Audiences love lots of corn.

(guitar riff)

- You know this is the fourth Patty's Day

since I started doing this show

and somehow I've never gotten into

the Leprechaun franchise

which is a shame really because it's the most

nineties franchise of them all.

It had all the nineties cliches.

There was one in L.A.,

one in Vegas, one is space, two in the hood,

and the first one was the one with Jennifer Aniston.

Now that the franchise has gone full halloween

and created a direct sequel to the original film

ignoring the canon established by all

those movies in between,

it seems only fitting to spend this St. Patrick's Day

reviewing the series.

Now, it all started when creator Mark Jones

decided to make the jump from

TV to film and setting his sights on horror

decided to make a cross between the Lucky Charms mascot

and Critters,

which when you hear it,

makes so much sense

regarding the tone of these movies.

The first one was a pretty straight forward

movie about an evil leprechaun.

Guy steals a pot of gold from said leprechaun.

Leprechaun follows him back to the U.S. and

gets trapped in a crate.

Years later, Jennifer Aniston's family moves in

and her friend mistakenly frees him.

And things get all kinds of murdery from there.

And like I said, it's exactly what you expect

from an evil leprechaun movie.

For the second one, things step up there nineties-ness

because nothings said nineteen nineties like

setting a sequel in Los Angeles.

But of course let's also break out the old standard of

supernatural being stumbles on a girl in modern times who

is a descendant of their ancient love.

One of my other favorite things about the Leprechaun series

is that they give zero (bleep) about

continuity film to film.

He gets blown up in the first one

impaled on rote iron in second one

and then the third one opens up with him

having been transformed into a statue

thanks to a magic medallion.

It's like they were actively trying to be

the tropiest horror series of all time.

And they actually might have been.

Number three opens up in Vegas and the leprechaun,

in statue form obviously,

has been sold to the Pawn Stars or something.

And guess what they do right away?

They take off the medallion so he comes back to life

and goes on a rampage

searching for gold coins in Las Vegas.

This was also the first time one of the sequels went

direct to video which is also one of the most

nineties things you can do.

Now I am pretty sure that there's a rule

that if you are a horror franchise

that operated in the late nineties

you had to go to space.

Jason did it, Pin Head did it.

So I can't blame the Leprechaun franchise here.

They were just following the rules.

But what they did when they got there?

Oh boy (sigh)

Yeah, Leprechaun in Space.

It takes place one hundred years in the future

and the leprechaun is trying to hook up

with an alien princess?

This whole movie is insane.

At one point the leprechaun transforms himself into the clap

and then bursts out of a guys penis.

And honestly, I don't know what else I can say

about a movie where that happens.

So, part five.

Yeah, also bonkers.

And despite being made in 2000

it's still super nineties.

It features Ice-T as Mack Daddy Onasis

coming across the leprechaun in the statue form

from the beginning of Part 3

and stealing a golden flute to become

a successful music producer.

I'm going to be honest here.

I haven't seen this thing in a very long time

but even the synopsis is problematic.

And the worst part is even after the

leprechaun rap at the end

yeah you heard me

they still decide they need a second

Leprechaun in the Hood movie.

Now in all fairness, Leprechaun Back to the Hood

You know what?

No.

They used the number two and spelled the with an a there.

There's no fairness.

Let's just move on because by the time they

finished that one, we were even at a point where

Warwick Davis was done with the franchise.

And so was everyone else.

There was one weird reboot thing with

Hornswoggle from the WWE

but raise your hand if you saw that one.

Exactly.

However, that brings us to the latest entry

which is the one that's going full Halloween.

It picks up twenty five years after the original film

and forgets all the sequels

which I think is really something we should all be jealous

of its ability to do.

Leprechaun Returns is actually a Sci-Fi movie.

Not the genre but the TV network

and for some reason

they released it just before Christmas.

It has Lila,

daughter of Jennifer Aniston's Tory from the first film

heading back to the cabin

again from the first film

because her and her friends want to tear down and

build a sorority house in the middle of nowhere.

Despite warnings from Ozzy played again by Mark Holton

who will always be Chubs from Teen Wolf to me,

the girls inadvertently awaken the leprechaun

who proceeds to go on a murderous rampage

searching for his gold.

You know, really getting back to the basics.

Which after the rest of the movies,

is actually a welcomed change.

Now like I said

this aired on Sci-Fi in December

so you can't be blamed for missing it

but now is as good a time and

arguably a more seasonable time

as any to check it out.

And let us know what you think.

Is the latest film a return of Leprechaun?

What's your favorite movie in the franchise?

Let us know in the comments

Or remember Fright Hype and Crypt TV are

all over the internet.

Until next time keep the horror on the screen

and off the street.