Movies
Everything You Need to Know about The Leprechaun Franchise
The Leprechaun series is a very hit-or-miss franchise. Though I hold it near and dear since it was the first horror movie marathon I ever did with friends, these films are cornier than a field in Kansas. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have an abnormal amount of backstory and lore, so they’re on the blackboard today. Let’s dig into the Leprechaun franchise’s beautiful mess, and answer the question of who or what the Leprechaun is, from the Leprechaun movie franchise.
Welcome back to Horror 101, a series of articles where we explain horror movie legends and their lore. For beginners, the confused, or just those who need a refresher, these articles are for you. The Leprechaun series is a very hit-or-miss franchise. Though I hold it near and dear since it was the first horror movie marathon I ever did with friends, these films are cornier than a field in Kansas. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have an abnormal amount of backstory and lore, so they’re on the blackboard today. Let’s dig into the Leprechaun franchise’s beautiful mess, and answer the question of…
WHO IS THE LEPRECHAUN?
An ancient and sinister being—no, seriously guys, he’s a leprechaun.
A 2000-year-old fairy of mischief and murder hailing from Killarney, Lep was once a good creature. Leprechaun: Back 2 Da’ Hood details that while most Leprechauns are peaceful and benevolent creatures that are meant to protect ancient treasures from evil and then retreat into the wilderness once their job is done, the Leprechaun’s greed consumed him, and he decided to take a stash of gold for himself. Now, he spreads chaos wherever he goes and tortures almost everyone he comes across in the hunt for his pot of gold.
The Leprechaun is obsessed with his treasure, and anyone who gets in the way of his collection of wealth, or dares even to steal a single shilling, is subject to his magical powers and a cruel death (usually served with a limerick relevant to how he kills them). And if he doesn’t use his magic, he’ll probably just stomp you to death with a pogo stick or snap your neck.
He also enjoys enslaving humans and capturing women to serve as his wife. Sometimes it’s to torture them, and occasionally, it’s to become the king of space as he does in Leprechaun 4. Also, he is obsessed with cleaning shoes and if he bites you, you become a were-leprechaun. For some reason? It felt pertinent to mention this given his general weird motifs, he has a lot of unexplained character quirks.
WHAT IS THE LEPRECHAUN’S NAME?
We don’t know, it’s never said. Mark Jones said the original name he had come up with for Lep was Basil, but that was never made official. And though people call him Lubdan, that name is never spoken in the movies; it came from a non-canon comic book miniseries, which is not course-relevant material as far as we’re concerned.
WHY DOES HE WANT GOLD?
Leprechaun 3 teaches us, through a very mid-90s CD-ROM animation of lore, that the gold is also the source of Lep’s magic, and that each piece of it allows the holder to make a single wish. In Leprechaun 2, holders of the gold are considered immune to his magic and any harm that could come from it, but this seemed like a one-and-done deal since it’s contradicted in several other films when people get murdered despite having his gold on or in them.
HOW DO YOU BEAT THE LEPRECHAUN?
Throughout the series, a four-leaf clover (or, in Leprechaun Returns case, clover juice) is the best way to immobilize Lep before he can be destroyed with fire or some other means. In Leprechaun 2, good old-fashioned wrought iron can trap and destroy him since it burns fairy creatures. In 3, we find out through a very funny fire stunt where they swing Warwick Davis around on wires, that if you destroy his gold with fire, you can burn him alive.
He was put down for the last time chronologically (no really, we mean it, he’s gone!) in Leprechaun: Back 2 Da’ Hood, through very extreme methods: they shoot him with hollow-point bullets that have clovers in them, then trap him inside of wet cement.
Like any good slasher villain though, there is no surefire way to put Lep down. No matter all the rules you establish, he keeps coming back, sometimes paradoxically reappearing in places completely different from where he died. In the first movie he fell down a well in North Dakota and was burned alive, but in the second movie somehow came to Los Angeles inside a magical tree that was brought over from Ireland. And then he ended up in space without any real reason.
Who are we to question the inscrutable and incredible mysteries of such a sacred and definitely well-made franchise? The point is your best bet is to avoid the Leprechaun altogether: don’t steal his gold and try not to be Irish if you can help it.
