Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
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.
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.
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.
Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.
Even after decades of masked killers armed with increasingly ludicrous weapons, cinemagoers still flock to theaters to experience the raw thrills of watching homicidal maniacs hunt the most dangerous game. And while there’s nothing wrong with filmmakers choosing to rely on tried-and-true formulas when depicting classic cat-and-mouse conflicts, the sheer amount of these movies means that horror fans often find themselves wishing for riskier takes on these familiar ideas.
Thankfully, there are some brave filmmakers out there that use of the basic premise of a slasher as a jumping off point to tell more creative stories. A recent example of this is Chris Nash’s highly ambitious In a Violent Nature, a Friday-the-13th-inspired horror film told from the melancholy perspective of the undead killer himself. And with the film impressing genre fans with its artsy reinvention of common clichés, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six other experimental slashers for discerning horror fans to watch before checking out Nash’s somber mood piece.
Naturally, six features are just a drop in the bucket when compared to the vast selection of creative slashers available out there in the wild (i.e. streaming services), so don’t forget to comment below with your own strange and horrific favorites if you think we missed a particularly odd one.
With that out of the way, onto the list.
6. Rubber (2010)
There’s nothing wrong with a one-trick pony so long as the trick is reasonably entertaining, and that’s precisely why Rubber makes it onto this list as an unexpectedly clever slasher with a meta twist. Boasting a premise so silly that it could have been a Tim & Eric sketch (with the film following the exploits of a homicidal tire inexplicably gifted with telekinetic powers), newcomers might be surprised to learn that there’s a lot more to this absurdist parable than initially meets the eye.
Defying expectations, French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux uses the inherent ridiculousness of Rubber to explore and question exactly what motivates viewers to seek out self-indulgent cinema – all the while providing us with some genuinely funny fourth-wall breaks.
5. Funny Games (1997/2007)
I know that placing Funny Games and its remake in the number 5 spot technically makes this a Top-7 list (and the low body-count means that some might consider it more of a home-invasion thriller than a true slasher), but the fact is that both versions of this terrifying classic are worth seeking out for different reasons.
Directed by Michael Haneke, both the original film and its American remake tell the story of a family being attacked by a duo of psychotic young men engaged in an increasingly sadistic “game.” Equal parts brutal and witty, this is another case of a genre-savvy filmmaker flipping familiar tropes on their heads in order to explore our voyeuristic fascination with violence in film.
I’d just recommend skipping this one for family movie night.
4. Malevolence (2004)
Mike Holtz already did a wonderful job unpacking this underrated indie gem in its own article, so suffice to say that Stevan Mena’s Malevolence is a must watch for John Carpenter fans looking for a slasher with more metaphorical meat on its bones. It may not seem all that original on the surface, especially where presentation is concerned, but it’s the implied backstory about nature vs nurture that makes this such a fascinating watch (especially during repeat viewings).
The low budget and heavy-handed Halloween inspiration may not be to everyone’s liking, but I still think that this is one of the best examples of a “serious” slasher that focuses more on storytelling than gore. And if you like this one, I’d also recommend checking out the prequel (Bereavement) and sequel (Malevolence 3: Killer), all produced by the same team.
3. Triangle (2009)
I can’t really get into the details of what makes this film an “experimental” slasher without completely spoiling the surprise, so I’ll just have to urge readers to check this one out immediately without looking up anything else about it beforehand. However, if you’ve already seen Christopher Smith’s mind-bending thriller, you’ll know exactly how it manages to reinvent a tired scary movie formula.
Taking inspiration from classics like The Shining and Jacob’s Ladder while also placing our characters in a criminally underused setting in horror (an abandoned ocean liner!), Triangle is the rare kind of horror movie that works even better on a re-watch.
Plus, the flick stars underrated Scream Queen Melissa George in one of her most memorable roles.
2. Maniac (2012)
The original Maniac is one hell of a gnarly exploitation flick, but I’d argue that it’s since been overshadowed by its insanely ambitious remake. Directed by genre veteran Franck Khalfoun and written by Alexandre Aja alongside Grégory Levasseur, this unexpectedly moving slasher miraculously uses a first-person perspective to make audiences sympathize with a reluctant madman.
Featuring quite a few memorable performances (I simply adore Elijah Wood’s voicework here as the murderous protagonist), as well as some impressive camerawork and a plethora of genuinely horrific death scenes, the 2012 film is a veritable smorgasbord of terrifying delights made more impactful by a deeply introspective script.
1. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2007)
From Scream to The Cabin in the Woods, only a handful of horror films have successfully managed to subvert the tropes that made the genre so popular in the first place. And what do these films all have in common? They’re written by people who genuinely love the movies that they’re satirizing. And if you’re going to judge the quality of a satire according to how passionate the filmmakers are about the material they’re commenting on, 2007’s Behind the Mask is clearly among the very best.
A comedic fusion of tongue-in-cheek mockumentary filmmaking with an earnest dissection of classic slasher flicks, there’s a reason why hardcore fans have been clamoring for a sequel to Scott Glosserman’s opus for nearly two decades. And while the film lures audiences into a false sense of security with its wacky humor, the final act proves that Leslie Vernon is right up there with Michael, Jason and Freddy when it comes to having a killer instinct.
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