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[Review] ‘Leprechaun Returns’ is Far from Gold But Still Manages to Charm

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leprechaun franchise

The gold obsessed pint-sized Leprechaun at the center of this horror franchise has been to Vegas, the hood, and outer space before getting an abysmal reboot in Leprechaun: Origins. Now he’s back to battle eco-friendly sorority sisters at the very site where it all began in the 1993 film Leprechaun.  Following the same trend that began with this year’s Halloween, this sequel ignores everything that came after the first film and centers around Lila, the daughter of Jennifer Aniston’s character Tory Redding. The Leprechaun is revived anew, back with more puns, limericks, and B-movie thrills all for the pursuit of his gold. And over the top gory kills, of course.

From the outset, Lila (Taylor Spreitler) is introduced as our lead heroine, but a familiar face quickly outshines her; original film survivor Ozzie (Mark Holton). Ozzie’s affable charm hasn’t faded one bit, despite the 25-year gap between films. He does seem a little wiser, and he provides enough exposition to bring anyone who may not have seen the original film up to speed. Unfortunately, he’s not a main character, and we’re handed off to the rest of the college kids that will later become Leprechaun fodder. Besides Lila, there’s the neurotic leader Rose (Sai Bennett), perpetual drunk Meredith (Emily Reid), and the most likable character aside from Ozzie, Katie (Pepi Sonuga). Along with two fairly disposable male love interests, this is the group in which we spend most of the runtime with.

Really, though, you didn’t sign up for another Leprechaun movie for these characters, you signed up for a murderous little green monster. Linden Porco assumes the role made popular by Warwick Davis, and he does an admirable job. Porco is clearly relishing every tongue-in-cheek rhyme, limerick, and sexual innuendo-filled pun, and this version of the character also brings with it a meta-awareness. In one of the Leprechaun’s earliest scenes, he’s admiring himself in a shard of glass and asking, “When did I get so good looking?” An overt wink to the passing of the torch. More importantly, the gore delivers.

Director Steven Kostanski, an Astron-6 member and one half of the duo behind The Void, is also a talented special effects artist in his own right. Between his directorial experience and extensive special makeup effect experience, Leprechaun Returns is easily the most polished and most aesthetically pleasing sequel of the franchise. The kills are every bit as outlandish as you’d expect from this series, and they’re practical effect driven. If you want gory irreverence, this is it.

Writer Suzanne Keilly brings that same splatstick sense of humor she honed in her work on Ash vs Evil Dead, and some of the same gags crossover here as well. Outside of tried and true B-movie horror and humor that pummels its characters with gross-out gags and guts at every turn, Keilly also tries to subvert the sorority girl stereotype with her characters. These eco-friendly girls are far more power tool-wielding brainiacs than outright hippie, with only faint traces of familiar airheaded behavior.

Despite the splatstick humor and the surprising polish, it still doesn’t quite work. These girls may defy cinematic definition of a stereotypical sorority girl, but they’re still not very interesting characters. When we’re spending most of the runtime with them, it can get a little tedious. The rules of the Leprechaun’s return and his overall goals are also a little loose and vague, making the narrative feel sloppy. More importantly, this film spends a lot of time nodding to the original, but never even attempts to move the series forward. In other words, Leprechaun Returns feels like a more lighthearted redo of the original, but doesn’t add anything new. It even recycles some of the same jokes and visual gags.

If you’re a fan of the Leprechaun series, then there’s a lot to appreciate in what Keilly and Kostanski have created in Leprechaun Returns. It never takes itself seriously and delivers on the splatstick gore and outlandish death sequences. Tie-ins to the original film, including the return of Ozzie, serve as loud echoes of why this series has 8 entries. But while there’s a lot of charm to be found, it’s also sloppy in its world-building and doesn’t give us anyone to truly root for. It doesn’t feel like anything we haven’t already seen before, either.

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.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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