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Anya Taylor-Joy is Fast Becoming a Modern Horror Icon

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Prior to last February, I had never heard the name Anya Taylor-Joy. Of course, that all changed when I bought a ticket to see The Witch. I had found a new favorite actress.

Most horror fans (myself included) consider Robert Eggers’ The Witch to be one of the best horror movies released last year; and if you feel that way, you’ll surely agree with me that Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as the young Thomasin is one of the most unforgettable aspects of it. In her review of the film here on Bloody Disgusting, Kalyn Corrigan praised Taylor-Joy’s performance in the film, writing that she was “spectacular as the sweet, innocent child who grows tainted when the harshness of colonial times drives her family mad.” She added, “As her purity is defiled, the light in her eyes grows wicked and dangerously playful, lending to the thought that perhaps all her family’s accusations towards her might hold some legitimacy.”

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Indeed, the nuance of Taylor-Joy’s performance in The Witch is perhaps the most impressive thing about the film; doubly so when you consider that it was the young actress’s very first major role on screen. She had previously made an uncredited appearance in 2014’s Vampire Academy, as well as in one episode of the TV series “Endeavour,” but it wasn’t until the role of Thomasin came along that the Florida-born actress was introduced to the masses. Her performance has been touted as one of the best breakouts of the entire year, and you won’t find me disagreeing.

In fact, she nabbed several awards in that very category.

Suddenly, it seemed that Anya Taylor-Joy was everywhere, particularly here in the horror genre. She starred as the title character in last year’s sci-film Morgan, and thought I haven’t yet seen the film for myself, I wasn’t surprised to see Jonathan Barkan describe her acting in it as “fantastic,” in his review for this very site. He added that she “embraced the role and demonstrated a wonderful approach to a character who is adult in sight but a child mentally.”

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Not that we need a reason, but the reason we’re bringing up Anya Taylor-Joy today is because she’s starring in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, out in theaters this weekend. She plays Casey Cooke, a strange girl who isn’t exactly like her peers. As it turns out, her particular brand of weird makes her uniquely qualified to deal with the situation she and her “friends” end up in (they’re kidnapped by James McAvoy’s villain and locked up in a basement), and as Casey, Taylor-Joy is a horror heroine worth rooting for and admiring. As Trace Thurman noted in his Fantastic Fest review of Split, “she isn’t given enough material to truly shine,” which may be true, but Taylor-Joy’s incredible talents and otherworldly beauty ensure Casey is a character you can’t take your eyes off of.

What’s next for Anya Taylor-Joy? She’ll be starring in Sergio G. Sanchez’s thriller Marrowbone later this year, and per a recent interview with Cinema Blend, she doesn’t plan on leaving the horror genre behind anytime soon. She explained to the site why she loves the genre:

As an actor, it is such a pleasure to work in horror movies, or in anything that allows you to feel that intensity of feeling. I have way too many feelings, and it’s really nice to go somewhere, scream, break stuff, run around, cry. At the end of the day I go home and I’m so relaxed. I’m like ‘Ok, and I’m done.’

Please do continue screaming, breaking stuff and kicking ass. We look forward to it.

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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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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.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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