One of the great perks of being a horror fan is all the little hidden gems that are out there just waiting to be discovered. No other film genre seems to offer quite the same treasure trove of obscure releases and curios to the dedicated viewer. In fact, sometimes scouring the web feels like being a collector rifling through pieces at a car boot sale and looking for that special something.
A top example of this has to be the Leprechaun series. Some readers may be familiar with this one already as it does have something of a status. However, many won’t have come across it before and it’s well worth checking out as it follows a disturbing little leprechaun as he steps into various realms of human life and causes mischief of a sinister and often humorous kind.
The reason it’s managed to keep such a low profile in spite of currently being a heptalogy (that’s a series of seven) that has spanned decades is that the majority of the films were released direct-to-video. Now OK, nobody could claim that this is an impressive feat; but this is the beauty of horror. And besides, it’s a narrow mind indeed that equates commercial success with artistic quality.
So here’s how to approach it….
Start with Leprechaun: Origins as this is the most recent and arguably the best. The tone of this one from 2014 is completely different to its predecessors in that it’s far less tongue in cheek. It’s a classic don’t-go-into-the-woods sort of set-up with a group of eager tourists venturing into a remote region of Ireland and staying “safely” in a cabin….
Then move on to Leprechaun, the first film. This was released in 1993 and stars a young Jennifer Aniston just prior to the first series of Friends and that famous haircut “The Rachel”. Once you’ve got the sense of what this bizarre series is truly all about then it’s probably best to skip to Leprechaun 3.
This film sees the eponymous menace hitting the strip at Las Vegas. It ties in nicely with themes of the luck of the Irish and lucky pennies and provides a lot of comic moments. It tends to get you in the mood to try your own luck as well and the new slots at InterCasino come in very handy when inspiration strikes.
From here if you’re still having a blast you can either choose Leprechaun 4: In Space (…see the pun there worthy of the Leprechaun himself?) or Leprechaun in the Hood. Frankly by this stage you’ll either be hooked or bored out of your mind as it’s a bit of a Marmite type series in its divisiveness. So if you get through these two and are still enjoying yourself then you should follow up with Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood before finishing off by returning to Leprechaun 2.
Disclaimer: Don’t come crying to us if you a) get nightmares about leprechauns or b) feel that you’ve lost hours of your life by sitting through the films. Remember what we said about the Marmite factor and proceed with caution…! (And if you’re still undecided whether to embark on this voyage of horror or not, then it might help you to come to a decision to learn that Ice-T starred in one of the films!)
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