Leprechaun is a product of the 1990s through and through. It has it all: a killer with a gimmick, people making bad decisions, and a future A-lister. Those who love this film really love it and those who hate it really loathe it. It’s a true love-it-or-hate-it experience. And given how many sequels and even a remake it has spawned, it’s clearly unstoppable. So we’re diving into the killer at the end of the rainbow.
After a couple smuggle a leprechaun’s gold into the U.S. from Ireland, bad luck befalls them. They’re forced to fight for their lives and ultimately lock the creature in their basement. Years later, a teen girl’s father brings her to the house he just bought for a summer of bonding and repairs. Oh yay, every teen girl’s dream.
As soon as she arrives, young Jennifer Aniston establishes herself as a spoiled princess who wants nothing to do with the place. That is, until the standard early-’90s handsome handyman shows up. And he doesn’t come alone.
The handyman brings two sidekicks:
The kid looks like a knockoff Lawrence brother, and the other guy feels like a distant cousin of Andy Richter.
Are they necessary? Maybe not. But they:
Before long, they accidentally free the leprechaun.
And surprise, he’s not thrilled.
Once free, the leprechaun wastes no time:
With his look, humor, and gleeful violence, he feels like a mix of Freddy Krueger and Chucky. Horror fans ate it up then and still do now.
Is it for everyone? Of course not.
Should everyone see it anyway? Absolutely.
This is also a great movie to show anyone who thinks Jennifer Aniston only started with Friends. She gives it her all here. She flirts, complains, and fully commits even when the material gets ridiculous.
She’s not really the star, though. Well… she kind of is. But the real focus is the leprechaun himself.
Played by Warwick Davis, the leprechaun is the heart of the film.
After playing:
Davis gets to go full villain here and clearly has a blast doing it. He makes the movie. Without him, it probably doesn’t work.
1993 gave us:
And yet, Leprechaun still holds its own as pure entertainment. Maybe not prestige cinema, but absolutely worth 90 minutes.
Dark. Really dark. And surprisingly effective. The leprechaun’s wordplay alone has kept scenes circulating since 1993.
No fancy CGI here. Just:
Jennifer Aniston’s wardrobe is a time capsule:
A decoy cereal brand had to be used after the real company backed out. The result? One of the film’s best closing gags.
A child trying to:
while being more logical than the adults.
A full Leprechaun marathon isn’t for everyone. The sequels? Mixed results. Except for one:
If you’re watching for St. Patrick’s Day, here are some dangerous ideas:
Take a shot every time something painfully ’90s appears.
Take a drink every time gold is mentioned.
Or drink only when he says “me gold” for a challenge.
Drink whenever you see:
Warning: this escalates quickly.
Jennifer Aniston was once embarrassed by the film, but now sees it as her first real success.
This movie was expected to fail.
Instead, it became a cult classic.
Why?
Is the leprechaun as iconic as Freddy, Jason, or Chucky? Maybe not to everyone. But to some? Absolutely. The fact that the series continued all the way to 2018, even without Warwick Davis, is proof of the original’s lasting impact. It’s messy, weird, funny, and very, very ’90s.
And that’s exactly why it works.
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