Leprechaun (film series)

The first two films were theatrically released. After a disappointing gross from Leprechaun 2, Vidmark released the following sequels direct-to-video.[1]

It was revealed in March 2012 that Lionsgate and WWE Studios (who worked together on See No Evil and The Condemned) were teaming up to reboot the film series.[2] Two weeks later, WWE.com unveiled a new video depicting Dylan Post (who works under a leprechaun gimmick in WWE as Hornswoggle) starring in the role as Lubdan.[3] He announced via Twitter that it would come out in March 2013.[4] Until May 2013, there were no updates on the film's progress. However, on May 28, 2013, it was reported that Zach Lipovsky, a visual effects supervisor and a finalist on the reality game show On the Lot was contracted to direct the reboot, now scheduled for screening in August 2014.[5]

The film was released under a VOD/Digital HD format on August 26, 2014 (following a limited release on August 22), with the DVD/Blu-ray released on September 30, 2014.

Leprechaun Returns takes place 25 years after the original film. Linden Porco plays the title role, while Mark Holton reprises his role of Ozzie Jones from the first film.[6]

On November 16, 2018, Lionsgate announced the film would be released through digital and on demand on December 11.[7]

On March 17, 2019, Syfy premiered Leprechaun Returns along with their All-Day Leprechaun Marathon for St. Patrick's Day.[8]

Leprechaun Returns is available on Blu-ray and DVD as of June 11, 2019.

List indicator(s)

• This table shows the characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
• A ^Y indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character.
• A ^P indicates a photographic appearance only.
• A ^V indicates a vocal appearance only.

In the original Leprechaun (1993), Daniel O'Grady (Shay Duffin) captures the Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) while in Ireland, takes his gold and smuggles it back to his home in North Dakota, unaware the Leprechaun has followed him. Confronting O'Grady and demanding his gold the Leprechaun is injured by O'Grady and sealed in a crate with a four-leaf clover, though before O'Grady can kill the creature he suffers a stroke. Ten years later the Leprechaun is accidentally released by Tory Redding (a then-unknown Jennifer Aniston) and her new friends, and goes on a killing spree in search of his gold, which Alex Murphy (Robert Gorman) and Ozzie (Mark Holton) had discovered. After the Leprechaun reclaims the bulk of his gold he is defeated when Alex shoots a four-leaf clover down his throat with a slingshot and Alex's older brother Nathan (Ken Olandt) blows up the well the Leprechaun falls into.[12]

In Leprechaun 2 (1994) the Leprechaun seeks out a new bride in modern-day Los Angeles, one thousand years after an earlier attempt to claim a bride was foiled. Claiming a fussy teenage girl named Bridget (Shevonne Durkin), the descendant of his original choice of a wife, the Leprechaun holds her captive in his lair and terrorizes her boyfriend Cody (Charlie Heath), who had taken one of his gold coins. In the end Cody saves Bridget and defeats the Leprechaun by impaling him with a spike made of wrought iron, one of the few substances that can harm a Leprechaun.[13]

Leprechaun 3 (1995) begins with the Leprechaun, having been changed into a statue by a magical medallion, being sold to a Las Vegas pawn shop. Assuming his original form when the clerk removes the medallion, the Leprechaun kills him and goes on a rampage through Las Vegas in search of one of his wish granting coins, which is passed from hand to hand. The Leprechaun is ultimately defeated by college student Scott McCoy (John Gatins) and Scott's new girlfriend Tammy Larsen (Lee Armstrong), who blast his gold with a flamethrower, causing it to vanish and the Leprechaun to burst into flames.[14]

Taking place in the future, Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997) has the Leprechaun abduct and begin courting snobbish alien princess Zarina (Rebekah Carlton), seducing her with promises of wealth. After being blown up by a group of marines who rescue Zarina, the Leprechaun is reborn on the marines' ship via exploding out of the groin of one of an unfortunate man, Kowalski. He then goes off in search of his stolen bride and gold, killing all those who get in his way. After being turned into a giant via an enlargement ray, the Leprechaun is ejected into space by the survivors of the massacre, Tina Reeves (Jessica Collins), Books Malloy (Brent Jasmer) and Sticks (Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.).[15]

