Halloween might be the next major holiday on the calendar but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a little luck o’ the Irish. Ahead of Halloween and to mark the occasion of the first Leprechaun movie’s 30th anniversary, director Mark Jones is giving his take not on the horror flick that launched an eight-movie (so far) franchise, but its sequels both good, bad and whatever Origins was going for.
Speaking with Comic Book Resources, director Mark Jones said he is a fan of most of the sequels, although there is one entry that stands out as notably bad. “I was a little bit involved in [Leprechaun 2]. I was a producer on [Leprechaun 2], but then I went off to do other stuff. I thought Leprechaun in the Hood was great. There’s a whole fan base there. Everyone but [Leprechaun: Origins], and all due respect to the filmmakers who made it, I know they worked hard, but that was not, to me, the right tone.” Jones noted that Warwick Davis’ absence was felt; instead, franchise devotees got Dylan Postl, better known as wrestler Hornswoggle – but hey, at least it gave him a better storyline than being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son…He added, “[There] was no personality. It wasn’t a character. It was just a monster. The last one, Leprechaun Returns, number eight, I loved. I thought that was great because they went right back to the original in the farmhouse and brought the leprechaun out of the well 20 years later.”
Mark Jones has clearly been protective of leprechaun characters over the years even outside of Warwick Davis, as he once sued over a “vamprechaun” movie…which sounds a heck of a lot better than it would probably end up.
Although Mark Jones’ Leprechaun involvement has been limited – especially considering it is one of the more prolific horror franchises – his take on its sequels is cool to read. The most recent entry was 2018’s direct-to-video Leprechaun Returns, which starred Linden Porco as the titular character. Warwick Davis hasn’t played Lubdan the Leprechaun since 2003’s Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, and he is not expected to return for Lionsgate’s “reimagining” of the series.
If you want the full list of Leprechaun sequels and reboots, here we go: Leprechaun (1993) was followed by Leprechaun 2 (1994), Leprechaun 3 (1995), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997), Leprechaun in the Hood (2000), Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003), Leprechaun: Origins (2014), and Leprechaun Returns (2018).
What is your opinion on the Leprechaun movies? Which is your favorite sequel? Let us know below!
