174) Leprechaun Returns (2018)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (The Final Leprechaun... For Now) 

"Twenty-five years! I've got a lot of killing to make up for." 

*Spoilers ahead*

Director
Steven Kostanski

Cast
Taylor Spreitler - Lila Jenkins
Pepi Sonuga - Katie
Sai Bennett - Rose
Linden Porco - The Leprechaun
Mark Holton - Ozzie Jones
Emily Reid - Meredith
Ben McGregor - Andy
Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins - Matthew

Nowadays in the horror genre, there are a fair number of horror sequels being released which negate previous sequels regardless of how many there are, and what sort of plot points they establish in a franchise. Who cares about all that? 

If there are any horror sequels that deserve negating, it's the Leprechaun sequels starting with part two all the way to part six, "Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood." Hey, let's toss the seventh film "Leprechaun: Origins" into the negate pile, too. Why not? 

"Leprechaun Returns" is a direct sequel to the first movie with no regards to all the previous installments in between. What luck! 

This time it's bloodier, gorier, and horrific-er. 

In this last Leprechaun movie, college student Lila Jenkins (Taylor Spreitler) is heading to the same old house in North Dakota as seen in part one. She, and other college students, are going to work on the house as a project to make it green, environmentally speaking. Get it? Going green! You know... cause "leprechauns." Yuck, yuck. 

The house is now owned by their school, Laramore University. 

While waiting at the bus station for her ride which doesn't come, Lila runs into Ozzie Jones - the same Ozzie from part one, played again by Mark Holton. He seems to recognize her but can't place where he has seen her before. Ozzie also offers her a ride to the house.

At first, she's apprehensive and declines to go as he's a little odd, and she doesn't know him. However, as her sorority mates aren't showing up, she agrees. 

In his truck, Ozzie finally realizes that Lila is Tory Redding's daughter. That is, Tory from the first movie played by Jennifer Aniston.

Unfortunately, Tory died from cancer before the story begins. 

When they get to the house, Ozzie is understandably weary about being there especially after the events from part one. Still, knowing that the leprechaun is dead and hasn't shown up in 25 years gives him a little peace of mind. 

While helping unload Lila's luggage, he accidentally drops his phone nearby the well where they dropped the leprechaun's remains years ago. 

When he goes to retrieve it, water from the well explodes up all over Ozzie. 
As he scrambles to his car and is driving away, Lubdan the Leprechaun (Linden Porco) begins forming inside him. 

Ozzie pulls over and runs into the woods where the Leprechaun tears his way through to spring back to life.  

Linden Porco takes over the role of the Leprechaun in "Leprechaun Returns."

Back at the house, Lila meets her sorority sisters- Katie (Pepi Sonuga), Rose (Sai Bennett), and Meredith (Emily Reid).

Meredith, who happens to be a partying stoner, brings some guys along with her - Matt (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins) and Andy (Ben McGregor) who has the hots for Katie. 

Obviously, they're all fodder for Lubdan, stuck in and around the house as he tries to pick them off one by one. He still wants his gold back. He hasn't forgotten about it. But one of the girls found it earlier in the rusted truck it was left in yeas ago. She used it to finance the house project through a bank back in Bismark.  

Lila keeps seeing Ozzie's ghost who helps her take down the leprechaun.  

Lubdan makes his presence known to everyone in the house. 

And when the girls think they have the upper hand over the leprechaun, Lubdan pops back into action. Evidently, the only way to kill him off is to destroy every last part of him. Otherwise, he'll spawn from whatever pieces of him are left. 

Lubdan is much more menacing and brutal towards his victims than before. This makes up for his being generally non-frightening. He's more of an annoying nuisance, albeit deadly when he wants to be, than terrifying. 

In a few scenes, he even pauses to allow some of the sorority girls take selfies with him.

The oddball leprechaun in "Leprechaun: Origins" takes that award for coming close to being terrifying. 

Considering the source material, and what the movie is given from part one, this is not a bad follow up. As a horror comedy, it's alright. 

Mark Holton is entertaining as he plays an older version of Ozzie. In the first movie, Ozzie is dimwitted and a bit slow. He comes back now seemingly wiser and much more cautious. At first the idea of his character being a ghost throughout the story came across as stupid. But it keeps him in the story, and gets some laughs, so I appreciate that. 

In the scene where Lila rides back to the house in Ozzie's truck, he has images of four-leaf clovers plastered all over in the inside of his truck. Clovers are Lubdan's weakness.

"Are you Irish?" she asks.

"No!" he says without any hesitation.

"Fond of the culture?"

"Not at all!"

Linden Porco is just as quirky as Warwick Davis's Lubdan, though Porco maintains a more sinister and angrier demeanor for the titular character. He's more determined, darker, angrier, and hellbent on getting his gold back while inflicting his deadly revenge.     

He speaks in limericks just as before, most of which are lewd.  

Lubdan kills a lot more for its own sake, and for the thrill, as well as for the sake of inflicting revenge for his gold. 

One point of continuity is Lubdan's obsession with shoes. It's another detail from part one that doesn't really come about in the following films.  

In one scene, he throws a pair of krocs in the trash saying "probably doing fashion a favor by killing that one." 

Taylor Spreitler as Lila Jenkins.

Taylor Spreitler performs her lead character truly well. She's likeable and easy for the audience to get invested it. Lila isn't naive and weak. She's energetic. Her character doesn't let fear cloud her judgement. 

Spreitler, and the rest of the cast, put in energy and effort into their characters. Like the first movie, the cast is clearly having fun within the premise and make the most with what they're given.

Even though Lubdan doesn't die at the end of this, and the film ends on the idea of his return, it's still a good film to end the series on though I doubt that this will be the last audiences see of Lubdan. 

In a Feb. 20, 2023 article posted on the Den of Geek website, "Leprechaun" director and creator Mark Jones is quoted as saying, “I hear rumblings that they want to do another Leprechaun. Warwick and I have talked on and off about it. He likes the idea of a Leprechaun in the Wild West. I think they should do a TV series where the Leprechaun travels the country looking for his gold.”

Maybe they should do a cross-over like, "Leprechaun vs. Chucky" or "Leprechaun vs. Krampus vs. Sam (from Trick 'r Treat) All Holiday Monsters Attack!" or some such thing. Maybe the Leprechaun can save Christmas, or be left home alone while the family takes a vacation. Maybe we'll get "Leprechaun: Reloaded," or "Leprechaun Resurrections," or "Dawn of Leprechaun, Back 2 tha Hood 3: Rise of Evil - In Space." 

