My Review of Leprechaun 2 (1994)

 

Written by Turi Meyer And Al Septien

Directed by Rodman Flender

Lubdan (to William): "She sneezes once, she sneezes twice, she'll be my bride when she sneezes thrice."

Following the success of the first movie, there wasn't any time wasted in a second one coming out a year later and I have to admit, I've seen worse sequel.

Last time we saw Lubdan the evil Leprechaun (Warwick Davies), he had seemingly been trapped in a well. A flashback to Celtic Ireland saw him wanting to marry a young girl (Shevonne Durkin), who happened to be the daughter of his slave, William O'Day (James Lancaster).

Luckily for William, Lubdan's attempts to wed his daughter went awry but not so lucky for William was still being bound to his evil Master as well as Lubdan vowing to marry one of William's descendants. Cut to the present day and Lubdan's free and eager to make good on that promise.

The descendant in question being a woman named Bridget (Shevonne Durkin again) but it's not really Bridget's story here. Instead the protagonist of the piece was Bridget's boyfriend and likeable enough scam artist Cody (Charlie Heath). He's mostly the hero of the piece as he finds a gold coin in his possession gives him invulnerability against Lubdan.

Throughout the movie Lubdan was determined to marry Bridget and get his gold coin back. He also took some enjoyment in the Los Angeles setting by terrorising many a character he encountered. However it was Cody's uncle Morty (Sandy Baron) who suffered the worst fate as the latter's greed became his undoing in the worst way possible.

As a villain, Lubdan certainly upped his nastiness, particularly his scenes with Bridget, which were certainly uncomfortable in parts to watch. However he underestimated Cody as a threat and ended up coming afoul of him in the end.

- This was the last movie to get a theatrical release until the seventh entry.

- Keeping with some Irish clichés we even had a drinking contest between Lubdan and Morty at one point in the movie.

- For some reason the movie had the alternative title of One Wedding And Lots Of Funerals.

- Chronology: Not only did we get flashback to Ireland but this movie had a St Patrick's Day setting for most of it.

Leprechaun 2 certainly upped the nastiness factor and while not quite as entertaining as the first movie, it did have it's moments. I also liked the bigger Irish connection this time around.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Leprechaun (1993)

 

Written And Directed by Mark Jones

Lubdan: "I'll not rest til I have me gold. Curse this well that me soul shall dwell, till I find me magic that breaks me spell."

It's been thirty years since the release of this movie and it was time to tackle this one. I've avoided it for a long time and now,  thought it was time to finally watch it. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised here.

Yes, I know it's a franchise with some truly horrible sequels to follow but for an opening entry, this was a lot better than it had any right to be. I'm being serious here. I really did like this one. 

Anyways, we venture into 1983 where Dan O'Grady (Shay Duffin) returned from Ireland back to North Dakota after his mother's funeral. His wife was concerned with his merriment and it's not long before it's revealed that he stole gold from a leprechaun named Lubdan (Warwick Davies). Yeah, not a bright idea on Dan's part.

The leprechaun wasted no time in killing Dan's unfortunate wife and even when trapped in a chest with four leaf clover keeping him prisoner, it's Dan who suffered a stroke and ended up in a retirement home. That's just the first ten minutes of the movie.

The majority of the movie jumped ten years and a father/daughter duo named JD (John Sanderford) and Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston) moved into the O'Grady. Along with the hunky Nathan (Ken Olandt), his younger brother, Alex (Robert Hy Gorman) and slow witted Ozzie (Mark Horton), it's not long before Lubdan gets released from that chest.

Once the antagonistic Leprechaun is on the loose, the fun factor for this movie goes up several notches. Between being compelled to clean shoes, searching for his gold and having too fun killing various people in inventive ways, it's up to Tory and the lads to get rid of the Leprechaun for good.

It's definitely something of a group effort with Tory not only having to find four leap clover but also having her faith restored and Ozzie proving to be a lot smarter than expected. Of course while Lubdan does get his just desserts, a sequel was already in mind with that last shot.

- Yes, this franchise has spawned seven sequels (with a prequel in there too) and is getting the reboot treatment because, why not?

- Lubdan does not care for Lucky Charms. I genuinely laughed at that scene.

- A movie about an Irish mythical creature where the lead actor happens to be British. Had to point that out. Warwick Davies is great though.

- Chronology: 1983 and 1993, the latter being the same year as the movie's release.

For a film so maligned, I expected so much worse and found myself rather amused with what I watched. I genuinely think Leprechaun is an entertaining film that veers between sheer daftness and nice bits of horror. The lead villain is a blast to watch and the protagonists are likable. It worked for me.

Rating: 7 out of 10