- Why do you look so short?
Audiences love lots of corn.
(guitar riff)
- You know this is the fourth Patty's Day
since I started doing this show
and somehow I've never gotten into
the Leprechaun franchise
which is a shame really because it's the most
nineties franchise of them all.
It had all the nineties cliches.
There was one in L.A.,
one in Vegas, one is space, two in the hood,
and the first one was the one with Jennifer Aniston.
Now that the franchise has gone full halloween
and created a direct sequel to the original film
ignoring the canon established by all
those movies in between,
it seems only fitting to spend this St. Patrick's Day
reviewing the series.
Now, it all started when creator Mark Jones
decided to make the jump from
TV to film and setting his sights on horror
decided to make a cross between the Lucky Charms mascot
and Critters,
which when you hear it,
makes so much sense
regarding the tone of these movies.
The first one was a pretty straight forward
movie about an evil leprechaun.
Guy steals a pot of gold from said leprechaun.
Leprechaun follows him back to the U.S. and
gets trapped in a crate.
Years later, Jennifer Aniston's family moves in
and her friend mistakenly frees him.
And things get all kinds of murdery from there.
And like I said, it's exactly what you expect
from an evil leprechaun movie.
For the second one, things step up there nineties-ness
because nothings said nineteen nineties like
setting a sequel in Los Angeles.
But of course let's also break out the old standard of
supernatural being stumbles on a girl in modern times who
is a descendant of their ancient love.
One of my other favorite things about the Leprechaun series
is that they give zero (bleep) about
continuity film to film.
He gets blown up in the first one
impaled on rote iron in second one
and then the third one opens up with him
having been transformed into a statue
thanks to a magic medallion.
It's like they were actively trying to be
the tropiest horror series of all time.
And they actually might have been.
Number three opens up in Vegas and the leprechaun,
in statue form obviously,
has been sold to the Pawn Stars or something.
And guess what they do right away?
They take off the medallion so he comes back to life
and goes on a rampage
searching for gold coins in Las Vegas.
This was also the first time one of the sequels went
direct to video which is also one of the most
nineties things you can do.
Now I am pretty sure that there's a rule
that if you are a horror franchise
that operated in the late nineties
you had to go to space.
Jason did it, Pin Head did it.
So I can't blame the Leprechaun franchise here.
They were just following the rules.
But what they did when they got there?
Oh boy (sigh)
Yeah, Leprechaun in Space.
It takes place one hundred years in the future
and the leprechaun is trying to hook up
with an alien princess?
This whole movie is insane.
At one point the leprechaun transforms himself into the clap
and then bursts out of a guys penis.
And honestly, I don't know what else I can say
about a movie where that happens.
So, part five.
Yeah, also bonkers.
And despite being made in 2000
it's still super nineties.
It features Ice-T as Mack Daddy Onasis
coming across the leprechaun in the statue form
from the beginning of Part 3
and stealing a golden flute to become
a successful music producer.
I'm going to be honest here.
I haven't seen this thing in a very long time
but even the synopsis is problematic.
And the worst part is even after the
leprechaun rap at the end
yeah you heard me
they still decide they need a second
Leprechaun in the Hood movie.
Now in all fairness, Leprechaun Back to the Hood
You know what?
No.
They used the number two and spelled the with an a there.
There's no fairness.
Let's just move on because by the time they
finished that one, we were even at a point where
Warwick Davis was done with the franchise.
And so was everyone else.
There was one weird reboot thing with
Hornswoggle from the WWE
but raise your hand if you saw that one.
Exactly.
However, that brings us to the latest entry
which is the one that's going full Halloween.
It picks up twenty five years after the original film
and forgets all the sequels
which I think is really something we should all be jealous
of its ability to do.
Leprechaun Returns is actually a Sci-Fi movie.
Not the genre but the TV network
and for some reason
they released it just before Christmas.
It has Lila,
daughter of Jennifer Aniston's Tory from the first film
heading back to the cabin
again from the first film
because her and her friends want to tear down and
build a sorority house in the middle of nowhere.
Despite warnings from Ozzy played again by Mark Holton
who will always be Chubs from Teen Wolf to me,
the girls inadvertently awaken the leprechaun
who proceeds to go on a murderous rampage
searching for his gold.
You know, really getting back to the basics.
Which after the rest of the movies,
is actually a welcomed change.
Now like I said
this aired on Sci-Fi in December
so you can't be blamed for missing it
but now is as good a time and
arguably a more seasonable time
as any to check it out.
And let us know what you think.
Is the latest film a return of Leprechaun?
What's your favorite movie in the franchise?
Let us know in the comments
Or remember Fright Hype and Crypt TV are
all over the internet.
Until next time keep the horror on the screen
and off the street.