As far as "Leprechaun Returns" goes, director Steven Kostanski said in one of the DVD special features that he wanted to make a goofy movie with heavier gore, yet a return to the original. 

He definitely accomplished what he set out to do. It's a monster movie with plenty of horror and comedy. 

All the typical horror tropes are there. It has the old farmhouse setting. It has young sorority girls out of their element. And mixed in is a pissed off deadly monster back from the dead. 

Kostanski keeps the spirit of the original film while maintaining a feeling and atmosphere all his own. This movie is full of effects which work for the most part.  

"Leprechaun Returns" manages to be a fun horror romp that ends the series well (for now, anyways). 

So, after watching all these "Leprechaun" movies, do I think leprechauns are scary? No, they're not. Well, they did try making them scary. But, again, they're not. Leprechaun creator Mark Jones probably knew that and went the logical route with his idea. He made it a horror comedy. Somehow, the franchise has made itself a small little niche in the genre along side some big legends. Well done, Jones.

Otherwise, that's it for Halloween 2023's "Somehow Leprechauns are Scary Extravaganza!" Somehow, I managed to get through all eight movies just before Halloween despite starting this late and deciding what movies to review at the last minute. 

I can't wait to check out another horror series next year. It can't come soon enough. Until then, Happy Halloween! 

173) Leprechaun: Origins (2014)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 7)   

"Cabin in the woods! What's not to like?"

Director
Zach Lipovsky

Cast
Stephanie Bennett - Sophie
Andrew Dunbar - Ben
Melissa Roxburgh - Jeni
Brendan Fletcher - David
Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl - The Leprechaun
Garry Chalk - Hamish McConville
Teach Grant - Sean McConville

Mary Black - Mary


The powers that be in pretend evil leprechaun land decided to reinvent the wheel when it comes to these "Leprechaun" movies. This, I think, is a rare instance where a reboot isn't such a bad idea. 

"Leprechaun: Origins" came out 11 years after the previous "Leprechaun: Back to tha Hood." And this movie marks the first in the series not starring Warwick Davis in the titular role. 

"Leprechaun: Origins" could easily be its own film completely separated from ye olde campy horror comedy leprechaun movies. 

This seventh movie is all horror and no comedy. 

Nothing from the previous films is present. Even Lubdan the Leprechaun is gone. 

This leprechaun doesn't resemble the snarky, sarcastic, ugly but stereotypical leprechaun of yore.

This thing looks like something out of Mordor on a mission to do the will of Sauron. 

The movie starts with a young couple (as most horror movies do), Catherine and Francois, running from something out in a forest someplace in Ireland. Of course, it catches up and drags Francois away where it starts eating him.

Catherine tries running for her life towards a huge stone monolith in the middle of a field. But she doesn't quite make it. This mysterious creature grabs her, too, and that's the last we see of them. 

The story shifts to four American college students, David, Ben, Sophie and Jenni, who are travelling through Ireland. 

Sophie (Stephanie Bennett) is a history major interested in the monoliths out in the rural countryside. They have ancient markings carved on them which grabs her attention. 

The four of them make their way into a very small town that has a pub, as most Irish towns do.

They order a round of pints and talk history talk. 

A local old guy named Hamish McConville (Garry Chalk) overhears them speaking about history and barges in on their conversation to ramble about the history of the village. 

It used to be a gold mining town until the gold supply diminished. And when it did, the village population diminished, too. 

It's a leprechaun, not an Orc.

Hamish offers to take them to a cabin nearby so they can get an early start in the morning and hike to the old caverns where the gold mining took place. 

Hamish's son, Sean (Teach Grant), drives them out to a cabin where they spend the night. Little do they know that Hamish locked them in from the outside. 

That night, Jenni (Melissa Roxburgh), investigates strange noises outside. She sees some kind of creature out there, screams, and wakes everyone up. 

The four of them quickly figure out what Hamish has done. They're stuck inside! 

This mysterious creature sneaks in through the fireplace, and grabs Jenni's gold earring, ripping it out of her earlobe. 

It then chases them around the cabin until they manage to escape through a door in the fireplace. At that moment the creature grabs David's (Brendan Fletcher) leg and takes a nice bite out of it. 

They run to an empty house down the road and hide in the basement. 

Sophie finds an old book on mythical beings down there that has information about creatures called tuatha dé danann, or leprechauns. The picture in the book looks exactly like what was chasing them.

Evidently, the leprechaun chasing them had a claim over the gold that the local villagers had mined. So, the locals owe a debt to the leprechaun. 

They offer tourists to the leprechauns, along with their gold, in compensation for what they took out of the mine. 

And these four are the next offering to the leprechaun who wants every last piece of gold compensated for.

Kudos to the producers for taking the franchise out of L.A., and space, and "tha hood," and putting it back over to Ireland. It put this type of horror where it fits best - at the root. 

The story is a brutal and bloody reimagining of "Leprechaun." And the writers-that-be really went all in on the reimagining part. They definitely sat down and did some full-on reimagining. This barely resembles the original other than they both have an angry leprechaun wanting its gold, along with some young kids trapped in an old house fighting to save their lives. 

Unlike the other movies, this one has a major horror feel to it. That's primarily thanks to its cabin-in-the-woods story. But, like the previous "Leprechaun: Back to tha Hood," the characters are uninteresting and easily forgettable. The story tries to make them likeable so the audience will sympathize with them in their nightmarish plight, but it doesn't work. They're just there to be picked off one by one. 

Melissa Roxburgh in "Leprechaun: Origins."

What's even more annoying is the way the leprechaun is constantly obscured by shadows, blur, cutaways, and shaky camera work. It's effective, maybe, in the first act. By the third act, it's pointless and frustrating. 

"Leprechaun: Origins" strives to be dark, gritty, gory and horrific. For the most part, it succeeds in that regard. When I say, "somehow leprechauns are scary," this movie tries to make that true. This makes sense as director Zach Lipovsky is also a visual effects specialist. 

The leprechaun, played by WWE wrestler Dylan 'Hornswoggle' Postl, doesn't spook his victims with silly Irish styled Halloween limericks, and stating such things like "I want me gold." It snarls and chases with no mercy nor compassion. It's vicious and grotesque. It's more cryptid than mythical. 

