L'abominable lutin 3

Brian Trenchard Smith 'gets' it: those who settle down for a third instalment of the Leprechaun series aren't expecting a groundbreaking work of art… they simply want another undemanding dose of tongue-in-cheek horror, with Warwick Davis hobbling around spouting appalling rhymes, and a spot of really hokey gore. And that's exactly what Trenchard-Smith delivers with Leprechaun 3, along with some T&A for good measure.

This chapter sees the malevolent titular character causing trouble in Las Vegas, killing those unfortunate enough to find themselves in possession of one of his gold shillings. Meanwhile, college student Scott McCoy, bitten on the arm by the mischievous imp, is slowly transforming into a leprechaun himself. With help from beautiful magician's assistant Tammy (Lee Armstrong), can Scott defeat the evil Oirish fellow and thus return to normal?

Highlights from Leprechaun 3 include Indian pawn shop owner Gupta (Marcelo Tubert) having his ear and toe bitten off, Caroline Williams (Stretch from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) exploding, magician Fazio being sawn in half with a chainsaw (John DeMita), casino owner Mitch (Michael Callan) electrocuted by a topless female cyborg, and virtually any scene featuring the lovely Lee Armstrong, since she spends the majority of the film in corset and stockings.

This very broad and very gross horror comedy is a step up from the junk called "Leprechaun 2", but that's not saying very much. The script is nothing new (Lep yet again counts his coins, finds one missing, goes after whoever might be in possession of it), but it's certainly busy enough, with two or three parallel plotlines running simultaneously. Anyway, if you want to see the title character impersonating Elvis or giving people the finger, this may be your only chance. (**)

This is Definitely a Good Sequel Not as Good as The Original Movie But Still Good though I Do Admit That Leprechaun 3 is a Better Sequel then Leprechaun 2 though

"Leprechaun 3" is simultaneously better and worse than Lep 1 & 2. It pulls this off by have a terrible "Act One" (the first 45 minutes), but an entertaining "Act Two" (the last 45 minutes). I'm sorry, but with the exception of the Leprechaun character, Mark Jones cannot write convincing dialogue to save his life. I felt bad for actor John Gatins (playing Scott McCoy), who as the young college kid was saddled with some of the most unconvincing dialogue... well, ever. It was almost unwatchable, this "Act One". Then the story changes in "Act Two" with "Scott" getting infected with the Leprechaun's blood, and after that it's nothing but a good time.

One cool thing is that this time, Warwick Davis gets to speak nearly all of his dialogue in rhyme, and in "Act Two" he's downright funny at times. Davis really carries these films, without him they'd be unwatchable. With him, the Leprechaun has a destructive charm that's just fun to watch.

This gets decent marks only for one reason: it's entertaining. Other than that, it has no redeeming value, is classless, has poor acting and even poorer dialog....but sure was fun to watch a couple of times.

The Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) has some very funny lines and rhymes and is the undisputed star of the show. There are a lot of special effects used for both comedy and for horror. This is the third of about four of these type of films, and the only one I thought worth keeping, mainly for the laughs. Eventually, the quality of the tape was so bad I canned it. Maybe I should check out the DVD, which was subsequently released.

Lee Armstrong provided the female lead role and she was a pretty woman but obviously not much of an actress and few people have heard of her before or since.

If you want something stupid but entertaining, a good mix of horror and comedy, this little dirty Leprechaun should fill the bill....but only this edition. Don't bother with the rest in the series.