Leprechaun Returns

There are moments of the 90´s that will always be close to my heart. Especially so many B movies released within this time period, and there were some really good releases that i remember. Let´s mention a couple of them, and we start off with the B horror movie known as Ticks. Released in 1993, this film is a fun mixture of insect horror with cheesy dialogue and some really funny special effects. We have to mention that this film is directed by Tony Randel who directed the really good sequel to Hellraiser, known as Hellbound: Hellraiser II. The next film i am thinking about is The Dentist, released in 1996, In my opinion, this is one of the best movies that lead actor Corbin Bensen have ever done, as the mentally disturbed dentist Dr. Alan Feinstone. I can´t say i have seen any medical horror movie that feels as effective as this film, portraying the image of the dentist profession. if you have dentist fear, this is the perfect film to watch. We have to mention that actor Mark Ruffalo ( who plays The Hulk in the Avengers movies ) is seen in this film, and actress Virginya Keehne who was seen in Ticks is also found here in The Dentist. Corbin Bensen returned in The Dentist 2, but i prefer the first movie to be honest. Let´s mention one more film, and i have chosen the B horror movie Wishmaster. Released in 1997, this film tells the story of a demonic djinn, who is released from a opal red stone. Not only does Wishmaster look good, this film also have a really good cast of Robert Englund, Tammy Lauren, Tony Todd, Ricco Ross and Andrew Divoff. One of the franchises i grew up to enjoy during my teenage years, was Leprechaun. The first movie was realeased in 1993, directed by Mark Jones. This film was a delightful surprise with Willow actor Warwick David playing the evil Leprechaun, who is looking for his pot of gold. This was the film i first saw actress Jennifer Aniston, before she hit big success with comedy series Friends. The biggest reason why Leprechaun worked, was the combination of a great horror character and a plot that made sense with the Irish influences. Of course sequels were made, and i enjoyed The Leprechaun 2 and 3 as well, But when Leprechan 4: In Space was released in 1996, it was very clear that the franchise have lost the magic. I did not even the the next sequels Leprechaun In The Hood and Leprechaun: Back 2 The Hood, because they looked really bad from the trailers. Luckily the Leprechaun franchise took a long break, and returned with Leprechaun: Origins. I have not seen this film, but heard from reviews that it´s not a worthy sequel. Until i saw the trailer of the latest movie Leprechaun Returns, that seemed to be the right tone for a Leprechaun movie. Is this classic franchise finally back on track with the latest Leprechaun chapter, or is this franchise doomed for failure forever ?

Lila Redding ( Taylor Spreitler ) is travelling back to where her mother Tory Redding ( Jennifer Aniston ) lived in a cabin out in a deserted cabin. She meets local resident Ozzie ( Mark Holton ) who knows what happened at this cabin over 20 years ago, but he does not tell her. Lila meet some new people at this cabin including Katie ( Pepi Sonuga ) and Rose ( Sai Bennett ) who become friends. Ozzie know where The Leprechaun ( Linden Porco was killed in a well, as he goes back to the same location. Unfortunately the Leprechaun is awaken, and is once more looking for his pot of gold. Times have changed, but the Leprechaun realize that modern technology can also be used to his advantage. Nothing will stop him from reaching his precious gold.


I was a bit concerned that SyFy would mess upp the Leprechaun franchise, and not stay true to the franchise. But i have to say, this is one of the best sequels in a very long time. This film manage to be a sequel especially to the first movie, and manage to capture the magic of the Leprechaun character that we love. Of course actor Warwick Davis is no longer the Leprechaun, but i have to say that actor Linden Porco does a good job, taking over such a classic character in the horror genre. The Leprechaun make some funny scenes, while he is looking for gold coins ( a very important detail that is supposed to be a part of the Leprechaun franchise ). Another detail that i really enjoy about this sequel, is that the practical effects are not that bad. We get some really brutal kills, and this is something i was hoping for. Especially one scene when Leprechaun comes right out from a stomache, now that´s how you make an entrance. If you remember the first movie with Jennifer Aniston as the character Tory Redding, we get to meet her daughter here in Leprechaun Returns known as Lila Redding ( played by actress Taylor Spreitler ). And this is something i really appreciate, a connection to the first movie that actually works, because of the performance from Taylor Spreitler. But that´s not all, we also see actor Marc Olton ( who i especially remember in the cult classic Pee Wee´s Big Adventure ) return in this sequel, who played the character Ozzie in the original film. He also does a good performance. Actress Pepi Sonuga ( who you might have seen in TV series Ash vs Evil Dead ) is actually better than i expected. I have not seen her in any movies before ( except for in the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead ), but if she get a bigger role in the future i am curious to see what she will deliver. Since there have been some big problems with some of the Leprechaun movies in the past, director Steven Kostanski is clearly aware of this and make sure we get things correctly done this time. He clearly must have a passion for the original movie, since he manage to throw in different elements that reminds us what made The Leprechaun special in 1993. I will say this, that this is not the best movie i have seen director Steven Kostanski make, that is the wonderful gory horror movie The Void, a movie you must buy on DVD or Blu Ray. But that´s ok, since he still knows how to make great horror entertainment with Leprechaun Returns. If you loved the first 3 Leprechaun movies like i do, then i guarantee you will have a good time with Leprechaun Returns. It is nice to see that there is still hope for sequels of classic movies of the 90´s.

Rating: DDD