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1984’s ‘Night of the Comet’ is a Holiday Treat That’s Perfect for Christmastime Watching

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‘Tis the season to revisit an ‘80s gem; Night of the Comet. The recent announcement that a remake is in the works would be enough of a reason to give this a watch, but Night of the Comet also happens to be an entry in Christmas horror that gets overlooked every year in favor of more traditional options.

Originally released in November of 1984, the plot sees the Earth passing through the tail of a comet 11 days before Christmas. The event is a huge deal, as the last time it happened it wiped out the dinosaurs, and almost everyone decides the smart course of action is to have comet watching parties outdoors. The comet successfully wipes out most of humanity, leaving valley girl sisters Regina and Sam to readapt to a post-apocalyptic world of zombies and mad survivors.

Set in southern California, Night of the Comet doesn’t have the usual Christmas movie aesthetic. There’s no snow or winter wonderland. This is what Christmas looks like in a warmer climate. Our intro to 18-year-old heroine Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) is set against a decorated Christmas tree in the movie theater where she works, while she maintains her high score on the theater’s Tempest arcade game. Her 16-year old sister Sam (Kelli Maroney) is stuck at home with their wicked stepmother, who’s hosting a holiday-turned-comet watch party. Both sisters manage to spend the night in steel encased rooms, sparing their lives from the comet’s genocide. After fighting off a talking zombie in the alley, Regina makes her way home across the empty city, and passes abandoned cars still playing Christmas songs on the radio.

The presence of Christmas perpetually looms over Regina and Sam’s journey as they take shelter in a radio station, meet fellow survivor Hector (Robert Beltran), and embark on a girls-only shopping spree set to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” The latter of which involves the sisters dancing in front of a large department store Christmas tree. A major turning point in the movie sees Hector returning from a trip to find his family, and discovers Regina has been taken by mysterious scientists. He’s dressed fully in a Santa Claus suit and bearing gifts for the girls. The third act, while set in an underground research facility, takes place on Christmas day.

The unconventional take on the major holiday is appropriate of a wholly unconventional post-apocalyptic horror film. Writer/director Thom Eberhardt eschewed the bleakness that usually saturates the sub-genre in favor of upbeat lightheartedness (which also feels seasonally appropriate). The zombies in this movie retain their humanity and have the ability to talk, at least for a while. Regina and Sam are tough girls when faced with opposition, and their valley girl persona hides unexpected intelligence. It means their adversaries continually underestimate them. Regina and Sam served as inspiration to Joss Whedon when creating iconic vampire slayer Buffy Summers.

Night of the Comet is a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi horror movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, though it does place emphasis on family. It’s distinctly ‘80s, so it’ll be exciting to see how Orion Pictures and writer Roxanne Benjamin update it for modern audiences. As it stands though, this ‘80s gem makes for a fun Christmas treat that gives a rare glimpse into the sunnier side of the holiday, and an entertaining blend of humor, adventure, and horror.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

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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