Victor Ronald Salva (born 1957/1958) is an American filmmaker. The self-described protégé of Francis Ford Coppola, he has primarily worked in the horror genre, most notably as the writer-director of the commercially successful Jeepers Creepers (2001) and its sequels Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) and Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017). Outside of horror, Salva wrote and directed the fantasy-drama film Powder (1995).

Salva's filmmaking career has been controversial due to his 1988 conviction for sexually abusing a 12-year-old actor who starred in his feature film debut Clownhouse (1989) and videotaping the encounter, along with possessing child pornography, having been publicised in 2006. This has led to protests against his films, including a boycott of Powder organized by his victim.

Early life
Born in Martinez, California, Salva was raised as a Roman Catholic. His biological father abandoned the family and Salva stated that his stepfather was an alcoholic and physically abusive.

The adolescent Salva was very interested in horror and sci-fi; his favorite monster movie was Creature from the Black Lagoon and, in 1975, the local newspaper reported that Salva had sat through Jaws 55 times. By the time he graduated from high school, Salva had written and directed more than 20 short and feature films. To finance his filmmaking hobby, he often held two jobs during the week. Salva's family disowned him at 18 when he came out as gay to his mother and stepfather. Salva was a child-care worker at some point before becoming a filmmaker.

Early career 
In the mid-1980s, his 37-minute short film Something in the Basement (1986) took first place in the fiction category at the Sony/AFI Home Video Competition. A horror allegory about a young boy awaiting his brother's return from a bloody war, the highly acclaimed film went on to win several national awards (including a Bronze Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival) and brought Salva to the attention of Francis Ford Coppola, who then produced Salva's first theatrical feature, Clownhouse (1989), which Salva again wrote and directed, with Salva becoming Coppola's protégé.

Child sexual abuse and child pornography 
In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with one of Clownhouses underage stars, who was 12 years old at the time, and videotaping one of the encounters in which he forced the victim to perform oral sex on him. Commercial videotapes and magazines containing child pornography were also found in his home. Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under fourteen, and procuring a child for pornography. He was sentenced to three years in state prison, of which he served 15 months. He completed his parole in 1992.

Later career 
Salva's career took a hiatus after his release – he did not make another film for two and a half years. He worked as a telemarketer during the week and wrote scripts during the weekend, supposedly delivering them to well-known producers while posing as a delivery boy.

His next film was The Nature of the Beast (1995), a direct-to-video mystery horror film which Salva wrote and directed. It starred Lance Henriksen and Eric Roberts. Salva based the film's characters on people he met in prison.

Salva next made his first big-studio picture, Powder (1995), the tale of an albino boy with special powers that make him an outcast. At the time of the film's release, Salva's conviction became known to the public when his victim came forward, calling for the film's boycott. Disney officials stated that they had been informed of Salva's crime only after production of Powder had begun. When asked about the controversy surrounding Powder, Salva said, "This has followed me around ever since it happened, but once people meet me the phantoms go away and they realize I made a stupid mistake, years ago. ... My past is going to follow me around for as long as people want to talk about it." His victim, Nathan Forrest Winters, later released a documentary detailing the sexual abuse by Salva, which began when Winters was 7 years old following a year of grooming.

Salva next made Rites of Passage (1999), a coming-of-age thriller. The film depicts a homophobic father who unwittingly pushes his gay son into the arms of a psychotic killer.

In 2001, Salva wrote and directed Jeepers Creepers, executive produced by his mentor Francis Ford Coppola, which was a breakout hit and set a record for the largest Labor Day box-office ever, followed in 2003 by Jeepers Creepers 2, again executive produced by Coppola.

Salva's next film after Jeepers Creepers 2 was Peaceful Warrior (2006), an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical book Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. The film depicts the emotional and physical trials of a young gymnast and his awakening under the tutelage of a mysterious spiritual guide portrayed by Nick Nolte. He then returned to the horror-thriller and supernatural powers themes for his films Rosewood Lane (2011) and Dark House (2014).

In 2017, Salva wrote, directed, and produced the third installment of the Jeepers Creepers franchise, Jeepers Creepers 3, again executive produced by Coppola. The release drew controversy for incorporating a character who was the victim of child molestation. Dialogue that suggested justification for the molestation was later cut from the film.

Salva described his films in 2001 as "atmospheric and macabre, with no happy endings, but not to be taken totally seriously".

Filmography

References

External links

1950s births
Living people
American people convicted of child pornography offenses
American people convicted of child sexual abuse
American male screenwriters
Hispanic and Latino American film directors
Horror film directors
Writers from Los Angeles
People from Martinez, California
Prisoners and detainees of California
Criminals from Los Angeles
Gay entertainers
LGBT people from California
American LGBT entertainers
LGBT Roman Catholics
American LGBT screenwriters
Film directors from Los Angeles
Catholics from California
Screenwriters from California
People from Palmdale, California
American LGBT film directors