Leprechaun 6 : Le Retour

The evil Leprechaun is back to reclaim his gold but this time he's got to resist the temptation of... smoking a bong?!? Leprechaun meets the boyz in the hood and proves that he's got what it takes to be the baddest mofo around. Lep is back to the hood and up to no good... again.

I'm not an avid Leprechaun fan. In fact, I've never paid much attention to these movies until this year came around. I've seen Leprechaun 1, 2, 3 and now 6 (Back 2 Tha Hood) and I'd say that "Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood" would have to be the best of the series. I had seen some parts of part 3 and about half of Leprechaun 4 a couple of years ago but I don't think I'd seen enough to pass judgment.

What attracts me to this film the most is that it's so different from the rest of the series. When I say this, I'm thinking of how Jason X was to the rest of the Jason movies. I mean, the Leprechaun isn't used to dealing with these smart-ass ghetto thugs. The jokes used in the movie aren't very original and are either hit or miss. You either like this kind of humor or just think that it's been done before and move on. For me, it was a guilty pleasure.

None of the characters in this movie are likable except for the Leprechaun, but if he wasn't likable, he wouldn't have gotten to this many sequels, would he? For the most part, I was happy to see these smart-asses get beaten up and impaled by bongs, stabbed with sharp objects and all harmful acts that happened during the movie. Some of the slow motion was well-placed and made the film evermore funny (i.e. Lep's eye incident) but for the most part, it didn't suit the movie all that well but didn't really harm it either..

The Leprechaun looked so much better in this film, he looks a lot creepier than he used to. Every time I'd see a Leprechaun film, I'd wonder if people actually got scared of him because he was always so comical with his appearance and annoying rhymes. Luckily, I only remember the Leprechaun blubbering out one rhyme in this movie which was a welcomed change, instead of rolling my eyes at another lame one-rhymer.

When it all comes down to it, this is an average horror film but a good addition to the Leprechaun series. If you're bored and want some horror fun, check out this film because you got about a 50/50 chance of splitting your sides in laughter like I did or just staring blankly at the screen. I say, give it a chance.

Leprechaun Back 2 Tha Hood Written and Directed by: Steven Ayromlodi

Yep, everyone's favorite evil elf is back in the 6th installment in this classic horror series.

Parts 4 and 5 are universally viewed as two of the worst movies of all time (Despite them being two films I love, they are admittedly terrible) Steven Ayromlodi was still able to convince someone to give him the money to make a 6th movie.

This time the Lep comes back to the hood in search of his gold once again. This time it is discovered by some down and out friends in the ghetto. They spend their fortunes and have fun...until the little Irish monster shows up and starts killing off the people that took his gold.

Yeah, pretty cookie-cutter..but that's how the whole series is and you can't expect much more. But you gotta give director Ayromlodi credit for pulling out a couple of new turns, and making a solid entry into the series.

I still think 3 is my favorite of the series, but this is definitely an improvement on 4 and 5 in all aspects. Sure, the acting is a bit cheesy at times, and it lacks in the gore department and the kills are less creative, but overall I was satisfied with this movie, and can only hope for a 7th.

Definitely only for fans of the series though.

**/4

I suppose one could begin by saying that it was well acted; it was, but pornos can be well acted also. The plot is a whole different matter.

The writer seems to have totally abandoned the comical limericks that are the lep's modus operandi. In fact we see Warwick taking on very few lines and taking on more lethal damage in this one flick than in all of the other lep movies combined.

Overall it was pretty good, certainly better than Warwick Davis' dabble in space travel. But really, did my Pot of Gore need to become obsolete for this?

Hairdresser from tha hood Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and her ghetto pals discover a chest full of gold coins and, ignoring a warning from a psychic woman to deny their newfound wealth, find themselves threatened by a malevolent leprechaun.

What has made the Leprechaun sequels bearable thus far is their blatant silliness and camp characters, with the focus on twisted humour rather than genuine horror. Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood plays everything a little too straight for its own good, with not nearly enough in the way of knowingly dumb nonsense: the death scenes are forgettable, and with some of the least likable protagonists of the whole franchise (drug smoking, gun toting thugs with few redeeming qualities), Back 2 tha Hood proves to be quite the painful experience.

The funniest scene in the whole sorry mess is when Leprechaun (Warwick Davis, returning for the paycheck) smokes a bong, but we already saw the little guy get stoned in the previous film (which handled the whole 'G' thang with a lot more fun).

`. . . he's the man behind the mask!' Oh wait, that's the song from F13pt6. Nevermind.

Here we are on another visit to the land of horror, where the monsters never die and no two sequels explain the title character the same way, but this is a given for anyone remotely familiar with franchise horror. No, you don't get a cookie for guessing that other than the title character and on-screen references, this film has no narrative connection to its predecessors.

In reviewing Leprechaun 5, I expressed my overall disappointment, but stated that `Leprechaun still has enough moments to get my rental at least for one more film.' Well, the Lep's second trip to the hood is far more entertaining than the first. The humor is fresher, more precisely delivered, with plenty of little nudges at the Leprechaun's height which I found the funniest – especially coming from Warwick, himself, with quite a bit of enthusiasm so it's all in good humor. Okay, that and an ancient creature discovering our technology and customs is interesting (and not painfully done as in the first ‘Hood' Leprechaun movie).

The script/characters are more intelligent than some previous films (don't get your hopes up; it's not saying much) . . . overall it's one of the more entertaining Leprechaun sequels (again, that's not saying much.)

I dunno ‘bout other fans of the series, but Warwick Davis is my interest in the Leprechaun films and anything else that isn't hideous is a bonus. Other than typical complaints and shortcomings that all horror sequels showcase, I didn't have much to gripe about . . . so the sixth Lep outing satisfied my expectations.