My History With the Film:
I was ten years old when the first Leprechaun movie came out in 1993, and it was all the rage amongst my fellow fourth graders. Leprechaun was the type of movie that worked as a gateway horror film to reel in the pre-teens and teenagers into the world of the scary and macabre. I remember seeing it in pieces, but it never really did much for me. It was just too goofy for my liking. I believe the first time I watched the film all the way through was just a few years ago. I found it enjoyable, but it wasn’t anything I had an interest in watching again.
Leprechaun Returns, like the most recent Halloween film, ignored the previously released sequels and instead act as a follow up to the original film. Going this route eliminated all the chaos and mess that came in-between. The original teaser captured my attention and with the renewed focus on horror over comedy I decided to put Leprechaun Returns on my list of films that I needed to watch when St. Patrick’s Day came along.
On March 17th, 2019, I found myself on a flight to Paris with a downloaded copy of Leprechaun Returns on my cell phone. Here are my thoughts.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
Sorority sisters unwittingly release a leprechaun who once raged havoc on an isolated house twenty-five years earlier.
What I Liked About It:
-I love Linden Porco’s portrayal of The Leprechaun. In all honesty, I like him better than Warwick Davis. I thought the makeup was good, I loved his attitude, and his portrayal never screamed “little person in a costume.” He really inhabited the character and brought it to life more than I expected.
-The story was decent for a Leprechaun film. It tied in well to the original and while there wasn’t much of a plot, there was enough to give The Leprechaun a backdrop to cause chaos and that was fun.
-There is some great gore in this film which was unexpected considering this was aired on the SyFy channel.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-The movie is low budget and it feels like it. This film feels like a 90’s movie, which is something I love, but I have a feeling most people will not like in 2019. It was hard to decide whether or not to include this in What I Liked About It or What I Didn’t Like About It.
-Effort was put into this sequel and I admire the risk they took creating this film as a direct sequel to the original movie, but I can’t help but feel like they had an opportunity to do so much more and instead gave the film the proper sequel it deserved twenty plus years ago.
Additional Notes:
-Mark Holton (Ozzie) is the only original cast member to return for the sequel.
-Warwick Davis declined the role as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns, because he is now a father and feels differently about horror films. He said once his child grows up, he may return to them.
-The movie was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.
Rating:
I’ve seen Leprechaun, Leprechaun 2, and bits and pieces of all of the other films and this by far was my favorite of the franchise. It takes itself a bit more serious than the rest, but still has fun with the character and the ridiculous premise. The kills are good, the gore is great, and the makeup is top notch. With that being said, the acting is rough and this really does feel like a sequel to original film and the lower budget makes it feel like it was made in the 1990s, which is something I like a lot. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever watch Leprechaun Returns again, but if I get an inking to check out a Leprechaun film in the future, Leprechaun Returns is most likely what I’ll reach for.
Leprechaun Returns is an enjoyable time, especially around St Patty’s Day. I’d say it’s a rental and a solid two and a half out of five.