This strange reimagining makes the movie a modern creature feature with the title "Leprechaun" slapped on it to give the film some significance and distinction among all the other cabin in the wood's horror creature features. 

It's the same story but a different style and approach. As for the title "origins," we don't get any deep insight into the "origin" of the leprechaun. "Leprechaun: Back to tha Hood" has more origin story than this movie. A more accurate title for this seventh installment might be "Leprechaun: Motives." 

Anyways, the visuals in themselves are affective and truly horrific. The same is true about the film's atmosphere.

All the typical horror tropes are there. There are the lone vulnerable college students completely out of their element, the spooky rural cabin, creepy small-towners, a working vehicle without keys, and an antiquated book with all the answers!

The writers obviously wanted to make this distinct. And, yes, it is distinct. I can't bash "Leprechaun: Origins" too much for accomplishing something different, but it's different in appearance only. The general storyline is the same as the rest of the movies, but with heavier blood and gore. There's plenty of it. Though it's a major turnaround from the previous movies, it is predictable, cliche, and really still the same old thing but with a much darker and serious tone. "Leprechaun: Origins" is a nice try at best. In the least, it deserves a participation award. 

172) Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 6)   

"We've had our fun. Now, give me what's mine!"

Director
Steven Ayromlooi

Cast
Warwick Davis - Lubdan 
Tangi Miller - Emily Woodrow
Laz Alonso - Rory Jackson
Donzaleigh Abernathy - Esmeralda
Shiek Mahmud-Bey - Watson
Sticky Fingaz - Cedric
Keesha Sharp - Chanel
Sonya Eddy - Yolanda
Beau Billingslea - Officer Thompson
Chris Murray - Officer Whitaker

The sixth Leprechaun movie "Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood" is both a sequel to the last movie "Leprechaun in the Hood" and a general sequel to all the previous movies. 

Well, it's a sequel to the last movie in name only. Nothing from the fifth movie except Lubdan the Leprechaun (played again by Warwick Davis) and "tha hood" return in this movie. I don't even know if it's the same Los Angeles hood as before, but it's a Los Angeles hood none-the-less. Regardless, it's both a sequel in general, and a sequel to part five. Double sequel!

Speaking of returns, four-leaf clovers are used once again in an attempt to defeat the leprechaun just like the first movie. They're like what kryptonite is to Superman. This plot point, as I recall, is ignored in the previous sequels. So, one point for continuity. 

Anyways, for reasons beyond my understanding, the writers-that-be thought Lubdan needed to return to the...I mean... "tha" hood." They thought this is what audiences needed to see.

'Back to tha Hood' begins with an illustrated back story about leprechauns, their origin, and what the deal is with Lubdan being all evil and stuff.  

Evidently, an ancient king summoned a bunch of leprechauns to protect his gold. So, they did. When this king died, all the little people went back to their little homes in the forest. 

Well, one leprechaun (Lubdan, obviously) didn't necessarily want to leave the king's gold. He was obsessed with it. And after the king's death, he claimed it for his own. 

Now, that ancient leprechaun is back in the hood. How he got to Los Angeles from Ireland is beyond me. In part two, he transported to L.A. through a tree to find the distant relative of the lass he wanted to marry. So, why he decided to stick around and hide his gold in an L.A. hood is a stupid decision. But here we are. 

The story shifts to present day where Fr. Jacob (Willie C. Carpenter) has Lubdan's gold which he plans on using to finance a youth center. Lubdan, of course, cares not for youth nor their centers. He wants his gold. 

As the two of them fight, the pastor pulls out a bottle of holy water laced with four-leaf clovers. 

He banishes Lubdan, dousing him with this holy four-leaf clover water. Demonic hands come out of the ground and drag the leprechaun to Hell. Afterwards, the pastor succumbs to his injuries. 

A year goes by after the pastor's death. 

Warwick Davis returns as Lubdan the Leprechaun for the
last time to date in "Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood."

Two gal-pals, Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and Lisa Duncan (Sherrie Jackson), visit a fortune teller named Esmeralda (Donzaleigh Abernathy) who warns them, especially Emily, that they'll find a great amount of wealth in the near future. However, they must reject this fortune when it comes as it will lead to a terrible evil. 

During a barbeque at the site of the unfinished youth center, Emily and Lisa, along with their stoner pal Jamie Davis (Page Kennedy) who's hangin' with Emily's ex-boyfriend and drug dealer, Rory Jackson (Laz Alonso), join in. 

Suddenly, Emily falls through a sinkhole and finds herself in a basement or some kind of substructure where Fr. Jacob hid Lubdan's chest of gold. She finds the chest as the others come to rescue her. When she brings the gold back to the surface, they split it evenly among themselves to spend as they wish. 

Little do they know that opening the gold chest has brought the evil leprechaun out of hell. He then hunts them down to get his gold back. 

As always, he'll kill anyone who gets in between him and his precious treasure. At times, he'll just kill whoever he stumbles upon. 

Lubdan also makes it a point to get a few more hits on the bong, like he did in part five, because that's what they do in "tha" hood. 

I wanted to get through part six quickly so I could get to the last two Leprechaun movies sooner than later. Those are the films I'm anxious to see the most, especially the last in the series - "Leprechaun Returns." 

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I'm hoping for one of these movies to be at least kinda worthwhile.  

Anyways, I gave a little praise to the last movie. "Back to the Hood," however, is anything but worthwhile. 

None of the characters are interesting, except Lubdan by default. Otherwise, there's nothing about them to care about or like. 

We know that Emily and Rory are planning on attending college and want out of "tha hood." But that's about all the back story we get. Otherwise, the audience is given nothing about them to take interest in. So, who cares when they die? They're just present so Lubdan has someone to get his gold back from. 

It's just one dumb cliche after another, mixed with one terrible performance on top of another. 

The whole thing is a waste of film. The only thing that's intriguing is the underlying message about greed. 

When we're introduced to Emily and Lisa, they have a momentary lament about the unfinished youth center. No money in "tha hood" means no youth center. Later, when they find the gold, they don't even bother to consider using it to finish that project. It never comes up. 

Later, Lubdan calls them out on their greed when Emily chastises him for killing people just to get his gold back.

"Don't you presume to tell me right from wrong," he says. "You compromised all you believed in once you got the gold, just like all those before you. Your kind is weak, and will always give in to your selfish yearnings."
"It brings out the worst in us, doesn't it," Emily responds. 

