There have definitely been multiple years where I spent St. Patrick’s Day drinking a Shamrock Shake and watching Leprechaun because, well, what the hell else are you supposed to do on that day? Drink? BORING. Much like watching ThanksKilling on Thanksgiving, I didn’t necessarily do this because I enjoyed the movie, I just didn’t know what the hell else to do with myself. That being said, the first Leprechaun kinda sucks. It’s not great as a horror movie, it’s not great as a comedy, and fails to fall into the “so bad it’s good” level of enjoyment as something like the Troll films. So what does that mean for my enthusiasm for Leprechaun Returns? Well, it’s not great as a horror movie, it’s not great as a comedy, so I guess Leprechaun Returns is the best sequel since the original!

Set as a direct sequel to the 1993 film, a girl and her friends head to a cabin for spring break or something (really not important) and inadvertently awaken the green monster from the well where he met his demise decades earlier. Upon awakening, he…kills people. Yeah, that’s right, the leprechaun comes back to kill people while searching for his pot of gold! There’s wisecracks, there’s gruesome special effects, and then it’s over. That was probably my favorite part, when I knew it was over,

Look…these movies aren’t for me, and that’s okay, because they might be for somebody. To the best of my knowledge, this film hits all the major beats that audiences expect from such a film, with Linden Porco making for a worthy successor to Warwick Davis, who originally played the part. Given that Leprechaun: Origins (which I saw in theaters!) made the titular villain more monstrous and devoid of any charm or dialogue, Leprechaun Returns was much more in line with the tone of the proper franchise. Director Steven Kostanski delivers some satisfying special effects which, if my memory serves me, are much gorier than anything featured in the original film, which might have made this film more rewarding for me. Reminder, see The Void, which Kostanski co-directed, which friggin’ rules.

While you might be thinking, “Why the hell should I listen to this ‘Wolfman’ who doesn’t even like the movies? He sounds like an idiot!” you’d be correct in doing so. However, while these films might not particularly be my thing, I can still recognize when they are absolutely abysmal, like Origins, and promise that Leprechaun Returns fits much more in line with the spirit of the original series, with both its humor and its horrors. The one-liners and buckets of green blood are sure to elate devout fans of the franchise, even if I still think the franchise as a whole pretty much stinks.

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