp, unfortunately. Law system is broken

[@Zerochimp]

I love your stuff, brother. I know you get loads of praise already from the rest of us, but I still felt compelled to reach out and tell you that. Keep up the stellar content!

[@jeremygreen2883]

The police knock on Mary's door... "So sorry to bother you ma'am, but your boyfriend is Herman Munster, and he is wanted for questioning in a heinous crime that will inspire a moderately successful horror movie in over a decade."

[@TheFoxFromSplashMountain]

And then there's the director who is also an absolute monster from what I've heard.

[@ForgottenDaydreamer]

Indeed he was-

[@Lena-so2lq]

Dreading channel tells it all.

[@funniebunnie4u]

Another GREAT video! Thanks for all you do, Cadabber! You're da bomb! 😉 Love from Texas! 💕🤠💕

[@louramcqueen]

Denis’s swimsuit picture though… poor Marilynn! Jeepers 👀 Creepers, they couldn’t have picked a better name!!!

[@lesliebonventre6483]

Hahahahahaa

[@klownfromouttatown1188]

I love you man! Love your stuff, keep it up.

[@FernandaHaiabe]

Unrelated but the intro song is such a banger. Always pump me up for some good storytelling!

[@shootingspree2]

Great video man, keep it up!

[@JEMA333]

i love you cadaber please uplod more. i cant find anyrhing good to watch anymore

[@andreweldridge3714]

The entire opening of Jeepers Creepers shows every event in the exact same order as the Dennis Depue saga. From the license plate game to the lonely country road to the van to the car (same color) to tailgating the car to the bloody sheet to the abandoned building, etc. When Victor Salva wrote the movie, he hadn't intended on anyone remembering the Unsolved Mysteries segment because ten years had passed. But UM was a massively popular show with reruns in syndication and this one being one of the more memorable cases. How he never thought people would have noticed and remembered this story is beyond me.

[@80AM.]

your content pleases me very much. keep it up.

[@CreatorofSecks]

Its kinda suspected, the dude looks like he came straight out of the Adams family

[@brokenstoneproductions5796]

Amazing video. Keep it up man 🤙

[@slavmurderanalysttruecrime3070]

Cadaber, you’re the best thing that happened to me today

[@gimmeuhbreak]

Wow I’m really early, thanks for another one!

[@akusuaakoto6702]

I think for the girlfriend, it was kinda a good thing he wouldn't allow her to see that episode of unsolved mysteries. If she would've seen that episode, she probably would have been victim #2.

[@tonyhinojosa666]

Ayuyyyy keep up the good shit man, would love to see some more internet stories 🖤

[@dirckthedork-knight1201]

Another awesome video

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I loved the first jeepers creepers. It came out right when i was a young teen starting to go to haunted houses with my friends or haunted corn maze's 🌽 and it was just perfect to have mixed in to our life's especially around Halloween era time

[@Hey_Jamie]

13:37 I swear this is the photo they use for prop decor in Halloween decorations. That’s the scariest photo I’ve ever seen.

[@wafflemypancakesuponthesun875]

Really enjoyed the video

[@audri1742]

coldwater is only about a 30 minute drive out from where i’m at.. crazy how i never heard about this until now. very informative!

[@nightmarehound]

Great video! Now you really gotta do a video of the Jeepers Creepers director tho... start it exactly the same way...

[@jstonehoh]

Uugghh I love your opening theme. I bohm it off silently so often

[@Forever-411]

I live just down the road from the school on snow prairie road. They've done a lot of work on the lawn. Not sure when but I've heard talk about the removal of the entire building due to this case even though it holds history for branch county.

[@aetheriism]

I actually grew up in Coldwater Mi and visited the schoolhouse since I didn't live too far from it. Definitely creepy! It hasn't really been maintained (obviously) but the decayed school + the history gives you shivers.

[@sambailey7066]

In the first story they should've called the cops way before they did

[@lollipoplemur5073]

Yep. Thought of Jeepers Creepers right away. This was a terribly sad episode. I feel for the kids.

[@LucienYT]

Am I the only one who saw that picture of the husband and wife and thought he was a dead ringer for the alien skin suit from Men in Black...?!

[@caseyd9471]

Happy Friday!