This is probably the peak of intelligence throughout the whole movie. I hope no one was hurt. 

As far as horror goes, this movie certainly delivers more than the previous films. The gore is ramped up. And the characters actually fight several times with Lubdan in stead of just run. It seems like everyone goes a few rounds with Lubdan. Watching thugs fist fight a leprechaun is hilarious. 

To its credit, despite all the bad writing, the movie did make me laugh a few times. 

In one scene, Lubdan starts threatening one of the local dealers named Watson (Shiek Mahmud-Bey), who's interrupted by a phone call. Watson answers and makes Lubdan wait. The conversation is clearly with his girlfriend who's upset about something. Lubdan, looking annoyed, just stands and waits for him to finish this phone call. 

While the previous movie showed a little bit of improvement, this movie is sloppy and haphazard. Things just happen with no rhyme or reason which feels more like editing issues than anything else. There's some clear incoherency.  

In one scene, Emily comes to the realization amazingly fast that a leprechaun is coming after his gold. It takes little for her to make that realization. There was no previous discussion or explanation about leprechauns. It just comes to her impressively fast. I feel like something was cut out before she comes to that outlandish, but correct, conclusion. 

Part six marks Warwick Davis's last performance to date of the titular character. 

It would be 11 years before audiences saw another Leprechaun movie. And what comes next may be what the series needs - a reboot! Otherwise, "Leprechaun: Back to tha Hood" is a mindless pointless blood fest (emphasis on "mindless") double sequel creature feature. 

171) Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 5) 

"Look at all these glittering goods - I've got more loot than Tiger Woods!"

Director

Rob Spera

Cast
Warwick Davis - Lubdan the Leprechaun
Ice-T - Mack Daddy

Anthony Montgomery - Postmaster P. 
Rashaan Nall - Stray Bullet
Red Grant - Butch
Dan Martin - Jackie Dee Redding
Lobo Sebastian - Fontaine Rivera
Ivory Ocean - Rev. Hanson
Coolio - Himself
Barima McKnight - Slug
Jack Ong - Chow Yung Pi

I can't believe I'm saying this but "Leprechaun in the Hood" (aka "Leprechaun 5") might be better than the previous three sequel movies. That doesn't mean I think it's a good movie. I'm just saying it's an improvement. It has more of a "creature feature" feel to it than the previous "Leprechaun" movies, all things considered. The other sequels are just goofy comedies with some "horror" simply to keep the franchise within the boundaries of the genre. 

This time, Lubdan the Leprechaun finds himself in "the hood." That "hood" is in Los Angeles. There's a lot of hoods down there, evidently. And he's been to L.A. before in part two. So, he should know his way around.  

The movie starts in the 1970s as these two guys, Mack Daddy O'Nasses (Ice-T) and Slug (Barima McKnight), find a hidden chamber someplace underground. Maybe it's under the hood? I don't know.

Inside, they find a solid stone leprechaun statue with that same amulet from part three around his neck that turns him to stone. 

His pot of gold is next to him which is obviously what Mack and Slug are looking for. 

Mack Daddy takes a gold flute sitting on top of the pot of gold. And Slug takes the medallion off the statue's neck. 

When he does, Lubdan returns to life and kills Slug with his own hair pick.

Mack Daddy and Lubdan start to fight. During their scuffle, the amulet is flung into the air and lands around Lubdan's neck turning him back to stone.  

Twenty years go by. Novice rappers, Postmaster P. (Anthony Montgomery), Stray Bullet (Rashaan Nall) and Butch (Red Grant) audition at a club with hopes of heading to Las Vegas to perform and make it big as artists. Unfortunately, their speakers explode during their performance. 

So, they try pawing a guitar with a fake Jimi Hendrix signature to help pay for a new speaker, but no one's fooled by it. 

Mack Daddy stumbles across these three and decides to give them a meeting to see how good they are.  

Postmaster P tells him they want to write tunes that don't promote violence, drugs. and all that. 

Mack thinks that's "whack" as he puts it, and tells them their music needs to be more violent and gritty. So, he kicks them out of his office. 

The three of them decide to inflict revenge on Mack for humiliating them. So, they break into his office and rob it later that night. 

As they ransack his office, Mack walks in on them. Postmaster panics and shoots him. During the chaos, Postmaster steals the gold whistle that Mack stole from the Leprechaun 20 years before. And Butch unknowingly frees Lubdan from his statuary state when he snatches the gold amulet. 

The three of them escape. Lubdan comes to life and immediately searches for his stolen gold.

During his search, he turns some "flygirls" into a small army of his own zombies to go find his flute. Lubdan himself goes after the three friends as well. The three rappers soon realize the flute has power to place listeners into a hypnotic euphoric trance. Anyone in the flute's magical trance are easy to manipulate.

Warwick Davis and Ice-T in "Leprechaun in the Hood."

Also, Mack survives his gunshots and goes after the three to retaliate for their shenanigans. 

The film goes back to a more plausible scenario, even with the fantastical elements, which is seen in the first movie. Despite being about a killer leprechaun, the movie sets him in a relatable premise - the "hood" - with more relatable characters. And somehow, the movie manages to accomplish, even if just barely, making these characters interesting enough for the audience to care what happens to them. 

It's not set out in space sometime in the future, or in any other ridiculous premise. It's a movie about a creature terrorizing an otherwise normal group of characters in a rather normal scenario. It's like Jason going after the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, or Michael Myers going on a killing spree in Haddonfield, Ill. Let's keep this kind of horror simple. After all, outrageous settings didn't work before in the "Leprechaun" films.

There's enough solidity in the movie's general plot that kept me interested. The story of three aspiring young rappers in Los Angeles trying to enter the entertainment industry and then seek revenge against the record producer who humiliates them and kicks them out is an intriguing story in itself. They're suddenly up against a killer folklore creature going after his gold. At times, Lubdan feels like a third wheel in his own movie. If he wasn't involved in the story, I'd still be interested enough to watch. 

But to tie him in, the writers came up with the whistle as something for him to find other than his pot of gold.  

Even with the Leprechaun's inclusion, the story does feel a lot more focused. Kudos to the writers for clearly trying to come up with a better story than the previous films.  

The movie still has its campiness, lame dialogue, and bad acting. There's also a scene with Lubdan smoking weed because, I guess that's what's expected if he's in "the hood." During this scene, he states, "A friend with weed is a friend indeed, but a friend with gold is the best I'm told.

