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“You’re One Ugly Mother F*cker…”: ‘Predator 2’ Turns 25 Today!

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The 80’s and early 90’s were a really weird time. A movie would come out and the sequel inevitably went way crazier, larger, and more intense than anyone could possibly expect. If you think about it, that’s what happened with Alien and Aliens. It certainly happened with Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. It could even be argued with Rambo and Terminator and their sequels. There was this delightful absurdity where no one really questioned going bigger. In fact, it became the norm and was what we expected pretty often. Looking back on it, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense but godDAMN was it fun!

Such was the case with Predator and it’s 1990 sequel Predator 2. The original was a tight and, in a way, understated sci-fi action/horror that created one of the most iconic movie villains to this day. However, being that it took place in a jungle, there wasn’t really all that much that director John McTiernan could do in terms of offering visual variety. That’s where the sequel came in.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins (The Ghost and the Darkness, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) and starring many of the actors from Aliens, such as Bill Paxton and María Conchita Alonso, Predator 2 went from the jungles of Central America to the concrete jungles of Los Angeles. Additionally, and for no good reason that I can think of, it took place in the future, specifically the year 1997.

Just like the first film, the plot is rather simple. LA is in the middle of a scorching heat wave AND is caught in the terror of an incredibly violent and destructive turf war between Colombian and Jamaican gangs. The Predator decides to make LA his hunting ground since it seems like there are a ton of potential competitors. One such competitor is Danny Glover, whose character “Lieutenant Michael Harrigan” is impulsive, headstrong, and intent on finding the “assassin” that ends up killing his detective Danny (Ruben Blades).

Meanwhile, Special Agent Peter Keyes (played by Gary Busey) is trying to keep Harrigan away from the crime scenes because he’s, in a totally foreseeable twist, fully aware that many of the deaths that are occurring are the result of the extraterrestrial hunter.

Everything culminates in a one-on-one battle inside the Predator’s spaceship. It’s a laughable segment because if Arnold couldn’t defeat a Predator without dropping a goddamn log on its fucking head, how are we supposed to believe that Danny Glover, who was already “…getting too old for this shit” in two Lethal Weapon movies prior to Predator 2, could whup its ass? Still, that’s part of the charm of Predator 2. It flat out didn’t give a fuck and, as a result, it’s a wildly entertaining mess!

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The film wasn’t nearly as strong of a financial success as the original. This might explain why it took over 20 years for a sequel to arrive, although many of us know what a boring disaster THAT was. However, in the years since its release, Predator 2 has developed a strong cult following. Additionally, it created a HUGE stir when it was shown on the spaceship’s wall that the Predator had a Xenomorph skull as one of its trophies. The Alien vs Predator craze blew up, even though it began a year earlier in a Dark Horse comic. Ultimately, that concept created two films and has spawned several comics and books.

Before I end this, I want to draw attention to how goddamn ridiculous the Predator looks when its helmet is revealed. Specifically, it’s the eyes that kill it. They look like the eyes of those animatronics from Chuck E. Cheese, all super round and plastic-y. Just see for yourself in the below clip. The original Predator looked fucking pissed when it took its helmet off, with eyes that were sunken in and fierce. The sequel looked downright comical.

But once again, considering the almost playful and comic book-esque approach of the sequel, the almost playful look of the Predator kinda makes sense. It certainly fits the aesthetic of the film.

As I stated earlier, it took over 20 years to get an actual third film in the Predator series and it was a disappointing film indeed. However, with a new sequel in the works, it’s worth revisiting the original two and taking notes on what made them so fun. The first was an action masterpiece and the second was…well…special in its own maniacal way.

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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