We begin on a long, desolate country road where Trish, played by Gina Philips, and her brother Darry, portrayed by Justin Long, are on their way home during Spring Break. Their choice to take the scenic route reveals Darry's suspicion that Trish is procrastinating on a conversation about her recent breakup with her college boyfriend. As they drive, they engage in a light-hearted game of interpreting the vanity plates on passing vehicles.
However, their casual drive takes a sharp turn when they encounter a mysterious RV. As they attempt to decipher its plates, they are soon tailed by an old, beat-up van that approaches aggressively, honking its horn. Trish urges Darry to let the vehicle pass, leading to a tense moment when they temporarily enter the path of oncoming traffic. The van's unconventional license plate reads “BEATNGU,” sparking a conversation about a local legend concerning two high school teens, Kenny and Darla, who met a tragic fate.
The tension escalates as they make a pit stop by the roadside. Trish expresses her concerns about their mother's well-being, insisting that Darry is oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Their sibling squabble is interrupted when they spot the same van parked near an abandoned church, where a shadowy figure is seen dumping something wrapped in blood-stained sheets.
Driven by a sense of urgency, they decide to investigate, but Trish’s attempts to contact the police fail as their phone battery is low. This ominous hitch takes a terrifying turn when the van suddenly rams into Trish’s car multiple times, forcing them off the road and into an isolated field.
Determined, Darry wants to return to check if the figure's victim is still alive, against Trish's wishes who insists on seeking help instead. Their descent into this nightmare deepens as they explore the sinister church and discover disturbing evidence of twisted practices involving body disposal. When Darry ventures into a dark pipe, he stumbles upon a dying individual wrapped in the same bloody sheets, resulting in a horrifying revelation: the victim has been mutilated.
In a panic-filled moment, Darry realizes that the culprit is more monstrous than they anticipated. While Trish waits anxiously outside, her perception of safety rapidly crumbles as they encounter the Creeper, a terrifying entity that has been the source of local legends for decades. The Creeper's hunting tendencies begin to surface, revealing his ritualistic need for human parts as part of a 23-day feeding frenzy every spring.
As night falls, the siblings find themselves embroiled in a life-and-death struggle. After several close encounters and grisly sights, including the brutal murder of local police officers, they seek refuge in a diner, only to be met with disbelief from the locals. In a desperate moment, they receive a cryptic warning from a caller about the palpable danger they face as the Creeper closes in.
The night becomes unraveling chaos as the siblings race against time, aided by a local woman named Jez, who reveals the terrifying nature of the Creeper's powers and what he seeks. As they encounter more horrors, including the Creeper's relentless pursuit through a police station, the reality of their situation becomes unbearable. Trish tries to sacrifice herself in a bid to save her brother, but as events spiral further into darkness, the stakes become clear: survival against a creature that feeds on fear and flesh.
The climax reaches a horrifying peak as Darry's fate is sealed within a nightmarish factory, brought to life through the haunting strains of the Jeepers Creepers song that foreshadows doom. Here, Darry becomes another victim, part of the nightmarish tapestry of the Creeper's grotesque collection, leaving Trish to grapple with the consequences of their fateful choice to take the long way home.