I criticized the last Leprechaun movie as looking low budget, which it does. Its budget was $1.6 million.

Part five looks like it would have a bigger budget, considering the movie has a better cast with bigger names attached such as rapper Ice-T and a cameo from rapper Coolio. The budget for part five is $1.4 million. Go figure.

As the series heads farther away from being horror to being a corny comedy, this movie turns the franchise around in the direction towards being much more of a creature feature horror flick. I mean, they're all creature feature flicks. This one feels more so.

170) Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 4) 

"Agony is my name!" 

Director
Brian Trenchard-Smith

Cast
Warwick Davis - Lubdan The Leprechaun
Rebekah Carlton - Princess Zarina
Brent Jasmer - Staff Sergeant "Books" Malloy
Jessica Collins - Dr. Tina Reeves
Guy Siner - Dr. Mittenhand
Geoff Meed - Private Kowalski

I've mentioned the ridiculous tone of each "Leprechaun" film in my last three posts. Just when I thought it couldn't get any campier, it gets even campier.
As soon as I finished watching "Leprechaun 4: In Space" I couldn't tell if it's worse than part three or not.
This is certainly the most outlandish scenario for a series about a killer leprechaun. Lubdan, played again by Warwick Davis, is now wreaking havoc in space sometime in the future. At least the series is taking an avenue no other movie has. Chalk one point for originality as I think it's safe to assume there are no other movies, horror or otherwise, about leprechauns killing people in space far into the future, but not too far.
The movie takes place in the year 2096. Somewhere out on a remote planet called...who even cares?...
Lubdan is trying to wed Zarina (Rebekah Carlton), the princess of this unusual planet.
His intention is really to take over as king of her planet.
While Zarina and Lubdan agree to marry one another, they're both secretly plotting to kill each other.
Little do each of them know of the other's murderous intentions. Of course, Lubdan plans to enjoy the perks of their wedding night before he does the princess in.
Meanwhile, a platoon of space marines (I guess), led by Staff Sgt. 'Books' Malloy (Brent Jasmer) is heading for the planet to take down Lubdan who has been interferring with their mining operations.
They find the Leprechaun's lair, and his pot of gold.
One of these marines called "Lucky" (Ladd York) tries to steal some of the gold, but Lubdan kills him with what looks like an Irish lightsaber. I'm guessing that's what it is as one of these movies has to have a Star Wars nod considering Warwick Davis's role in the Star Wars universe. 
One of the marines hurls a grenade, and Lubdan jumps on it to protect his bride.
He blows up into pieces. and everyone rejoices.
One of the marines, Kowalski (Geoff Meed) celebrates by suiting himself to a pee over the pieces of the Leprechaun.
When he urinates, Lubdan's spirit enters into him.
Everyone returns to the ship with the injured body of Zarina. They intend to return the princess to her home planet and establish peaceful relations.
However, Dr. Mittenhand (Guy Siner), the ship's cyborg captain, has other plans for Zarina. He wants to use the princess's regenerative DNA to recreate his own body. Meanwhile, Lubdan reemerges from Kowalski's body, and the hunt is on for the marines to find him as he sneaks about their ship. 

Warwick Davis returns once again as Lubdan in "Leprechaun 4; In Space."

I don't know where to begin commenting on this movie.
To begin with, the set is laughably low budget. Normally, I don't like to critique low-budget films too harshly. I'm breaking my personal guideline with this movie. 

Lubdan's lair looks like the art directors used paper bags, spray paint, and bargain props from a Spirit Halloween store to design his lair. This movie's budget, by the way, was $1.6 million. This is the best they could do?
Anyone can have a crazy enough story for a movie. And it's easy enough for an audience to buy into silly and absurd premises as long as the movie is entertaining to some degree. With "Leprechaun 4: In Space" I was left asking myself, "Why is this a thing?" The whole movie is gimmicky as hell.
Warwick Davis is about the only fun thing in the entire experience. He still goes with the role, and has fun with it. Otherwise, to say it's all over-the-top is a big friggin' understatement. At least Brent Jasmer puts in some effort and energy into his role as the sergeant. Half of his head is a glossy metal plate which certainly gives him a unique look. Another sizeable portion must have gone to Dr. Mittenhand's cyborg appearance. He turns into a spider in the final act. So, all that must have really eaten up the budget. Yeah! The cyborg turns into a big giant spider because the movie, I guess, wasn't ridiculous enough.

Guy Siner puts in some over-the-top acting as the villainous mad doctor. He has to put that kind of energy into such a character, really.
No doubt these makeup effects ate up a sizeable portion of the budget. Otherwise, the acting is as shamefully scripted and dull just like the performances in part three.
Still, I have to conclude that between part three and part four, "Leprechaun 4: In Space" is better by default. It has a more creative premise. That's not saying much, if anything. 

"Leprechaun: In Space" is just a campy comedy film with an outlandish Sci-Fi twist. There's a little gore just for the sake of classifying the movie as horror. It's the bare minimum. As far as I'm concerned, it's anything but a horror film.

Otherwise, it's just as much of a cash grab as the third one. The only difference is part four has a little more imagination about it, but I'm being really generous.  

169) Leprechaun 3 (1995)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 3) 

"Look out, Vegas. I'm taking over!" 

Director

Brian Trenchard-Smith

Cast

Warwick Davis - Lubdan
John Gatins - Scott
Lee Armstrong - Tammy
Caroline Williams - Loretta
John DeMita - Fazio
Michael Callan - Mitch
Tom Dugan - Art
Marcelo Tubert - Gupta

If "Leprechaun" parts one and two are the goofy but fun siblings in the series, part three is the embarrassing sibling that the other movies should keep locked up in the attic and never speak about to the outside world. 

Up to now, "Leprechaun 3" is the absolute worst of the "Leprechaun" movies. 

I could just stop all this now and spare my braincells from the pending doom that awaits them. But I got this far. The damage has been done already. 

As this movie is also known as "Leprechaun: In Vegas," (spoiler) this movie takes place in Las Vegas.

The story begins as a down-on-his luck guy, who's been clearly beat up, stumbles into a pawn shop. He tries to sell the proprietor, Gupta (Marcelo Tubert), a hideous leprechaun statue with a strange amulet around its neck. 

Gupta gives the stranger some cash for the statue, and then removes the amulet even though the stranger warned him not to. 

