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“Stranger Things” Just Raised the Bar for the Upcoming ‘It’ Adaptation

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New Line is probably real worried right about now.

Netflix series Stranger Things has somehow managed to dethrone Pokemon Go as the number one topic of discussion on all my social media feeds, and I haven’t yet come across a single person who has anything bad to say about it. In other words, I haven’t been forced to de-friend anyone for having terrible taste, and that makes me feel pretty good about the company I keep. For anyone who loves the ’80s and all the wonderful entertainment it gave us, the series is nothing short of a nostalgic gift.

Created by the Duffer Brothers, who seemingly came out of nowhere and immediately established themselves as my new favorite creative duo, Stranger Things is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. After a young boy named Will goes missing and a mysterious little girl turns up in his place, the boy’s bike-riding friends set out on a quest to find him, along the way befriending the little girl and discovering that she has some pretty impressive powers.  The girl, nicknamed Eleven, is being hunted by the government agents she escaped from, and she claims that Will is alive – and she knows how to find him.

There are many side-stories going on in Stranger Things, involving Will’s distraught mother (played by Winona Ryder), the town’s sheriff, and a teenage girl whose friend, like Will, has gone missing, but it’s the pint-sized gang’s mission to find Will that is very much the central plot of the series. As they eventually discover, Will has been taken by an otherworldly creature that resides in “The Upside Down,” an alternate world that runs parallel to our own. At its core, Stranger Things is a kids vs. monster tale, the overall vibe of the series evoking gems like The Monster Squad, The Gate, and of course, a certain Stephen King story.

Above all else, Stranger Things is a love letter to the work of Stephen King, fueled by no shortage of Amblin nostalgia, and the plot most closely resembles that of King’s It. Though they don’t have a gang name, the kids in the series are very much cut from the same cloth as the lovable Losers’ Club, viewed by the “cool” kids in town as weird outsiders and frequently bullied as a result. But though they may be geeks, they’re the only ones who show no fear in the face of a monster invading their town, stopping at nothing to get their friend back and bravely doing battle with the creature who took him.

In many ways, and at many different moments, Stranger Things feels like a pseudo-adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which is somewhat concerning given the fact that a direct adaption of King’s It is currently in the works over at New Line Cinema. Filming recently began on the two part, Andy Muschietti-directed “remake” of the 1990 mini-series, and the out-of-nowhere arrival of Stranger Things has surely thrown a big ole wrench in the studio’s plans – if only because the bar, well, it’s just been raised quite a bit.

Did I mention that the first part of the new It is set in the ’80s? Uh oh.

Prior to Stranger Things dominating social media chatter and being universally praised by everyone it was intended to be enjoyed by, all Muschietti’s adaptation of It really had to be was better than the original mini-series, which most agreed was not too daunting of a task. In fact, even the biggest fans of the mini-series seem to be excited about the re-adaptation, hopeful that it will be better than what we got back in 1990. But now, in the wake of Stranger Things tapping directly into King’s novel and mining it for something both familiar and new, it’s hard not to feel like a direct adaptation of the book now seems kind of passé. At the very least, it’s hard to imagine Muschietti topping what Netflix has brought to the table with their latest hit series, even if he has Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard on his team.

Needless to say, if you can’t wait for the new It, cozy up on the couch with Stranger Things. It’s everything you’re probably hoping Muschietti’s It will be, and that makes me feel a little bad for New Line right about now. The bar, I must insist on repeating, has just been raised.

BIG TIME.

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Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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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