Set in Compton, California, Leprechaun in the Hood (2000) has the Leprechaun being turned to stone once more, this time by pimp Mack Daddy O'Nassas (Ice-T), who uses the Leprechaun's mind-controlling magic flute to become a successful music producer. Years later, the Leprechaun is unknowingly changed back to flesh and blood by a trio of wannabe rappers led by Postmaster P. (Anthony Montgomery) who rob Mack Daddy, taking the Leprechaun's gold and the flute from him with the intent of using the objects to become successful. Hunted by both Mack Daddy and the Leprechaun, Postmaster P., after his friends and Mack Daddy are killed, is brainwashed into becoming a servant of the Leprechaun.[16]

Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003) begins with the Leprechaun stalking Father Jacob (Willie C. Carpenter) trying to get his gold back, only to be dragged into the ground by demonic hands when the priest uses four-leaf clover laced holy water against him before dying from a heart attack. One year later the Leprechaun's gold is discovered by eighteen-year-old Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and her friends, who use the gold to fulfill their wildest fantasies, unintentionally releasing the Leprechaun, who goes after Emily and the others to get his gold back, killing everyone who gets in his way. On the rooftop of the abandoned community centre Father Jacob had been building using the Leprechaun's gold Emily and her boyfriend Rory Jackson (Laz Alonso) defeat the Leprechaun by knocking him and his gold off the roof and into a pool of wet cement below, where the Leprechaun sinks and becomes trapped.[17]

Leprechaun: Origins (2014) starts with a young couple, Catherine and Francois, being killed by an unseen force near a symbolised Irish monolith. Later it entirely centers on four American college students touring in Ireland. They come across the monolith from the opening scene, partially intending to study the history symbols but unaware that it is where all hell broke loose for the young couple. Hamish McConville (Garry Chalk), a friendly Irish man they meet at a bar when they stop, tells them the story of history about the village they are seeing - a mining centre that was used for cavern-obtained gold until it ran out, causing the population to decrease. An initially unseen force starts raiding the cabin they are left at by their transport provider, and they eventually realise that they are being sacrificed by Hamish and his son Sean (Teach Grant) to The Leprechaun (Dylan Postl) to atone for the decrease and eventual loss of the gold supply. The deadly and homicidal Leprechaun (Irish: Tuath De Danann) hunts the college students throughout their perilous struggles to survive its onslaught, which ends with it being decapitated by Sophie (Stephanie Bennett), the surviving student, and Hamish being killed by the creature in retribution for double-crossing them as the village's final sacrifice.

Leprechaun Returns (2018) centers on the first leprechaun (played here by Linden Porco) who escapes from the well into which he was barricaded 25 years prior by Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston), her father and her friends who accompanied her at the O'Grady house, where he originally found them and terrorized them to get his gold back. In the present day, he returns to terrorize Laila Jenkins (Taylor Spreitler) and her sorority sisters as well as two men staying with them. With this storyline, all previous films but the first have been retconned, making it a direct sequel that takes over from Leprechaun 2 (1994) until Leprechaun Origins (2014). Laila, a university student, is bought to her sorority home by Ozzie Jones, which sees actor Mark Holton reprising his role, and Tory is revealed to be Laila's mother who has died of cancer, having lived much of her life fearing the creature's return. After dropping Laila off at the house - the same house from 1993, now branded with the AU sorority symbol - he drops his phone while unloading her luggage, and upon returning to retrieve it, he is spat on from down the well by a splash of green water, some of which he swallows, and during his getaway he begins experiencing stomach pains, leading to the creature rebirthing himself and escaping. He kills Ozzie by tearing out of his torso before appearing at the house, killing two of Laila's sorority sisters and the two men. He is eventually electrocuted and ignited, causing the house to explode, but after Laila and Katie (Pepi Sonuga) escape and are driven back to the university campus, he is revealed to have reanimated and is last shown flagging down a truck for a drive to Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota.

The series has been released on DVD both separate and in collections. On September 30, 2014, the entire film series was released on Blu-ray for the first time in a box set titled ”Leprechaun: The Complete Movie Collection".