As soon as he takes it off, a pot of gold suddenly appears. Drooling over this mysterious mound of gold, Gupta doesn't notice the statue come to life. Obviously, it's Lubdan from the previous movies played again by Warwick Davis. 

He attacks Gupta until he sees the amulet. The sight of it frightens Lubdan. 

He flees to the back of the pawn shop with his gold, unaware that he dropped one of his gold coins while fleeing from Gupta and the amulet. Gupta finds the coin before looking up info about leprechauns on the computer. 

While all this is going on, college kid Scott McCoy (John Gatins) is passing through Vegas. He sees a gorgeous girl named Tammy (Lee Armstrong) stranded on the side of the road.

Her car won't start, and she needs to get to the Lucky Shamrock Casino where she works as an assistant to a magician named Fazio (John DeMita).

Scott offers to drive her to work and tries to persuade Tammy to sneak him into the casino as he's not old enough to gamble. She's hesitant at first but agrees to get him inside. 

Once in and past the watchful eyes of the casino, he immediately starts gambling. And, to no one's surprises, he quickly loses all his college tuition money. Welcome to Vegas, kid. 

With no money left to squander, the Roulette dealer suggests that he sell his watch at the pawn shop across the street. 

That's what he does. It happens to be Gupta's pawn shop. 

He wanders in and finds Gupta's body along with the gold coin. 

A video about leprechauns is playing on the computer. He picks the gold coin and makes an inadvertent wish that he can win his lost money back, and then some.

The coin instantaneously transports Scott back to the Roulette table where he has a huge winning streak. 

Little does he realize that he was almost attacked by the Leprechaun back at the pawn shop moments before being transported. So, Lubdan knows Scott has his gold coin. 

Casino manager, Mitch (Michael Callan) wants to put an end to Scott's big winning streak lest it leads to an even bigger financial loss for the casino. He closes the Roulette table and offers Scott a free room. 

Warwick Davis as Lubdan in "Leprechaun 3."

Scott runs into Tammy on the casino floor, and brags about his winnings and free room. 

Tammy knows how things operate at this crooked casino and encourages him to take his money and leave. He refuses, so she tells him to hide in his room until her shift ends. 

And that's what he does.

While Scott takes a shower, Fazio, aware of Scott's lucky streak, breaks into his hotel room to find and snatch his winnings. However, he only manages to steal the gold coin. 

Shortly after he leaves, Lubdan barges into Scott's room to retrieve his gold coin.

He and Scott get into a scuffle, during which Lubdan bites him. 

Scott manages to fight him off, tossing the Leprechaun out the window. 

The coin is stolen from Fazio and is passed around from person to person who all steal it from each other. Each culprit makes wishes on the coin, which leads to Lubdan enacting revenge on each of them after their wish is granted. It doesn't end well for anybody.

Scott finds he's slowly turning into a leprechaun himself thanks to Lubdan's bite.

Finally, Scott and Tammy are forced to face off against the Leprechaun in order to stop him and turn Scott back to his normal self. 

This is the first direct-to-video movie in the series which isn't surprising. 

It's bad. It's really bad. I mean, the others are campy but still entertaining as long as the audience just goes with the premise of a killer leprechaun. 

This installment is painful and pointless. No one even tries to make it as mindlessly fun like the previous two. None of the characters are interesting. They're not even interesting accidentally. 

The acting sounds embarrassingly scripted. All the actors...and I mean all of them... remind me of high school students putting on a play. 

One thing we learn about Lubdan, who's listed in the credits as simply "Leprechaun," is that he bleeds green blood. 

Also, according to this film, if you get bit by a leprechaun, you'll turn into one. Your face will grow a bit hairier like a leprechaun. You'll develop an Irish brogue, along with an insatiable appetite for potatoes, a sudden knowledge of limericks, and an inordinate love for gold. In the plus column, you won't shrink.   

All around, "Leprechaun 3" is nothing above a witless, effortless cash grab. The series should end here, but it doesn't. This time, I was cheering for Lubdan to take down all these boring, substandard, uninteresting characters. Watching him do so is all the movie has to offer. "Leprechaun 3" is the start of putting Lubdan into oddball scenarios like some sort of experiment. 

Were part two heads down the road away from being horror, and heads towards being a silly comedy, part three knocking on that door. It's far less a horror movie, and more of a campy comedy. 

If titles indicate anything, it looks as though nothing will improve in the next installment, "Leprechaun 4: In Space." It's directed by, Brian Trenchard-Smith, who directed this flick.  So, we'll see. Maybe I'll get lucky.

168) Leprechaun 2 (1994)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part 2) 

"Luck has nothing to do with it." 

Director

Rodman Flender

Cast

Warwick Davis - Lubdan
Charlie Heath - Cody Ingalls

Shevonne Durkin - Bridget

Sandy Baron - Morty
James Lancaster - William O'Day
Billy Beck - Homeless Man

If the first "Leprechaun" movie sees itself as being maybe a bit of a goofball horror flick, "Leprechaun 2" is unmovably convinced without a doubt that it's a goofball horror. It refuses to accept any other label.  

Saying that "Leprechaun 2" is worse than part one seems like a bleedingly obvious statement. 

Does it really come as a surprise? Like the first movie, it's apparent the actors in part two know what kind of movie this is and go with it. 

The movie starts 1,000 years ago in Ireland - the land of saints, scholars, and... leprechauns - as Lubdan the Leprechaun celebrates his 1,000th birthday on the feast of St. Patrick.  

He tells his slave, William O'Day (James Lancaster), that he found a young woman he intends to marry whether she knows it or not. And once he's married, O'Day will be set free.

Lubdan shows O'Day his dream girl and, to O'Day's horror, it's his own daughter. 

He begs Lubdan to choose someone else, but the leprechaun says that when she sneezes three times, she'll be his bride.

So, he manipulates her to sneeze three consecutive times by blowing the thistle seeds. On the third sneeze, O'Day says "God bless you" out loud, foiling Lubdan's plans. 

In retaliation, Lubdan kills him and swears to marry one of O'Day's descendants on his next 1,000 birthday. 

The story jumps to his next 1,000th birthday which takes the leprechaun to modern day Los Angeles. 

A kid named Cody (Charlie Heath), which is such a standard name for a young 90s horror movie protagonist, is working for a haunted tour service called "Dark Side Tours." This limo ride takes tourists to true-crime locations around L.A. I wonder how they narrow down only a few crime spots to showcase. 

Anyways, it's owned by a lush named Morty (Sandy Baron). 

