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[Nightmares Film Festival ’16] Day Three Recap

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Shock and awe. Those were the words of the day. This was true of some of the shorts showcased throughout the day, but specifically true of the features. I have a high tolerance for shocking themes and imagery. While never offended by anything I witnessed, even I was continually surprised at the nonstop sensory assault going on in films like Night of Something Strange and especially The Night of the Virgin. The latter is a Spanish feature that made its North American premiere at Nightmares Film Festival. I’m curious to see if the film ends up finding distribution in the U.S., because it’s a doozy. After all, it’s not often you witness an unnatural baby cackling and screaming that it wants to eat someone’s dick.

She Was So Pretty and The Barn may not have gone for shock value on the same level as those films, but they each had their strengths. Synth scores are mighty prevalent across the works I’ve seen thus far at the festival and She Was So Pretty was no different, containing a particularly pulse-pounding one at times. It also may hold a record for the amount of times that teeth are brushed on screen. What? I notice odd things sometimes.

The Barn launched itself into full-on Halloween fun territory; wallowing in the holiday and many of its traditions. The result was an endearingly-fun time at the movies, all wrapped around an interesting take on my favorite holiday. It also tosses out a new sinister angle on candy corn. Paired with She Was So Pretty’s obsession with circus peanuts and I have more reasons than ever to dislike both candies. As for Deep Slumber, it was an anthology project (still rightfully popular these days), bridging the programming gap between long and short-form works.

Speaking of shorts, spanning across three different blocks this time ‘round, they also continued to impress. I’m starting to rack up so many that I loved that I might soon have to bang out a short film-centric piece. Some have been perfect at the length they already exist in, whereas others are practically screaming to be expanded into features. The ones that stuck with me the most in this slate include Dryad (I’m a sucker for medieval elements), Night Land (UK horror continues to be on a roll of late), Howl of a Good Time (a classically Tales from the Crypt-esque yarn), The Thin Place (how is this not a Blumhouse hit already?), The Stylist (as tragic as it is well-crafted), The Babysitter Murders (a fun twist on classic slasher tropes), and Born Again. There are many more, hence the need to showcase them all soon.

There’s only one day left (be sure to check out my coverage of the first two days) and it’s set to be just as jam-packed as the rest. Loads of indie horror still awaits you at Columbus’ Gateway Film Center! And if you can’t make it down for the last day, hit them up in the near future regardless. They always seem to be showing something in (or adjacent to) the genre. Hell, outside of the festival they are currently screening Shin Godzilla, Ti West’s In a Valley of Violence, and the new remastered cut of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer!

Day Three – Saturday, October 22nd
Horror Shorts C
She Was So Pretty
Midnight Shorts B
Horror Shorts A
The Barn
The Night of the Virgin
Night of Something Strange
Deep Slumber

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Devourer of film and disciple of all things horror. Freelance writer at Bloody Disgusting, DVD Active, Cult Spark, AndersonVision, Forbes, Blumhouse, etc. Owner/operator at The Schlocketeer.

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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