[@LokiturnedmeintoaFrog]

These guy's are heroes for risking they're lives by going back to find the body

[@ikejime77]

Bro is chinese 😂

[@sugarcoatedslaughterhouse4937]

Is it not common sense to report it when someone LITERALLY TELLS YOU that they’re considering killing someone? You know, like, *before* they do the thing?

[@penultimania4295]

Its pointless anyway, the police won't do anything before the actual crime took place.

[@sugarcoatedslaughterhouse4937]

@@penultimania4295 good point! Police are mostly useless

[@svenkrisenberg6684]

For the first five minutes, I actually thought he was just doing spark notes of the movie as a sort of fake out to make it seem real

[@alexismuckleroy326]

Thank you!

[@samuraimonkie5748]

this is so crazy dude. I loved jeepers creepers as a kid and never knew that the inspiration behind it shot himself in my town

[@ikejime77]

Chinese like from ; china

[@daveatkins3568]

This was a great movie. And this was a great video about it. 👍

[@laney2796]

I grew up about 20 minutes from this area. Wild

[@vcall6121]

Oh my god that photo is several times more horrifying than any of the movies

[@ihaveaname699]

Oooooo, Cadaberrrr!!!!

[@patras458]

That couple photo is haunting af

[@oxitape1563]

I thought this was gonna be about the director who is also a monster in his own right

[@no_peace]

Holy crap

[@oxitape1563]

@@no_peace yeah it’s a completely separate rabbit hole you can dig into

[@chadchadwig690]

What do you mean how so ?

[@pickles3128]

This was a really, really great one! I love the true ones! Less keen on the reddit "stories."

[@justsomerandomguy8210]

4:57 this man looks like the physical embodiment of the word ghoul

[@ryanmurphy2089]

New cadaber is great news

[@Zeffer32]

what a despicable coward for shooting himself instead of facing the consequences of his actions. Video and storytelling are amazing as always

[@captain07234]

Jeepers Creepers, the one horror movie in which the film's director is scarier than the monster.

[@auntdede6780]

“He accused Marilyn of turning the kids against him” why do all divorces dads do this

[@lanac7974]

Because even the kids be breaking up with them lol

[@ConernicusRex]

I’m from that area, know the family and am incredibly familiar with the case. None of us locally were ever able to figure out how it had anything to do with Jeepers Creepers. There’s literally zero connection between them.

[@ConernicusRex]

And none of that B-roll is Snow Prairie Rd.

[@kevindube7096]

Dang all of their family photos are just *made* for a horror movie. This story is WILD

[@elperroloco1988]

Yes! I commented many years ago on the unsolved mysteries segment. Glad someone agrees.

[@Poopieknife]

It’s so crazy this isn’t a more known story, people are so shocked when i tell them.

[@PhilOrth]

The unsolved mysteries episode of this scarred me as a kid, mainly because of that unsettling family portrait. That fucking portrait, my god.

[@memus3852]

The picture of the couple together is far more disturbing that the evidence, crimes and tale.

[@barrymaaslow3480]

Another banger brought to us by the amateur-hour masters here in YT Land!

[@b0zz1380y]

Bloody plainly difficult doing Jurassic park like a legit disaster and now you making me doing double takes until you mentioned jeepers creepers!

[@doctorthirteen5499]

I saw the episode of Unsolved Mysteries this was featured on when it first aired. Yeah I feel old.

[@skunky-lee]

This opening scene terrified me as a kid watching keepers creepers when I was little and now knowing it’s based on a real happening 😂

[@smolsammichowo]

I know this is kind of silly for me to comment but the little intro jingle makes me want to headbop, lol

[@Szyperak]

Funny how he wrote that he was too old to start over and then seamlessly proceeded to start over

[@OO-fb4ly]

the intro song always has me dancing

[@dot4690]

Omg im really early, i love this channel

[@ripp3rjak934]

The too old to start over part is so true and i sympathize with that. Except all the killing no murder parts.

[@carlyfredrickson8390]

love this music

[@WobblesandBean]

I thought this was gonna be about Victor Salva, the writer/director of Jeepers Creepers. He's another monster who only served 15 months for his crimes, cuz that's just how Hollywood operates.