Leprechaun Returns surprised the hell out of me with how much I enjoyed it. Going back to its roots, the Leprechaun is once again released, unleashing a storm of witty remarks and deathly magic on his unsuspecting victims! This is a must-see for fans of the franchise!
“The deadly, wisecracking Leprechaun is back in all his glory. When the sorority sisters of the Alpha Upsilon house decide to go green and use an old well as their water source, they unwittingly awaken a pint-sized, green-clad monster. The Leprechaun wants a pot of gold buried near the sorority house, but first he must recover his powers with a killing spree – and only the girls of AU can stop him.”
Leprechaun Returns takes place 25 years after the events of the original, subsequently ignoring all the films that came after. While some film franchises have decided to take this route when a large amount of sequels have diluted the source material such as Halloween, this is probably the best choice going forward, especially for this series, as the original probably has the most credibility thanks to a starring role of the then unknown Jennifer Aniston. This film follows her daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler), who has returned to Devil’s Lake to attend college, coincidentally staying in a sorority house that used to belong to her mother. This connection with the original gives the film a bit of nostalgia, as the house and property are re-created to perfection. Ozzie (Mark Holton) makes a return appearance as well, meeting Lila and hesitant to speak about her mother and the ordeal they went through 25 years prior. All the callbacks to the original are clever and a lot of fun.
The Leprechaun (Linden Porco) was fantastic in this. I know a lot of people are die hard Warwick Davis fans, but I found myself really enjoying the performance, as he and the film bring back the humor and silliness of the character. When I first saw pictures of the makeup I was a bit hesitant, but seeing it in the film I actually liked it better than the original, as well as the costume. His accent, his delivery of the hilarious limericks he tells before he makes each kill are all superb. In fact, for a Syfy Original film, the make-up effects, practical gore kills, and even CG effects are way better than they should be. The kills are unique, over-the-top and silly, just like a Leprechaun movie should be. The Leprechaun takes full advantage of the new technology at his disposal and utilizes it in horrific ways. Some of these are very brutal, which I would have thought would be a little too graphic for the Syfy Channel.
As much as I enjoyed the film overall, the story does take a while to get going. When the Leprechaun comes back, he of course keeps on talking about wanting his gold back. For what reason does he think these people would have it? Because they’re in the same house 25 years later? He later claims that killing people gets his powers back little by little, but why question everyone about his gold? It’s answered somewhat later in the story, but by then it’s a little too late as you’ve decided this is the most clueless Leprechaun ever. Besides Lila, all the other human characters are fairly one dimensional, providing no reason substance to the film besides cannon fodder and the recipients of some witty taunting. However, it’s good to keep in mind this is a Syfy Original TV Movie and is already way better than it has any right to be, which forgives some of the shortcomings of the story in my eyes.
Video
Leprechaun Returns is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.78:1. The picture is clear with no defects noticed, but being a made for tv movie it’s not going to have the overall detail and rich color balance as a theatrical release might. Although there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with this, you can usually tell a marked difference between a theatrical release and something of lower budget caliber. This is no different, but looks fine for what it is.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track sounds good, with a nice balance between the surrounds and center channel. The surrounds are utilized nicely for atmospheric effects, the Leprechaun giggling behind you, and for the score.
Special Features
A few extras on the disc make for an interesting watch if you enjoyed the film. These include:
- Going Green with Director Steven Kostanski
- Leprechaun Returns Behind the Scenes Footage
- Still Gallery
Leprechaun Returns is a fun little horror film that fans of the genre should enjoy, and a must-see for fans of the franchise to see it head back to its roots. Although it has it’s faults, given the right mindset this will be one hell of an entertaining ride once the Leprechaun returns for his gold!
