Leprechaun

Want a solid, old school creeper film with a heavy focus on the stupid side of creepy? This is the movie. It's a cult classic for a reason and it does well with achieving the balance that these older less scare heavy horror movies aim for. That being said though if you've seen one you've seen them all. This era of horror is a one trick pony for the most part and barring a few very select things that broke the mold, you are always in for campiness when you choose one of these. Give it a watch. Warwick Davis is good. If there is something newer or had any sense or a budget, you can go with that instead and not be worried.

Alright "phenomenon" may be a stretch, but "cult" definitely describes the Leprechaun film franchise. Writer/Director Mark Jones really took some chances with this movie in the early 90's, a time when the Horror genre appeared to be washed up. The end result was a moderately successful B movie that developed a small, but enthusiastic fan base. The idea of a leprechaun in a slasher flick may seem like a ridiculous concept at first. Let's face it, in most folk tales leprechauns are portrayed as adorable little Irish elves; not as hideous, conniving, murderous creatures. Mark Jones could have tried to make this a dark film, and if he had done that it likely would have failed miserably. By throwing some humour into the mix, the concept of the film begins to make sense and the movie becomes rather enjoyable to watch. Leprechaun was well-cast. Jennifer Aniston got her first big break, and she did a tremendous job. Watching her for the first time, it was obvious that she was going to move on to bigger and better things. Warwick Davis is another talented actor and was the perfect choice to play the Leprechaun. This franchise would likely have never become so popular if it weren't for him. The rest of the cast is made up mostly of character actors such as Ken Olandt, Mark Holton, and Robert Gorman. While their performances aren't Oscar worthy, they all do their part to keep the film moving along smoothly. The story is nothing too complex. It is what one would expect for a horror film with a Leprechaun. A Leprechaun has his pot of gold stolen and will stop at nothing to retrieve it and murder anyone who gets in his way. The only way he can be stopped is by using a four-leaf clover. The effects were decent for a low budget movie. The Leprechaun's make-up was very well done. It really enhanced the idea that this is supposed to be an evil Leprechaun. Overall if you are expecting to get a good scare from this movie, you will be disappointed. However, if you are simply looking for a simple, enjoyable movie with some light humour and a decent amount of gore, then this would definitely be worthwhile.

this is one of those movies that is meant to be scary, but really is not. i just happen to love that kind of movie. it's great for sitting down and watching with a group of friends for a good laugh. they figured this out later when making more leprechaun movies and not even trying to make them scary. i love the leprechaun series. warwick davis is my hero. if you're up for a good laugh, i suggest getting a group of your friends together and watching this. you must have a good sense of humor and an open mind. if you enjoy this, watch the rest of them. they get more outrageous as they go. i don't recommend this to people who do not find joy in watching silly movies.

I wont ever get anything worthwhile as far as true scares with Leprechaun. Maybe if I were younger the effect would be with a stronger, stranger response, because the make-up- which is extremely well-crafted- and the un-hinged demented brilliance of Warwick Davis could be creepy for a kid. As an adult, however, a LOT of this is quite silly, the kind of flick that might've been presented as the St. Patrick's Day special on the grind-house circuit back in the 70s. Which means that what it lacks in any sort of quality and carries with idiot characters, it does a good enough job of making up for it as a comedy. There's next to no real character development at all, but who needs with then with a little green man running around...excuse me, riding around (on a variety of little goofy vehicles). The writer's make a self-conscious effort to make it in a predictable style, at least at first (they also waste no time getting to the Leprechaun at the start). The director Mark Jones makes shallow attempts for 'different' angles at times (lets do a quick tilt here, a little extra grand-guignol there), but it's really the Warwick Davis show at the end of the day, and the crazy situations that come out of his dogged attempt at one thing- his pot of gold!

A funnier side too is just suddenly seeing the name Jennifer Ansiton in the opening credits- a first time acting job that feels very much like one. She and the rest of the main human characters are pretty standard as somehow able enough to stay on their toes with such a wretched little s.o.b., but it goes without saying you'll come across the very inane dialog exchange or just tepid moment of "acting" (Mark Holton as Ozzie is an example of this). Meanwhile, the Leprechaun rides his tricycles and scooters, and sometimes runs like hell (in truly over-the-top action sequences), and its usually a gas if not entirely workable as horror. Whatever cheap thrills do come around, its never anything totally exciting. But I wouldn't trade some of the Leprechaun's classically mad turns of phrasing ("This old Lep, he played one. He played pogo on his lung"). That little near 4 foot ball of comedic bravado makes the picture somewhat memorable, and I'm sure I'd have fun again watching it again some time soon. Cleverest bit of old-time cliché logic: the Leprechaun's ability to talk in other voices ala the Terminator as a trick on those around the corner. 6.5/10

Other members of the IMDb may have rated this "1", and that's up to them, but I thought Leprechaun was a real fun horror movie.

I have seen the other films in this series but the first was entertaining.

Low on budget yes, but never boring and always whimsical. Warwick Davis, the small actor who plays the leprechaun, is very good in this role, as he is in all his movies.

He may be lacking in height but not talent.

A brilliant performance by him, and even Jennifer Aniston isn't that bad, and I usually find her a turn off in movies.

Humour, horror, and lots of pace. I gave it 7 out of 10.