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7 Sexed Up Horror Kills!!!

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We all know that sex and violence have been bedfellows in entertainment since the dawn of time. They’ve certainly walked hand in hand since the dawn of cinema, so much so that this list could never hope to be completed in just one outing. In fact, you could probably have an entry on this list for every legit slasher ever made (I even had to make a rule about including only one Friday The 13th film).

While I’m not 100% sure of the science behind what causes the desire to see these two elements combined, I’m guessing it has something to do with both of them being such primal forces. At any rate, it’s here to stay – so why not look at some of the best scenes this unholy combination of elements has to offer?

Head inside for a look at some of the best sex-related kills in horror! Let us know your favorites in the comments!

JASON GOES TO HELL
It’s a shame I limited myself to only one Friday The 13th entry on this list, because this film very well might be he worst in the series. But it’s got one of the best sex kills! Moments after deciding not to use a condom, this couple’s coitus is interrupted mid-straddle by a bad case of being sliced in half.

HALLOWEEN (1978)
Not explicit at all. In fact, more is suggested than it is shown. But Michael Myers offing his older sister after she does the deed cemented the marriage of sex and violence in slasher films forever.

HATCHET 2
I’m not as fond of this film as I am of the original Hatchet, but it does feature one of the all-time great sex kills. A.J. Bowen’s Layton and Alexis Peters’ Avery are going at it deep in the swamp when Victor Crowley sneaks up from behind. Layton might be the only man who can keep going after being decapitated. I guess we know which head he’s really thinking with.

THANKSGIVING
We can only hope that when Eli Roth gets around to making his oft-promised feature version of Thanksgiving that there’s room for Jordan Ladd felating her newly decapitated boyfriend. Headless head should be good for at least one more gag.

BASIC INSTINCT
Not a horror movie. But so what? Very few films have fused sex and an opening kill with such athleticism!

SPECIES
Take your pick of scenes. I haven’t seen this film since its theatrical release but the guy in the raincoat two rows behind me responded well to most of the film’s running time.

CABIN FEVER
Widely referred to as “the fingerbang misfire”, this scene doesn’t result in a direct kill (though the writing is certainly on the wall). But what it lacks in immediacy it makes up in tenderness (and Angelo Badalamenti) I just noticed this is the second time Jordan Ladd made this list in an Eli Roth movie. Their work together is consistent!

BONUS FAIL!!! BONUS FAIL!!! BONUS FAIL!!!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
This may be the worst bait and switch Joey has ever experienced. Still, his last moments involved the girl of his dreams coming to visit him inside his waterbed. Not bad for a young, formerly mute, 80’s bachelor. Actually yes – he didn’t even get to touch her.

TEETH
While Teeth aims to have some kind of empowering message – most of the vagina dentate victims in this deserve their comeuppance – that gets lost in the muddle pretty quickly. Just because there’s a moral at play doesn’t mean that this film doesn’t try to coast by on the erotic exploits it claims to be condemning. Not to say Teeth is a bad movie necessarily, it’s just not right for this category.

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.

LEPRECHAUN

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.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

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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