It's been said that Leprechaun is one of the all-time great "bad" horror movies. All of it from the ridiculous narrative to the over-the-top acting to the cringe-worthy visual effects is a disaster. It's a mystery how it all works, but the end result is an enjoyable and engaging movie. Jennifer Aniston, in her cinematic debut, fares surprisingly well, and Warwick Davis is fantastic as the leprechaun. Leprechaun is a great film to see if you like cheesy horror flicks. Avoid going in with the expectation of being afraid, since this film is more likely to make you chuckle than scream.Warwick Davis's portrayal of a vengeful leprechaun has become the stuff of legend. In the film, the leprechaun is convinced that a family has stolen his pot of gold. He sets out to hunt them down, using all of his cunning and strength. Meanwhile, the family is desperately searching for the gold, in an attempt to placate the leprechaun and keep him from harming them. Davis's performance is chilling and unforgettable, making Leprechaun one of the best horror films of all time.
The Leprechaun movie was supposed to be more of a straight horror movie, but Davis added some humor to his role.
Movie plot:
Dan O'Grady returns to North Dakota after visiting his birthplace Ireland in 1983, where he abducted a leprechaun and stole his pot of gold. After concealing the wealth, O'Grady finds that the evil leprechaun has followed him down and murdered his wife. O'Grady subdues the leprechaun's talents and imprisons him in a four-leaf clover-encased receptacle. He died of a stroke before he could burn him.
Ten years later, J. D. Redding rents the O'Grady farmhouse for the summer with his teenage daughter Tory. The farmhouse is being repainted with the assistance of contract employees Nathan Murphy, his 10-year-old brother Alex, and their dimwitted pal Ozzie Jones. Ozzie hears the leprechaun's cries for assistance while searching the basement and misidentifies him as a little kid. He releases the leprechaun by removing the old four-leaf clover from the carton. The leprechaun reveals to Ozzie that he is an Irish shoemaker who traveled to America in search of his fortune. After failing to persuade the others that he had seen a leprechaun, Ozzie sees a rainbow and pursues it in the hope of coming across a pot of riches. Alex follows him out of concern that Ozzie would harm himself. Before Ozzie, a bag containing 100 gold coins emerges by magic. They hide the gold in an ancient well after Ozzie checks it and unintentionally eats a coin, expecting to heal Ozzie's brain by doing so.
The leprechaun on the farm pretends to be a cat and bites J. D.'s hand, injuring him, before leading him into a trap. At the hospital, where Tory and the others have taken him, the leprechaun is seen riding a tricycle. Alex and Ozzie proceed to a pawn shop to verify the gold's authenticity, but the leprechaun kills the shopkeeper, Joe, for stealing his gold, then escapes after polishing Joe's shoes. The leprechaun builds himself a go-kart and speeds back to the farm, only to be pulled over by the cops. The officer is pursued by the leprechaun into the forest, where the officer is shot and killed. The leprechaun goes back to the farmhouse and seeks for his treasure while polishing every shoe he sees. The group travels back to the farmhouse after leaving J. D. off at the hospital. When Nathan explores outdoors after finding it plundered, a leprechaun-set bear trap injures him. Outside, the throng assaults the leprechaun and beats him with rocks and clubs.
As soon as they find a gun in the house, the leprechaun is ambushed and shot many times. They attempt to leave the property after it becomes clear that it won't work, but the leprechaun has already wrecked the engine of the vehicle. After crashing the car with the go-kart, the leprechaun causes the group to be in fear until Ozzie reveals to the leprechaun that he and Alex found the treasure chest. Tory is the one who descends into the well and retrieves the bag, which she subsequently presents to the leprechaun. They make their way to the hospital, certain (blog post) that the worst is behind them. During the process of counting his fortune, the leprechaun learns that he is short one coin since Ozzie ate it. He threatens them since he is under the impression that they have tricked him, but Ozzie stops him by explaining that O'Grady had a stroke and was sent to a nursing home. The group is able to distract the leprechaun's attention when they throw dirty shoes at him. As a result, the leprechaun is compelled to go shine the shoes while Tory gets into her vehicle and drives away. Tory travels to the home in order to get information on how to kill the leprechaun.
At the nursing home, the leprechaun impersonates O'Grady. As Tory rushes from an elevator, the leprechaun throws O'Grady's body down the shaft. O'Grady cautions her that the leprechaun can only be killed by a four-leaf clover, which grows outside the property. Nathan and Ozzie defend Tory as the leprechaun attacks her at the farmhouse. The leprechaun gets injured while trying to get Ozzie's final gold coin. Alex ties Tory's four-leaf clover to gum and launches it into the leprechaun's mouth, melting him before he can kill Ozzie. Leprechaun's skeleton escapes the well and says, "I want my gold." Nathan uses gasoline to fire both artifacts after forcing the leprechaun down the well. Tory reunites with her father, marries Nathan, and has a child when the police arrive. While cops explore the well's debris, the leprechaun vows to recover all of his gold.How well did the 1993 movie Leprechaun do in theaters?
Leprechaun was released on January 8, 1993, in 620 theaters and drew in $2,493,020 its initial week, eventually making $8,556,940 in the United States. Vidmark released it on VHS in April 1993, and it sold over 100,000 copies.
Leprechaun debate explained:
Trimark promoted the film alongside the National Basketball Association, the American Stock Exchange, Domino's Pizza, and Subway in the months preceding up to its debut. The collaboration with Domino's and Subway was especially contentious, with many people believing that the franchisees were being taken advantage of. However, the marketing strategy was effective, and Leprechaun is still considered a cult classic today.
Leprechaun sequels?
The Leprechaun travels to Los Angeles in pursuit of more riches in the sequel, Leprechaun 2, which was released the following year. Leprechaun 3 is set in Sin City, and it's here that the Leprechaun finally gets his hands on the wish-granting coin. Leprechaun 4: In Space is a break from the other films in the series since it is set on a spacecraft and the Leprechaun fights aliens. In the fifth and final installment of the franchise, titled Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, the titular character goes back to his urban Los Angeles neighborhood. Despite the franchise's generally unfavorable reviews, Leprechaun has proved to be a hit with audiences and has become a cult favorite.
Leprechaun movie trivia
After the producers insisted on making the picture gorier to appeal to older viewers, some sequences had to be re-shot.
Warwick Davis was cast in Willow by George Lucas. Why is less known. Davis was under contract to Lucas and needed authorization to appear in the movie. He was awarded a "special thanks" credit as a consequence. This fact makes the film more interesting to horror aficionados. This shows Lucas' effect on pop culture.
Originally, the leprechaun was meant to flee back to Ireland. But there was one problem: the Irish actor who was portraying the leprechaun, Warwick Davis, did not have a work visa. In order to shoot the last sequence, Davis needed to secure a visa in only three days - an impossible job under normal circumstances. Fortunately, Vice President Dan Quayle's administration was able to speed up the procedure and Davis was able to complete shooting on time. For his services, Quayle earned a "special thanks" credit at the conclusion of the movie.
When Anniston went on to become a TV star, many people rented the picture and it spawned a lengthy series of sequels, much to Warwick Davis's dismay. One of Warwick's alleged favorites, paraphrased
Leprechaun was Jennifer Aniston's first role in a full-length motion picture.
If you're a lover of horror flicks, Leprechaun is absolutely worth seeing. It's one of those rare horror films that's genuinely humorous as well as disturbing, and it boasts some terrific performances from Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston. The narrative may not be the most creative, but the movie is nonetheless pleasant to see. So if you're in the mood for a nice fright, check out Leprechaun. You won't be disappointed.