''Leprechaun'' is an American

horror comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

consisting of eight

slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...

s. Beginning with ''

Leprechaun A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. I ...

'' (1993), the series centers on a malevolent and murderous leprechaun referred to as Lubdan Buttowski, who, when his gold is taken from him, resorts to any means necessary to reclaim it. None of the films in the series are presented in chronological order.

Warwick Davis Warwick Ashley Davis (born 3 February 1970) is an English actor. He played the title character in ''Willow'' (1988) and the ''Leprechaun'' film series (1993–2003), several characters in the ''Star Wars'' film series (1983–2019), most nota ...

plays the title role in every film except for the 2014 film '' Leprechaun: Origins'', and the 2018 film ''

Leprechaun Returns ''Leprechaun Returns'' is a 2018 American comedy slasher film made as a direct sequel to ''Leprechaun (film), Leprechaun'' from 1993. Directed by Astron-6's Steven Kostanski, the film stars Taylor Spreitler as the daughter of Jennifer Aniston's c ...

'', in which the character is respectively portrayed by

Dylan Postl Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Hornswoggle. He debuted in WWE in 2006, allied with Finlay. Hornswoggle won the Cruiserweight Championship in it ...

and

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

Films

The first two films were theatrically released. After a disappointing gross from ''Leprechaun 2'', Vidmark released the following sequels direct-to-video.

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

and

WWE Studios WWE Studios Inc. (formerly known as WWE Films) is an American film studio owned by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. WWE Studios movies frequently mix well-known actors and actresses in lead roles with WWE wrestlers, and teams with existi ...

(who worked together on '' See No Evil'' and ''

The Condemned ''The Condemned'' is a 2007 action film written and directed by Scott Wiper. The film stars Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Robert Mammone, Tory Mussett, Madeleine West and Rick Hoffman. The film centers on ten convicts who are forced to fight each ...

'') were teaming up to reboot the film series around 2010s. Dylan Postl (who works under a leprechaun

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

Hornswoggle Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Hornswoggle. He debuted in WWE in 2006, allied with Finlay. Hornswoggle won the Cruiserweight Championship in it ...

) starred in the role as Leprechaun. Until May 2013, there were no updates on the film's progress.

Zach Lipovsky Zach Lipovsky is a Canadian director, former child actor and visual effects specialist. Career Lipovsky was a finalist on the first season of the Fox reality show ''On the Lot'' where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors worldwide. He went on to ...

, a visual effects supervisor and a finalist on the

reality game show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

On the Lot ''On the Lot'' is a single season reality show and online competition for filmmaking, produced by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, wit ...

'' was hired to direct the reboot. The film was released under a VOD/Digital HD format on August 26, 2014 (following a limited release on August 22), with the DVD/Blu-ray released on September 30. ''Leprechaun Returns'' takes place 25 years after the original film.

Linden Porco Linden Porco (born August 29, 1996) is a Canadian dwarf actor. He is 32 inches (81 centimeters) tall and is best known for his role as a body double in the 2006 American film '' Little Man''.Mark Holton Mark Douglas Holton (born April 2, 1958) is an American actor, best known for portraying Francis Buxton in '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), Chubby in the ''Teen Wolf'' film series and Ozzie Jones in ''Leprechaun'' (1993), and ''Leprechaun Ret ...

reprises his role of Ozzie Jones from the first film. The film was released through digital and on demand on December 11, 2018.

premiered ''Leprechaun Returns'' along with their All-Day Leprechaun Marathon for St. Patrick's Day on March 17, 2019. ''Leprechaun Returns'' is available on Blu-ray and DVD as of June 11, 2019.

Future

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

film with the ''Candyman'' film series was in development following the release and subsequent box office success of ''

Freddy vs. Jason ''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''Friday the 13th'' series, being the eighth installment i ...

