The Correct Order To Watch The Leprechaun Franchise
"I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down Jo me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will watch the 'Leprechaun' movies."
So went the final words of James Joyce's "Ulysses," a vital literary classic in the Western Canon, and one of the only major Irish novels devoted entirely to the watching of the "Leprechaun" film series.
The "Leprechaun" film series bears the distinction of lasting for 25 without ever offering up at least one legitimate classic. Several slasher series begin strong, or have follow-up sequels along the way, even if the vast majority of their sequels are bad or uncreative. John Carpenter's "Halloween" from 1978, for example, is one of the best horror movies ever, while the 12 "Halloween" films that followed boast maybe two or three chapters that aren't unwatchably bad. No one could argue that Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" isn't a deep-cutting nightmare, but the ensuing eight films are all pretty disposable (part 2 perhaps notwithstanding).
Mark Jones' "Leprechaun," in contrast, isn't a notable classic and was only a modest hit when it opened in 1993. It was poorly reviewed and mocked by audiences for its silly Irish monster and idiotic premise.
What it did possess, however, was an energized and devoted lead monster actor in Warwick Davis, the Leprechaun himself. Davis was manic and fun and returned for multiple "Leprechaun" sequels, each one sillier than the last.
To date, there have been eight "Leprechaun" movies with a ninth in production. Here they are, in order.
The release order
Here are the eight extant "Leprechaun" films in order of their release:
- "Leprechaun" (1993)
- "Leprechaun 2" (1994)
- "Leprechaun 3" (1995)
- "Leprechaun 4: In Space" (1997)
- "Leprechaun in the Hood" (2000)
- "Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood" (2003)
- "Leprechaun: Origins" (2014)
- "Leprechaun Returns" (2018)
Warwick Davis played the Leprechaun in the first six films, and they all presumably share a continuity, although the connections between the sequels aren't terribly strong. The stories all surround the theft of the Leprechaun's gold and the monster's bloody fashion of reclaiming it. The Leprechaun has wicked magic and a monstrous face, but still wears a little green top hat, buckled shoes, and green-striped stockings. A Leprechaun can be trapped in a box indefinitely, provided its capturer places a four-leaf clover on top. If a Leprechaun sees dirty shoes, it has to compulsively stop and clean them. The shoes conceit only occasionally comes up.
Only the first two "Leprechaun" movies were released theatrically. Notably, "Leprechaun 3" and "Leprechaun 4: In Space" were directed by longtime B-movie luminary Brian Trenchard-Smith of "Dead End Drive-In" and "Turkey Shoot" fame. Yes, the fourth film does indeed take place in space, on board a starship in the year 2096. There is a mutant, a cyborg, a space princess, and laser gun battles, all while Warwick Davis cackles maniacally. It's wild, although "In Space" is not nearly as crazy as Rob Spera's "Leprechaun in the Hood," one of the weirdest horror sequels of all time. Set in '03 South Central Los Angeles, that film involves the Leprechaun seeking a magic flute. The monster smokes weed in between murders. It ends with Warwick Davis rapping about being an evil Leprechaun.
Sadly, in comparison, "Back 2 tha Hood" is relatively restrained.
The reboots
Davis stepped away from playing the Leprechaun after "Back 2 tha Hood," as he had just become a father and wanted to spend more time with his children. He said in an interview with Bang Showbiz (handily transcribed by Bloody Disgusting), that:
"...[W]e did six 'Leprechaun' films, and around Halloween people always watch them and love them. [...] Horror is an interesting medium. I think it's different when you have kids; you look at horror in a slightly different way. Since I finished the 'Leprechaun' films I had kids and I see the world through their eyes, and to be in a horror movie right now is probably not quite right."
In 2014's "Leprechaun: Origins," Davis was replaced by Dylan Postl, aka WWE wrestler Hornswoggle. The filmmakers need not have hired a known celebrity in the role, however, as he barely appears on camera, and only attacks a building from the outside while the camera stays inside with the human characters. "Origins" needn't have even been a "Leprechaun" movie for all the attention they give to Irish lore or Leprechaun imagery. It's the worst film in a bad series.
More visible was Linden Porco, the star of 2018's "Leprechaun Returns," a direct sequel to the 1993 film that ignores the other sequels. That film was first broadcast on SyFy before going to DVD. It's more in the spirit of the crappy 1993 film, which doesn't necessarily make it good.
No release date has been set for director Felipe Vargas' next "Leprechaun" movie, nor has an official title been revealed. What is known is that it will be another reboot of the series.