I don't have any illusion that The Creeper is as popular or will ever be as popular as any of the classic movie monsters, but I think in the heart of every young horror fan is his desire to create his own creature.

Early career
In 1986 he made the low budget horror film Something in the Basement which attracted the attention of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola who in turn helped Salva finance his first feature-length film Clownhouse (1989) and many subsequent films. His biological father abandoned the family and Salva reports that the stepfather was often drunk and physically abusive. Salva wrote and directed the horror film Jeepers Creepers (2001) and its sequel Jeepers Creepers II (2003).

He is best known for directing the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.