WAIT, WAS LEPRECHAUN THE FIRST FRANCHISE TO GO TO SPACE?
No, that was Godzilla. When the Controller of Planet X took Godzilla to his home world back in Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965), they accidentally invented the trope of bringing the monster into space to up the stakes. If only Leprechaun 4 had been even a fraction as good as Astro-Monster.
…SO, WHATS UP WITH LEPRECHAUN: ORIGINS?
I don’t care who my editor sends after me, you can’t make me acknowledge WWE Studios movies. Besides, it’s just a soulless cash-grab remake and has nothing to do with the other 7 films. But Hornswoggle is in it as the Leprechaun, if mid-tier wrestlers in horror movies do anything for you.
Do, however, watch the reboot sequel to the original Leprechaun, Leprechaun Returns, because it’s very fun.
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And that will be it for today’s Horror 101 lesson. See you in the next class and stay tuned to Horror Press’s social media feeds (@HorrorPressLLC on Twitter and Instagram) for more content on horror movies, television, and everything in between!
Shudder knows summer is the perfect time to watch scary things in air-conditioned places. Which is why the beloved streamer is giving us newer movies like Heresy, Whistle, This is Not a Test, and Smothered. While it’s always fun to see recent titles arrive alongside classics and deep cuts, my eye isn’t on the films this month. Most of my picks this May are television series and documentaries. Maybe that means I want longer comments with my media and an open library. Or perhaps I’m just reminding myself that I’m a cool nerd and making it your problem too. Whatever the case may be, I have curated another list of titles that I believe deserve our attention. Check out my top five priorities while surfing our favorite streamer below.
Tales From the Crypt (1989 – 1996)
Our beloved 90s anthology is finally making its way to our most cherished streamer. As someone who hasn’t seen Tales From the Crypt since I was a tyke, I’m so giddy that I get to watch it as an adult. More importantly, I get to binge it as John Kassir (the voice of our favorite ghoul) intended. I have been floating since this news was announced at the Overlook Film Festival in April. My insomnia and my Crypt Keeper are about to be reunited, and all is going to be alright in my little world. Come for the celebrities and stay for the puns and wicked deaths. I sincerely hope you call out of work each Friday as a new season gets added to Shudder.
You can watch Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 on May 1st. Subsequent seasons will premiere on Fridays, concluding with Season 7 on June 12
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror (2019)
Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book of the same name, Horror Noire: History of Black Horror is simply that girl. It unpacks the complicated history of Black people in the genre with humor, honesty, and heart. It even gets into the conversations no one seems to want to have and makes room for Black horror icons to actually be heard for once. You could hear the record scratch on Bluesky when this Shudder Original disappeared a few months ago. So, we can all rest easy knowing that it’s coming back home and we can continue to have it in our regular rotation. Horror Noire made many of us feel seen and made us better cinephiles and critics. It’s worth the Shudder subscription on its own if we’re being completely honest.
You can watch Horror Noire: History of Black Horror on May 4th.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (2026)
Your favorite unsettlingly stoic anthology has returned for a new season, and this time, Dan Stevens is in the mix. Stevens plays Pepper, a man with bad luck and a bad temper who gets himself committed to a psychiatric hospital. Any horror fan knows that’s the recipe for many horror bangers, and that’s why I will be sat. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Marin Ireland. However, my heart belongs to Karyn Kusama, who is in the director’s chair and the queen of tension. As a Momma Kusma stan account, I am so ready for her to raise my blood pressure and send me to the ER. The demonic duo of AMC+ and Shudder is cooking with this one.
You can watch episode one of The Terror: Devil in Silver on May 7th. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, concluding with the season finale on June 11th.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 (2024)
We all love to see our faves get together and discuss the horror eras we have romanticized. Which is why watching genre royalty unpack the “lost” decade of horror is something we all probably want to see. As a 90s kid, I feel like we ate pretty well in my day. So, I want to collect all of these stories like infinity stones. Some of the faces we can expect to see are Heather Langenkamp, John Carpenter, Frank Henenlotter, Tim Balme, and Michael Gross. My little nerd heart could bust, and I am happy Shudder is opening the library this May.