Cody manages to get a limo full of paying tourists and tries to get Morty to do his job and drive them around. Cody, after all, is anxious to go on a date with his girlfriend, Bridget (Shevonne Durkin), that same night. However, he finds Morty too hammered to drive. So, much to his complete disappointment, and Bridget's dismay, Cody has to drive the tour group around himself. 

Warwick Davis and Sandy Baron in "Leprechaun 2."

Instead of going on their date, he takes Bridget along and drops her off at the go-kart track where they were originally going to go. 

She meets up with some smug rival teenager named Ivan, whom the audience knows right away is going to die later. And he does. Spoiler warning, by the way. 

Lubdan makes his way to L.A. via an old "Irish" tree near Harry Houdini's former house. 

A homeless man witnesses Lubdan enter the current time through the tree. Lubdan notices the homeless man has a gold tooth and decides to take his gold for himself. So, he yanks it out.

When Ivan drives Bridget home, he tries to pursued her to invite him inside. Of course, she refuses and smacks him. 

However, as he's leaving, he sees Bridget in the garage calling to him and apologizing for being rude. So, he wanders over. She starts to (ahem) seduce him. Little does he know it's Lubdan in disguise. As Ivan goes in to kiss her, he doesn't realize he's about to stick his face into a running lawnmower. 

Inside, Bridget has no idea what's happening in the garage. 

Cody stops by with flowers and apologizes to his girlfriend. 

Suddenly, Lubdan makes his presence known, and tries to claim Bridget as his bride since she's a distant relative of O'Day. She just needs to sneeze three times. 

Cody tries to say "God bless you" but Lubdan uses his magic to tie the phone cord around his neck and lift him in the air. 

He's able to free himself and struggles with Lubdan. The leprechaun shows her his pot of cold (that's not a euphemism, by the way), but she kicks it over. He quickly gathers up his precious gold but misses one gold coin. Cody finds it and plans to use this coin as a bargaining chip to rescue Bridget. 

Lubdan takes Bridget back to his lair to make her his bride and consummate their "marriage."

However, he realizes his gold coin is missing. 

The leprechaun tries to get his coin back while Cody goes on a rescue mission, with help from Morty, to rescue his sweety, Bridget. 

The writing and pace of "Leprechaun 2" seem like the movie is trying to hurry up and make it to the end. Some plot points are rushed through while others are treated as if the audience will understand it all anyways. So, no explanations are given. Then again, it is "Leprechaun 2." Who needs an explanation? 

Shevonne Durkin alongside Davis.

Despite its weaknesses, there are some funny and entertaining scenes in this sequel. One scene in particular has Lubdan on a bender as Morty attempts to out drink him. The scene starts off with Lubdan at one end of the bar glaring at Morty and tapping his fingers on the counter, waiting for something to happen. I can't help but notice that Davis looks bored in this scene, as though what he's really waiting for is the end of the movie.

This same scene includes an obvious nod to Tod Browning's 1932 horror movie "Freaks." Moments before Morty and the leprechaun drink against each other, a group of small people dressed as leprechauns (because it's St. Patrick's Day) meander into the bar. Once the challenge starts, all the short people start encouraging Lubdan by chanting "One of us! One of us!"

What distinguishes Lubdan from other horror movie creatures is how out in the open he is. He interacts a lot more with his victims and bystanderds. Despite how murderous he is, Lubdan is still a leprechaun, and acts as mischievous as one would expect. He does his share of lurking in the shadows but makes his presence known to anyone in order to gain what he wants - namely, his gold. We learn a little more about him in this movie. Evidently, Lubdan can't touch iron. It glows red hot when he does touch it. 

This sequel has more hack and slash horror compared to the first film, including a scene in which Lubdan kills a barista with an espresso machine. 

Overall, the movie has a more amateurish tone. It has all the feels of a decently made film school project. 

Davis is the only returning cast from the first movie. No one else comes back. And Rodman Flender takes over the director's chair for part two. Clint Howard (Ron Howard's brother) has a cameo as a tourist. So, there's that.

It's a horror movie that's heading down the road toward being a silly comedy. 

The writing is choppy and all the cliche horror tropes glisten like the gold in Lubdan's pot. It's as typical a creature-feature as such a movie can get. It knows what kind of a ridiculous movie it is and goes with it regardless. It doesn't try to be a top-notch horror flick. "Leprechaun 2" knows better than to try. So, take it for what it's worth. 

167) Leprechaun (1993)

Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are Scary... Extravaganza!  (Part One) 

Last Halloween, I dedicated the season to the king of the monsters, Godzilla, by watching his first 15 movies. I called this string of commentaries, "Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza...For the Love of Godzilla. All Hail, the Monster King!" And it was fun. 

I started watching Godzilla movies months before Halloween to make sure I had plenty of time to get 15 reviews finished by October. 

Now, it's October again. So, I'm dedicating this season to another horror villain...Lubdan the Leprechaun. Ever heard of him?

This is a last-minute decision, by the way. He wasn't my first nor my second pick for Halloween 2023.

Initially, I was going to watch all the "Friday the 13th" movies starting in June. But that didn't happen. 

I was also thinking of watching and reviewing various Dracula movies in no particular order for Halloween. Who's more of a classic Halloween icon that Dracula? Well, that didn't happen, either.

By the second week of August, I had nothing started and no solidified plans. As far as movies go, I spent the summer getting caught up on the year's new horror releases. 

By luck (no pun intended) I obtained a complete set of these Leprechaun movies as a birthday present from my lovely wife. Since there's eight of them, and it's still early enough, I can definitely get through them by and through October. 

So, "Leprechaun" it is. At the time of writing this, I've only ever seen the first one. I'm curious enough to see what this series can possibly do with such an odd and non-horrific character like a leprechaun. 

With that said, I guess I'll call this thread "Halloween 2023's Somehow Leprechauns are scary...extravaganza!" Enjoy. 

☘

The Review

Warwick Davis is Lubdan in "Leprechaun."

"Try as they can. Try as they might. Who steals my gold won't live through the night."

Director

Mark Jones

Cast

Warwick Davis - Lubdan

Jennifer Aniston - Tory Redding

John Sanderford - J.D. Redding

Ken Olandt - Nathan Murphy

Mark Holton - Ozzie

Robert Hy Gorman - Alex Murphy

Shay Duffin - Dan O'Grady
William Newman - Sheriff Roy Cronin

It amazes me how many writers and producers out there come up with horror movies in which anything, even the most mundane objects, become vessels of deadly terror. 