'', tentatively entitled ''Candyman vs. Leprechaun'', with a script treatment written and Davis set to reprise his role. However, the project stalled after

Tony Todd Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954) is an American actor who made his debut as Sgt. Warren in the film ''Platoon'' (1986), and portrayed Kurn in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990–1991) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Ni ...

immediately flat out refused to participate in such a project, stating that he had too much respect for his character to see him used for such a purpose. In explaining why he didn't reprise his role in ''Leprechaun Returns'', Davis said he stopped appearing in horror films after the birth of his children: "You know what, we did six 'Leprechaun' films, and around Halloween people always watch them and love them. Horror is an interesting medium. I think it's different when you have kids; you look at horror in a slightly different way. Since I finished the ''Leprechaun'' films I had kids and I see the world through their eyes, and to be in a horror movie right now is probably not quite right". Davis did leave open the possibility of returning to the franchise, remarking: "I will wait until my son turns 18 and then I'll do some horror again". In March 2019,

Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and '' Spiral''. He also direct ...

, director of four films in the ''Saw'' franchise, expressed interest in a ''Leprechaun'' reboot with Davis starring. Bousman announced his intentions on Twitter, detailing a plot that would send the Leprechaun back to the

Colorado Gold Rush The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 a ...

. In 2021, Bousman reiterated his desire to direct a ''Leprechaun'' film while promoting ''Spiral: From The Book of Saw''. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Bousman explained his plans further, stating that his potential film would not be a reboot, but "a more direct sequel to the ''Leprechaun'' franchise", and he "would demand that Warwick Davis come back". Bousman further declared that he would not try to change the tone of the series (à la '' Leprechaun: Origins'') but would stick to the darkly comedic themes of the original six films: "I think that’s what’s so great about the ''Leprechaun'' films. They’re silly, they’re fun. They are violent, but it’s a pure popcorn movie. I would not try to change the tone. I would make it equally as batshit, bonkers crazy. It would be between the first film and ''Back 2 tha Hood''. It would be somewhere in that tonal frame. It got really ridiculous as they went on, but that ridiculousness is what made them fun". In April 2022, Bloody Disgusting reported that Lionsgate was "actively seeking out pitches for the next Leprechaun movie".

Cast and characters

* This table shows the characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise. * A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced. * A indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character. * A indicates a photographic appearance only. * A indicates a vocal appearance only.

Plot summaries

In the original ''

'' (1993), Daniel O'Grady (Shay Duffin) captures the Leprechaun (

) while in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, takes his gold and smuggles it back to his home in

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, unaware the Leprechaun has followed him. Confronting O'Grady and demanding his gold the Leprechaun is injured by O'Grady and sealed in a crate with a four-leaf clover, though before O'Grady can kill the creature he suffers a stroke. Ten years later the Leprechaun is accidentally released by Tory Redding (a then-unknown

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

) and her new friends, and goes on a killing spree in search of his gold, which Alex Murphy (Robert Gorman) and Ozzie (

Mark Holton Mark Douglas Holton (born April 2, 1958) is an American actor, best known for portraying Francis Buxton in '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), Chubby in the ''Teen Wolf'' film series and Ozzie Jones in ''Leprechaun'' (1993), and ''Leprechaun Ret ...

) had discovered. After the Leprechaun reclaims the bulk of his gold he is defeated when Alex shoots a four-leaf clover down his throat with a slingshot and Alex's older brother Nathan (

Ken Olandt Kenneth Andrew Olandt (born April 22, 1958) is an American actor, producer, executive producer and businessman. He was born in Richmond, California to Robert and Beverly Olandt. Ken Olandt is best known for his lead starring role as Detect ...

) blows up the well the Leprechaun falls into. In ''

Leprechaun 2 ''Leprechaun 2'' (also known as ''One Wedding and Lots of Funerals'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1994 American fantasy comedy horror film directed by Rodman Flender and written by Turi Meyer and Al Septien. The sequel to Mark Jones' ''Leprech ...

'' (1994) the Leprechaun seeks out a new bride in modern-day

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, one thousand years after an earlier attempt to claim a bride was foiled. Claiming a fussy teenage girl named Bridget (Shevonne Durkin), the descendant of his original choice of a wife, the Leprechaun holds her captive in his lair and terrorizes her boyfriend Cody (Charlie Heath), who had taken one of his gold coins. In the end Cody saves Bridget and defeats the Leprechaun by impaling him with a spike made of

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

, one of the few substances that can harm a Leprechaun. ''

Leprechaun 3 ''Leprechaun 3'' (also known as ''Leprechaun 3: In Vegas'') is a 1995 American slasher comedy film and the third, and first direct-to-video installment, in the ''Leprechaun'' series. The film follows a psychotic leprechaun, who begins a killing s ...

