It's one of those great horror movies that's so awful it's fantastic, and Leprechaun is one of those movies. The storyline is completely off the rails, the acting is over the top, and the visual effects are so awful they're laughable. But despite this, everything works together in the end to produce a picture that is both enjoyable and engaging. Jennifer Aniston's performance in her first picture is unexpectedly strong, and Warwick Davis is fantastic in the role he plays as the leprechaun. It is highly recommended that you see Leprechaun if you like goofy horror films like those that it is based on. Just don't go into it expecting to be frightened since the chances are far higher that this movie will make you chuckle than scream.Legend has it that Warwick Davis played a furious leprechaun. In the film, a leprechaun thinks a family stole his riches. He uses his cleverness and might to find them. Meanwhile, the family searches for riches to appease the leprechaun and prevent him from hurting them. Leprechaun is one of the finest horror flicks because of Davis's terrifying performance.
The movie about the Leprechaun was supposed to be more of a straight horror movie, but Davis made it funny with his performance.
Leprechaun movie plot:
Dan O'Grady goes back to North Dakota in 1983 after visiting his homeland of Ireland, where he kidnaps a leprechaun and steals his pot of gold. After hiding the gold, O'Grady learns that the evil leprechaun followed him home and murdered his wife. With the help of a four-leaf clover, O'Grady restrains the leprechaun's powers and locks him up in a box. When he went to burn him, a stroke stopped him in his tracks.
Ten years later, J. D. Redding leases the O'Grady farmhouse with daughter Tory. The farmhouse is being repainted by Nathan Murphy, his 10-year-old brother Alex, and their dimwitted buddy Ozzie Jones. While examining the cellar, Ozzie misidentifies the leprechaun as a child. He frees the leprechaun by removing the old clover. Leprechaun tells Ozzie he's an Irish shoemaker who came to America for his money. After failing to convince others he saw a leprechaun, Ozzie spots a rainbow and follows it in search of a pot of gold. Alex follows Ozzie out of worry for him. A bag of 100 gold coins appears before Ozzie. Ozzie examines the riches and swallows a coin, thinking it would cure his brain. They conceal it in an ancient well.
At the farm, the leprechaun gets J.D. to walk into a trap by pretending to be a cat and biting his hand. After Tory and the other kids take the leprechaun to the hospital, he rides a tricycle. When Alex and Ozzie go to a pawn shop to check the purity of the gold, the leprechaun kills the owner, Joe, for taking his gold and polishes Joe's shoes before running away. On his way back to the farm, the leprechaun makes himself a little go-kart, but a police officer stops him for going too fast. The leprechaun chases the police officer into the woods, where he kills the officer. The leprechaun goes back to the farmhouse to look for his treasure while shining every pair of shoes he sees. After taking J. D. to the hospital, the group heads back to the farm. When Nathan goes outside to look for the thieves, he gets hurt by a bear trap set by a leprechaun. The group attacks the leprechaun with rocks and clubs outside.
When they find a gun in the house, the leprechaun is shot many times. They try to leave the property when it doesn't work, but the leprechaun has broken the truck's engine. After crashing the car with the go-kart, the leprechaun scares the group until Ozzie says that he and Alex found the pot of gold. Tory gets the bag out of the well, and then he gives it to the leprechaun. They go to the hospital because they are sure that the worst is over. As the leprechaun counts his money, he realizes that Ozzie ate his last coin. He threatens them because he thinks they're trying to trick him, but Ozzie tells them that O'Grady had a stroke and was taken to a nursing home. The group gets the leprechaun's attention by throwing dirty shoes at him. The leprechaun has to go shine the shoes while Tory gets in her jeep and drives away. Tory goes to the house to find out how to kill the leprechaun.
The leprechaun poses as O'Grady at the nursing home. The leprechaun follows Tory to an elevator and, as Tory runs away, hurls O'Grady's bloody corpse down the elevator shaft. O'Grady warns her that the only way to kill the leprechaun is with a four-leaf clover, which just so happens to grow in a large patch outside the farm, before passing away. Tory goes back to the farmhouse to look for a clover, but the leprechaun attacks and she is saved by Nathan and Ozzie. The leprechaun is wounded severely while attempting to obtain the remaining gold coin, which Ozzie confesses to having eaten. Alex uses a four-leaf clover that Tory discovered, attaches it to a wad of gum, and fires it into the leprechaun's mouth, causing him to melt away before he can murder Ozzie. Despite falling down the well, the leprechaun's skeleton gets out and declares, "I want my gold." After Nathan forces the leprechaun back into the well, he uses gasoline to ignite both objects. When the police show up, Tory is reunited with her father, marries Nathan, and they have a child. The leprechaun swears he won't stop until he finds every single bit of his wealth while the police search the well's wreckage.
How did 1993's Leprechaun do?
On its first theatrical date of January 8, 1993, in 620 theaters throughout the United States, Leprechaun earned $2,493,020. It went on to make $8,556,940. Over 100,000 copies have been sold since its April 1993 VHS release by Vidmark.
Leprechaun debate explained:
In the months before the film's premiere, Trimark worked with the NBA, NYSE, Domino's Pizza, and Subway. The Domino's and Subway alliance was problematic because franchisees felt exploited. The marketing strategy worked, and Leprechaun remains a cult favourite.
Did Leprechaun have any cinematic sequels?
Leprechaun 2 was released the following year, and it sees the Leprechaun going to Los Angeles in search of a new pot of gold. The third film, Leprechaun 3, takes place in Las Vegas, and it features the Leprechaun getting his hands on a magical coin that grants him wishes. The fourth film, Leprechaun 4: In Space, is a bit of a departure from the previous films as it takes place aboard a spaceship and features (blog) the Leprechaun battling aliens. The fifth and final film in the series, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, finds the Leprechaun returning to his roots in inner-city Los Angeles. Despite the mostly negative critical reception, the Leprechaun franchise has proven to be quite popular, and it remains a cult classic to this day.
Leprechaun movie trivia
The producers wanted to make the movie scarier so that older people would want to see it. This meant that several scenes had to be reshot.
It's well-known that George Lucas helped get Warwick Davis the role of Willow. The reason why is less well-known. Davis was reportedly under contract with Lucas, so Lucas had to give Davis permission to be in the movie. So, at the end of the movie, there was a "special thanks" credit for him. Fans of scary movies will find this little-known fact about the movie even more interesting. It's another way that Lucas has had an effect on popular culture.
At first, the leprechaun was meant to get away and go back to Ireland. But there was one problem: Warwick Davis, an Irish actor who played the leprechaun, didn't have a work visa. Davis had to get a visa in just three days so that the last scene could be filmed, which is normally impossible. The office of Vice President Dan Quayle was able to speed up the process, which let Davis finish filming on time. At the end of the movie, there was a "special thanks" credit for Quayle.
Warwick Davis was starting to regret making the movie, but many people rented it after Anniston became popular on TV, which led to a long series of sequels. It's said to have been one of Warwick's favorites.
Leprechaun was the first picture in which Jennifer Aniston appeared in a starring role.
Leprechaun is a must-see for every aficionado of the horror genre. Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston provide outstanding performances in what is perhaps one of the few horror flicks that manages to be both hilarious and spooky at the same time. In spite of its derivative narrative, the film is entertaining. Look into Leprechaun if you need a good fright. In other words, you won't be let down.