LEPRECHAUN RETURNS (2018) ***

Not long into Leprechaun Returns, the Leprechaun (Linden Porco, taking over for Hornswoggle and Warwick Davis, respectively) says:

“It’s been 25 years.
I’ve lost me knack.
Some fresh killing
Oughta bring it back!”

That about sums it up.

Right away, we’re made aware by director Steven (Manborg) Kostanski that this is a direct sequel to the original.  Like Halloween (2018), it ignores everything from Part 2 on and starts with a clean slate.  I was initially against this idea.  I mean, how are you going to erase the Leprechaun’s jaunt to Vegas, his trip to outer space, and not one but TWO journeys into the hood?  Surprisingly enough, my qualms disappeared after Ozzie (Mark Holton), the handyman from the original accidentally drinks water from the well where the Leprechaun was imprisoned.  Before long, the Leprechaun erupts out of his belly in gory fashion.  It was here where I thought to myself, “Okay, I think we’re going to be all right.  This is going to be a good one.”

This is (if you’re keeping score at home) the second time in a row the series has tried to reboot itself.  Leprechaun:  Origins wasn’t bad.  In fact, the gore was quite good.  However, since the Leprechaun didn’t talk (or rhyme) it wasn’t a whole lot of fun.  The serious tone didn’t do it any favors either.  I’m happy to report Returns recaptures that old Leprechaun magic.

Lila (Taylor Spreitler), the daughter of Jennifer Aniston’s character in the original, returns to the house where the events of the first film took place.  Along with her sorority sisters, she tries to renovate the place into an environmentally-friendly sorority house.  (Get it?  They’re going GREEN!)  Naturally, it doesn’t take long before the Leprechaun comes back to get his gold and kill lots of dumb teens.

This new guy, Linden Porco is no Warwick Davis, but you probably knew that already.  The make-up isn’t quite up to snuff with the original design either.  However, to give Porco credit, he doesn’t try to emulate Davis.  He makes the character his own.  By the end of the movie, I had embraced his interpretation of the character and I look forward to seeing how he will fare in (hopefully) future installments.

Kostanski retains the look and feel of the original, which means it looked right at home on The SyFy Channel as part of the St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun marathon.  He updates the material for present-day audiences (everyone wants to take a selfie with the Leprechaun, death by drone, etc.), but he keeps one foot firmly planted in tradition.  There’s a scene where a guy captures the Leprechaun on film with his night vision camera (the footage is tinted green, of course) that feels like it came right out of a ‘90s horror movie. 

There’s a bit of CGI, but for the most part, the gore was au natural, which was greatly appreciated.  There’s head squashing, gut ripping, decapitation, and an Army of Darkness homage I wasn’t expecting.  The showstopper is the scene where a dumbass gets vivisected by a solar panel and his girlfriend asks, “Do you think he’s really dead? I know he was split down the coronal plane and all...” 

Sure, there’s some lame moments here.  Some of the scenes of wishes backfiring on people could’ve had a better outcome (like the death by sprinkler).  Still, it does have a part where a guy Saran Wraps his stomach to keep his guts from falling out, so there’s that.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that Leprechaun Returns is one of the better Leprechaun films in the series.  It’s more fun than that new Halloween, that’s for damned sure.