'' (1995) begins with the Leprechaun, having been changed into a statue by a magical medallion, being sold to a

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

pawn shop. Assuming his original form when the clerk removes the medallion, the Leprechaun kills him and goes on a rampage through Las Vegas in search of one of his wish granting coins, which is passed from hand to hand. The Leprechaun is ultimately defeated by college student Scott McCoy (

John Gatins John Gatins (born April 16, 1968) is an American screenwriter, director, and actor. For writing the drama film ''Flight (2012 film), Flight'' (2012), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Gatins made his directori ...

) and Scott's new girlfriend Tammy Larsen (Lee Armstrong), who blast his gold with a flamethrower, causing it to vanish and the Leprechaun to burst into flames. Taking place in the future, '' Leprechaun 4: In Space'' (1997) has the Leprechaun abduct and begin courting snobbish alien princess Zarina (Rebekah Carlton), seducing her with promises of wealth. After being blown up by a group of marines who rescue Zarina, the Leprechaun is reborn on the marines' ship via exploding out of the groin of one of an unfortunate man, Kowalski. He then goes off in search of his stolen bride and gold, killing all those who get in his way. After being turned into a giant via an enlargement ray, the Leprechaun is ejected into space by the survivors of the massacre, Tina Reeves (

Jessica Collins Jessica Collins (born Jessica Lynn Capogna; April 1, 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Dinah Lee Mayberry on the ABC soap opera '' Loving'' (1991–1994) and Avery Bailey Clark on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and t ...

), Books Malloy (Brent Jasmer) and Sticks ( Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.). Set in

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

, ''

Leprechaun in the Hood ''Leprechaun in the Hood'' (also known as ''Leprechaun 5'' or ''Leprechaun 5: In the Hood'') is a 2000 American black comedy slasher film directed by Rob Spera and the fifth installment in the ''Leprechaun'' series. The film follows Warwick Davis ...

'' (2000) has the Leprechaun being turned to stone once more, this time by pimp Mack Daddy O'Nassas ( Ice-T), who uses the Leprechaun's mind-controlling magic flute to become a successful music producer. Years later, the Leprechaun is unknowingly changed back to flesh and blood by a trio of wannabe rappers led by Postmaster P. (

Anthony Montgomery Anthony Dwayne Montgomery (born June 2, 1971) is an American film and television actor, as well as graphic novelist. He is best known for his portrayal of Ensign Travis Mayweather on the UPN science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterpr ...

) who rob Mack Daddy, taking the Leprechaun's gold and the flute from him with the intent of using the objects to become successful. Hunted by both Mack Daddy and the Leprechaun, Postmaster P., after his friends and Mack Daddy are killed, is brainwashed into becoming a servant of the Leprechaun. '' Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood'' (2003) begins with the Leprechaun stalking Father Jacob (

Willie C. Carpenter Willie C. Carpenter is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on ''Reasonable Doubts'' as Robert Maxwell, ''1600 Penn'' as General Maurer, and ''Devious Maids ''Devious Maids'' is an American television comedy-dra ...

) trying to get his gold back, only to be dragged into the ground by demonic hands when the priest uses four-leaf clover laced holy water against him before dying from a heart attack. One year later the Leprechaun's gold is discovered by eighteen-year-old Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and her friends, who use the gold to fulfill their wildest fantasies, unintentionally releasing the Leprechaun, who goes after Emily and the others to get his gold back, killing everyone who gets in his way. On the rooftop of the abandoned

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

Father Jacob had been building using the Leprechaun's gold Emily and her boyfriend Rory Jackson (

Laz Alonso Laz or LAZ may refer to: People * Laz people of the Black Sea area **Laz language First name * Laz Alonso (born 1975), American actor * Laz Barrera (1924–1991), Cuban-born American racehorse trainer * Laz-D (born 1982), American rapper *Laz Dí ...

