By Tim Binnall
A Brazilian man's misguided homage to his favorite horror film landed him in trouble with the law after he frightened his community by dressing up as the movie's nightmarish villain. According to a local media report, the strange case began late last month with the emergence of videos showing an individual roaming the streets of Xexéu wearing a long black coat, a wide-brimmed hat, monstrous-looking clawed gloves, and an unsettling mask. The footage soon spread like wildfire on social media, with many frightened residents suggesting that the ominous figure was a werewolf or some other supernatural being. As fears surrounding the situation grew, police were understandably keen to identify the worrisome stranger seen wandering around Xexéu.
Fortunately, cops quickly caught the curious individual, unmasking him to reveal local electrician Elivaldo Ribeiro de Sales. Upon being questioned, he confirmed that the community's concerns about a supernatural entity in their midst were somewhat correct, but only in a fictional sense. The man explained that his antics were an homage to the 2001 horror film 'Jeepers Creepers' or, as it is known in Brazil, 'Hungry Eyes.' An inexplicably enormous fan of the Justin Long vehicle that spawned two sequels, Ribeiro de Sales indicated that he had been dressed as the series' villain, The Creeper. Though he insisted that his actions were merely a joke, cops were less than amused and charged him with disturbing the peace.