Leprechaun's Revenge

While this cheap and cheerful monster movie isn't exactly going to be winning any academy awards it is a bunch of fun and has a good enough premise and lore to warrant another go around if they so wished.

While the effects aren't amazing it is definitely an enjoyable movie to watch and it knows when to make fun of itself while still being serious enough to have some scares and some creepiness, as well as some gory kills.

Overall I think this is a great throwaway monster movie with a solid cast and very few issues that would stop you from enjoying it if you are into cheesy horror flicks. Recommended.

I absolutely loved this movie! I'm a fan of "bad" horror flicks and such, but this was a genuinely good and fun flick! It's a perfect mix of horror and comedy, with some genuine startle-moments, some genuine creepiness, and some incredibly good humorous moments.

My biggest gripe was that the ending felt quite rushed and that it ended a bit too abruptly, that there was no final Climactic Showdown as I might've expected, no hand-reaching-up-from-underground-to-grab-the-heroine, no "twist" like that.

Courtney Halverson was a treat to watch, a sort of redheaded Abby Brammell, and showed a fine mix of strength and vulnerability in her character.

William Devane was great as the cantankerous (but right!) grandpa.

Billy Zane was a real treat in all his billyzanian goodness, and delivered some PERFECT humorous lines (especially about his nametag!).

The movie didn't take itself seriously. It was NOT intended to be a straight-up horror flick, but was filled to the brim with self-deprecating humor. Those who poo-pooed "Red Clover" (sorry, but that's the title that flashes on the screen in the movie that I have) obviously didn't "get it". Quips such as "It's like I'm trapped in some bad monster movie and I can't get out." are so up-front and obvious about that, I'm amazed anyone DIDN'T get it.

It's unfortunate that the somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic ending is the last you'll experience of the movie, and what you'll likely remember most, but the rest of the movie, the first 99% of it, is well worth the time spent in giving this little gem a go.

First, take the movie for what it is: a fun horror-comedy that pokes fun of itself with some biting humor. Second, don't expect the antagonist to be the Lucky Charms dood (who's creepy in his own right, granted), but more Pumpkinhead instead. Keep those two points in mind, and you should love and appreciate this flick as much as I do.

The movies that premiere on the Syfy Channel generally range from bad to absolutely unwatchable. This should come as no surprise since these films have typically super low budgets and have drastically short shooting schedules, leaving little chance for them to be well put together. However, a decent film occasionally makes its way onto the air and Leprechaun's Revenge is one of those rare cases where the results of the minuscule budget and rushed production schedule doesn't destroy the end result. While Leprechaun's Revenge still seems like a movie that would have greatly benefited from having more time spent on it, the final cut is much better than the schlocky title implies. The first thirty minutes or so are actually engaging. The opening scene is fairly creepy, the tone is set up perfectly, and its clear from the beginning that the protagonist isn't a stereotypical horror movie moron. Yet for whatever reason, the premise stops being effective after a while and the sense of rhythm that was established in the first half seems off in the second half(which I suspect was due to aforementioned time constraints and budgetary problems). Still, Leprechaun's Revenge remains a great flick to watch on St. Patrick's Day with a bunch of friends and it is certainly more entertaining than 90% of all the other Syfy originals. The cast is solid, the effects are reasonably cool, and there is a sense of humor to the proceedings that's hard not to enjoy.

Note: To clear up any confusion, Leprechaun's Revenge is in no way related to the endless series of Warwick Davis horror pictures. If I had to guess, Syfy was hoping for people to assume a vague relation in order to get viewers to tune in.

Starts off great--great tension, atmosphere, characters, mystery. Somewhere along the way, it starts making mistakes. Diminishes Zane's character for no reason. Tries to introduce a romance between the protagonist that doesn't work due to poor writing and absence of chemistry. The creature doesn't quite obey the lore which introduces confusion. Deaths of prominent characters trivialized. It's as though the second half of the movie were written by someone else.

Billy Zane, William Devane, and Courtney Halverson all turn in great performances, but chemistry does not abound, particularly between Zane and the rest of the cast--then again, Zane's character, who is heroic enough throughout the film, is turned into a chump at the end for no good reason that I can see (I've mentioned it twice, so you can tell I'm sore about it--this was going to be a 5-star review but when they did that, they lost a star).

Supporting cast is also strong. I enjoyed Azure Parsons as Deputy Petterson.

It's not a bad movie, but it is disappointing. The first 30 minutes or so feel promising but that promise is not fulfilled.

In the town of Keening in eastern USA, a teenager (Courtney Halverson) inadvertently resurrects a creature linked to her Irish heritage while out hunting with her grandad (William Devane). They attempt to convince her skeptical father, who happens to be the sheriff (Billy Zane), as they try to figure out how to stop the murderous lil' devil.

"Red Clover" (2012) was originally titled "Leprechaun's Revenge," but it has nothing to do with the series featuring Warwick Davis. The creature here is uglier, humorless and more malevolent, ripping faces off, disemboweling victims and cutting a person in half. The scriptwriter wrote "Headless Horseman" and the contemporaneous "American Horror House," as well as directed "Sharknado" the next year. This is cut from the same TV-budget cloth.

Redhead Courtney Halverson is decent as the teen protagonist with her unique look, but she's almost anorexic looking. They needed someone who is able to keep the viewer's attention in a flick of this ilk, like Cindy Busby in "Behemoth" or Danielle C. Ryan from "Snowbeast," both of which came out a year earlier. Erin Karpluk from "Wyvern" is another good example while Joelle Westwood in "The Hunting" is a more recent one.

Yet the green-hued cinematography is welcome and I liked how the actors took the material seriously with an occasional stab at droll humor. The father's explanation for the missing mother, however, is ridiculous and leaves a bad taste, along with the ending in general.

The flick runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

GRADE: C.