You can watch episode one of In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 on May 11th.
Something Is About to Happen (2023)
Things take a turn for a woman who loses her job as a computer programmer. The only movie in my roundup this month goes to the one I perhaps know the least about. Truthfully, I am just here for horror movies about women going through it. Excuse me as I gesture to the world and my bank account. More importantly, Spanish-language horror rarely fails me. So, I am willing to look past the two-hour and two-minute runtime. I am ignoring that it is listed as a romantic horror. I’m doing this because I expect my kind of chaos, and I hope I am right. From one down girl to another, I am rooting for this character on sight.
You can watch episode one of Something Is About to Happen on May 15th.
That is what I plan to use my Shudder Saturdays for this month. Let us know what you’re plotting to hit play on in the comments because we’re nosy.
Is anyone else remembering we have movies at home and logging in a lot of Netflix hours this spring? I know I am, and I keep finding more hidden treasures on this app. They collect so much international media and never tell us they have it. I find this frustrating as I pull up late to things I’m probably going to love. Quite a few foreign films make it into my lineup this month. Two of them I have never heard of before and are newer titles that should be getting some attention, in case they’re some of the best of their respective years. One is French, and we all need to revisit it for reasons that I’ll explain later.
Another thing worth noting about Netflix’s recent additions is an American show called Man on Fire. This serialized adaptation of A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He’ll be playing the character my generation associates with Denzel Washington because of the 2004 film adaptation. As a nerd who has been wondering why Yahya hasn’t been on my screen for a minute, I will probably have finished binging this before you even make it to the end of this article. I digress! Here are the five movies I plan to watch this month on Netflix!
180 (2026)
An act of road rage leaves a young boy in critical condition and his father seeking revenge. As usual, Netflix has not really advertised this South African thriller. However, I love revenge and am always game for a new release. So, I’m happy the powers that be put this in the recent lineup. It looks good, which gives me hope that this is going to be a gritty and bloody adventure. Fingers crossed, a few of you also hit play on this one because I’d like more quality South African thrillers that are easily accessible in America. I’m tired of hunting them down years after the fact.
Benedetta (2021)
A nun has religious visions that threaten the core of the Church while she is also having a secret affair in the 17th century. You are probably confused as to why Paul Verhoeven’s French psychological romantic drama is in my Netflix round-up. Especially if you clocked the long run time, and now I love a 90-minute or less movie. Listen! If you give me a nun having visions and having a lesbian affair in a period piece, it is my sworn duty to tell everybody. It is also my job to rewatch it for reasons. Don’t say I never did anything for you!
Him (2025)
A young athlete discovers why you should never meet your heroes when he is invited to train with a football legend. People were way too mean to this movie. It’s giving Neon Demon and Black Swan for Black male athletes. It’s not perfect, but the aesthetics and vibes are on 10. More importantly, Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers deliver some pretty fantastic performances that keep you locked in. I’m excited to revisit it and see if I like it more (or less) than when I caught it in theaters. Hopefully, more people will do the same now that the more biased discourse has died down.
Mudborn (2025)
A spirit terrorizes a video-game designer and his pregnant wife. I have no idea what to expect from Meng-Ju Shieh’s Mandarin supernatural horror film. However, I’m excited to see what this spirit is about. Again, Netflix continues to drop the ball on advertising international films. So, it’s up to us to find it in the streets and raise the alarm. In a perfect world, this movie will be the nightmare fuel I’m always seeking out. However, at the end of the day, I’m just happy to show up and support international films helmed by people of color. It’s a win-win situation, however I look at it.
Scream (2022)
A new Ghostface is terrorizing Woodsboro 25 years after the original killing spree rocked the town. As a Wes Craven stan account and fan of Radio Silence, I was so happy this movie turned out awesome. I can still say this is one of my favorite horror wins of this decade because it showed this franchise still had some life in it. It also introduced us to our Core Four, led by my new favorite final girl, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera). As someone who enjoyed these first six movies, I will always clear my schedule for a marathon and am happy to see Scream (2022) on Netflix this month. I plan to rewatch it and continue being salty that I will never know how this new trilogy was supposed to end.
That’s what I have this month. Happy Netflixing to each and every one of you!