) defeat the Leprechaun by knocking him and his gold off the roof and into a pool of wet cement below, where the Leprechaun sinks and becomes trapped. '' Leprechaun: Origins'' (2014) (a reboot of the series) starts with a young couple, Catherine and Francois, being killed by an unseen force near a symbolised Irish monolith. Later it entirely centers on four American college students touring in Ireland. They come across the monolith from the opening scene, partially intending to study the history symbols but unaware that it is where all hell broke loose for the young couple. Hamish McConville (Garry Chalk), a friendly Irish man they meet at a bar when they stop, tells them the story of history about the village they are seeing - a mining centre that was used for cavern-obtained gold until it ran out, causing the population to decrease. An initially unseen force starts raiding the cabin they are left at by their transport provider, and they eventually realise that they are being sacrificed by Hamish and his son Sean (Teach Grant) to The Leprechaun (Dylan Postl) to atone for the decrease and eventual loss of the gold supply. The deadly and homicidal Leprechaun (Irish: Tuath De Danann) hunts the college students throughout their perilous struggles to survive its onslaught, which ends with it being killed by Sophie (Stephanie Bennett), the surviving student, and Hamish being killed by the creature in retribution for double-crossing them as the village's final sacrifice. ''

'' (2018) centers on the first leprechaun (played here by Linden Porco) who escapes from the well into which he was barricaded 25 years prior by Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston), her father and her friends who accompanied her at the O'Grady house, where he originally found them and terrorized them to get his gold back. In the present day, he returns to terrorize Laila Jenkins (Taylor Spreitler) and her sorority sisters as well as two men staying with them. With this storyline, all previous films but the first have been retconned, making it a direct sequel that takes over from ''Leprechaun 2'' (1994) until ''Leprechaun Origins'' (2014). Laila, a university student, is bought to her sorority home by Ozzie Jones, which sees actor Mark Holton reprising his role, and Tory is revealed to be Laila's mother who has died of cancer, having lived much of her life fearing the creature's return. After dropping Laila off at the house - the same house from 1993, now branded with the AU sorority symbol - he drops his phone while unloading her luggage, and upon returning to retrieve it, he is spat on from down the well by a splash of green water, some of which he swallows, and during his getaway he begins experiencing stomach pains, leading to the creature rebirthing himself and escaping. He kills Ozzie by tearing out of his torso before appearing at the house, killing two of Laila's sorority sisters and the two men. He is eventually electrocuted and ignited, causing the house to explode, but after Laila and Katie (Pepi Sonuga) escape and are driven back to the university campus, he is revealed to have reanimated and is last shown flagging down a truck for a drive to Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota.

Reception

Critical and public response

Home media

The series has been released on DVD both separate and in collections. The entire film series was released on Blu-ray for the first time in a box set titled ''Leprechaun: The Complete Movie Collection'' on September 30, 2014.

Other media

Comic books

Prior to the release of the original ''

'' Trimark Pictures released an eight-page comic book prequel to the film. The story presented in the book is contradictory to the events of the film in several regards, such as depicting Daniel O'Grady as a lowly farmer and inhabitant of Ireland (instead of America) who obtains the Leprechaun's gold not by capturing the creature (as was stated in the film) but by following a rainbow. A publishing company Bluewater Productions released a ''Leprechaun'' comic book series, which began in May 2009. Written by Zachary Hunchar and illustrated by Kris Carter the first arc of the series follows the Leprechaun (who is revealed to be named "Lubdan" and is also the king and last of his species) as he battles rival race the

Clurichaun The clurichaun () or clúrachán (from ga, clobhair-ceannW. B. Yeats, Yeats, W. B. (1888). ''Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry''. London: Walter Scott. p. 80.) is a mischievous fairy in Irish mythology, Irish folklore known for his g ...

and travels the world in search of his gold, which was stolen and auctioned off online, with the reluctant help of the geeky Ethan Thomas and his friends. With only four issues released, the series was seemingly cancelled, as no new issues have been announced. Micheal Kingston was slated to write the second arc of the series. Plans for a four-issue comic book crossover between the ''Leprechaun'' and ''

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...

'' series, which would have been written by Nick Lyons and released in late 2009, were made, but did not come to pass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leprechaun (Franchise) American film series Lionsgate films Lionsgate franchises American comedy horror films Supernatural comedy films English-language films American dark fantasy films Horror film series Supernatural fantasy films American supernatural horror films