For instance, "Rubber" is a 2010 horror movie about a spare tire with the psychokinetic power to kill people. 

"Attack of the Killer Donuts" is a 2016 horror movie with a title that speaks for itself. 

The same is true for the 2019 low-budget, straight-to-DVD flick "Killer Sofa." I once reviewed a Dutch movie from 1983 about a killer elevator called "The Lift." The same idea was repeated in the 2001 movie, "The Shaft."

Even renowned horror writer Stephen King has a popular story about a killer 1958 Plymouth Fury called "Christine." He also wrote a story about a killer clothes press called "The Mangler." Director Tobe Hooper turned it into a movie in 1995.

The world of horror movies has seen killer rabbits, killer telephones, killer snowmen, killer Santa Claus, killer refrigerators, killer turkeys, killer elevators, killer video games, and killer hair weaves and extensions. Yes, hair extensions! I'm referring to the 2020 movie "Bad Hair" and the 2007 movie "Exte: Hair Extensions." Those exist! The list goes on. 

This trend in horror in horror seems to be shifting towards turning popular children's stories and nursery rhymes into horror movies and slasher flicks. The most notable title of this subgenre to recently come out this year is "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey." Just today, I saw a trailer for a horror movie called "Mary Had a Little Lamb." And the same production company, Dark Abyss, that's bringing horror fans "Mary Had a Little Lamb" also released a trailer for a slasher flick called "Three Blind Mice."

For me, the "Leprechaun" movies fit perfectly into this general oddball branch of horror. My idea of what leprechauns are was shaped by the 1959 Disney movie "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" in which Leprechauns, especially King Brian (if you know, you know) are mischievous, solitary, and certainly not life-threatening. 

By the way, that movie deserves a review of its own. 

Jennifer Aniston as Tory.

"Leprechaun" starts in 1983, somewhere in rural North Dakota, as an Irish guy named Dan O'Grady (Shay Duffin) returns home from a trip to Ireland. 

He tells his wife that while overseas he stole a pot of gold from a leprechaun named Lubdan (Warwick Davis) after having some kind of discussion with this mythical creature.

He buries the gold he brought home but doesn't realize the leprechaun followed him to the states by hiding in his suitcase. 

Lubdan kills his wife and then demands his gold back from O'Grady.

In retaliation, O'Grady uses a four-leaf clover to hold the leprechaun back as, evidently, four-leaf clovers keep a leprechaun's powers at bay. 

He traps Lubdan in a crate, nails it shut, and dumps gasoline over it. Before O'Grady can light it on fire, he has a deadly stroke. 

Before dying, he leaves the clover on top of the crate to keep the little guy from escaping. 

Ten years later, J.D. Redding (John Sanderford) and his daughter, Tory (Jennifer Aniston), arrive at the now abandoned house to rent it for the summer. 

At the same time, Nathan Murphy (Ken Olandt), his kid brother, Alex (Robert Hy Gorman) and their special needs friend, Ozzie (Mark Holton), have been hired to fix up the place. Alex and Ozzie start by painting the home. 

Ozzie ventures down into the dusty old basement as he hears a child crying for help down there. 

He pinpoints the cries as coming from the crate. 

When Ozzie accidentally brushes off the four-leaf clover,  Lubdan frees himself. 

He tells Ozzie that he's a shoemaker by trade desperate to find his gold. This becomes a running gag as Lubdan is often slowed down by the need to shine and repair shoes throughout the movie. I guess this makes him obsessive compulsive. 

Terrified, Ozzie runs out to tell everyone what he just witnessed. Of course, nobody believes him. 

He then notices a rainbow off in the distance and runs to find the rainbow's end.

Alex chases after him. They both end up finding a bag of gold hidden in an abandoned pick-up truck at the end of the rainbow. 

From there, Lubdan will do whatever it takes to be reunited with his beloved gold...even kill. He chases everyone around trying to find his stash while they all try to take him down. But his magic is tricky enough to make that nearly impossible. You can't catch a leprechaun, after all.

It's the same cat-and-mouse kind of horror seen again and again. What's supposed to be scary is really goofball nonsense, with a wee bit o' blood and gore mixed in. 

I think the cast knew how ridiculous the premise this this movie is, and just went along with it for the fun. 

"Leprechaun" is nothing more than corny popcorn horror and humor. 

I think it's well remembered for starring a young Jennifer Aniston before she was Rachel on TV's "Friends." 

It also stars Warwick Davis previously seen in "Return of the Jedi" and "Willow." 

And Mark Holton also stars in this movie. I only know Holton from two other roles - Francis Buxton from "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and Chubby in "Teen Wolf" and "Teen Wolf Too."

To its credit, Davis's leprechaun makeup does look unsettling. While he dawns the traditional Leprechaun garb- buckled shoes, green hat and coat, and striped socks, his face is disturbing. 

The gore factor is salted with Lubdan's cheesy comedic methods to take out his victims. 

In one scene, he kills a pawn shop owner by hopping on him with a pogo stick simply because Alex and Ozzie loaned him one of his gold coins to date and appraise. 

It's a movie meant to be enjoyed simply for the mere nonsense of it all. 

What's even weirder than a deadly leprechaun killing anyone who has his gold, is that the movie has spawned five sequels plus a 2014 reboot called "Leprechaun: Origins." 

In 2018, a direct sequel to this first movie was released called "Leprechaun Returns."

Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl takes over the role of the Leprechaun in "Leprechaun: Origins" as Warwick Davis plays the titular character in all the previous films. 

And while Warwick Davis doesn't return for the 2018 sequel, Mark Holton does.  

This isn't the first fairy tale or urban legend director Mark Jones, who has a history in television directing, turned into horror. Aside from directing "Leprechaun 2" in 1994, in 1995 he directed the horror comedy "Rumpelstiltskin" which also stars Mark Holton. 

As far as Leprechaun goes, Jones was evidently inspired by the 1988 film "Critters" which I previously reviewed, as well as Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. I can definitely see that. Though there's little in this movie that's magical or delicious.

"Leprechaun" is a movie that audiences have to take at face value. Obviously, it's ridiculous. But it leaves the impression that it's trying to establish something lasting in the horror genre. I think it did so rather successfully, all things considered. Otherwise, it has to be viewed for the mere fun of watching something this absurd.