Leprechaun (1993)

*

Warwick Davis was well known to me prior to this awful series of killer Lep films as Willow and as an Ewok. Later he returned to quality films in the Harry Potter series. Under heavy makeup and in a green costume, Davis offers cringe-worthy quips and might call to mind Chucky, the killer doll, considering this was around the time Child's Play was on the mind of slasher fans.

Jennifer Aniston (obviously) has disowned the film. I reckon all actors of some considerable stature have that early film best not to mentioned when looking back over their career. Aniston would move on to far better things than Leprechaun. All in all, though, she’s not too bad in the film. She is the damsel in distress always trying to stay one step away from annihilation as Lep pursues her with bad intentions. Lep has lost his crock of gold and is freed from a case holding him. Meanwhile Aniston, Ken Olandt (Amy Steel’s beau in “April Fool’s Day” (1986)), Mark Holton (of “Teen Wolf” and “Gacy” notoriety), and Robert Gorman (as the kid) try and keep Lep from visiting violence upon them. They are fixing up a farmhouse and Lep was released from his prison not far from them. Holton (as a simple-minded child-adult) and Gorman (the mischievous kid who knows how to talk him into stuff) find the gold in the wreckage of a rusting, gutted old car leaning against a tree. Holton swallows one of the coins (which becomes a significant threat towards the end when Lep realizes he’s missing one coin) while Gorman hides the rest of them in a well for safe keeping. Visiting a pawn shop owner, Holton and Gorman look to see if one of their coins has any value to it. Holding on to the coin for research, he becomes an unsuspecting victim-in-waiting as Lep identifies him as one of the culprits who stole what belongs to him. Then ole Lep heads back to the farmhouse where Aniston and company are to find the rest of cache. Aniston’s father, played by John Sanderford, reaches in the hole of a tree to try and rescue what he thinks is a cat as her and Olandt look on. Lep bites him on the hand and he’s taken to a hospital. Returning to the property, Lep reveals himself and starts his pursuit. I think at one point he pogo stick tramples one victim while reaching into the face of another before snapping his neck. He drives a little car and is pulled over by a police officer he eventually kills. He goes after Holton with plans to open his tummy and get his coin, just ripping away at his torso and face.

Some quips:

“Try as they will, and try as they might, who steals me gold won't live through the night.”

“Curse this well that me soul shall dwell, till I find me magic that breaks me spell.”

“I got you in a bear trap / That'll make you shut your yap / I got you in a bear trap / You look like a stupid sap.”

Lep gets even with the man who held him captive and informs Aniston that to take him down she would need a four leaf clover. Of course, there is a four leaf clover not far from the well holding Lep’s gold. Lep can mimic people and disappear/reappear wherever he so chooses. He basically toys with them. Hiding in a truck or the house does very little to keep him at bay. He wants his gold and will do what he can to get it back.

Aniston, much to her regret I guess, will bring curious eyes to this first film in the franchise. This is before her nose job and stardom in the revered ensemble of Friends. She has spunk and her reaction to Olandt eating meat (she admonishes him as he offers her some beef) in a diner is priceless. In this film's ensemble, fascinatingly, they aren't the kind of slasher cast that would be part of the body count formula. Holton is the closest victim to depart on a tragic note, and is more than a little worse for wear until a four leaf clover is introduced to Lep when he least expects it.

The film does enjoy spending time with Holton and Gorman as essentially they are two kids off from the young adults who are painting and doing renovations on their fixer-upper. Olandt gets his foot caught in a bear trap which wounds him enough he’s injured and in need of help. Packing a shotgun, the motley group basically just has it as a weapon to hold off Lep. He is never down or away too long before returning in anticipation of getting his gold.

The gold, while a point of emphasis in that Lep sold his soul for it and covets it dearly, is a Macguffen in that it serves only a purpose in bringing the villain and group of actors we follow together. As the series continued, the gold would be less a factor (for instance, Leprechaun 2 has Warwick Davis looking for a new bride) as just having the evil, giggling Lep making the lives of innocents totally miserable.

Admittedly, while I think Leprechaun (1993) is quite wretched and wholly undeserving of a mess of sequels, it wasn’t boring which I guess is something of a positive. Davis is imminently watchable even if the humor, which plays off the character (Lucky Charms cereal is featured in the comedy some), can be [well often is] quite lame. Series to series, Leprechaun can’t hold its own against Child’s Play as the direction and set pieces favor the latter significantly. When the franchise went “to the hood” and “into space”, it just derailed into sheer inanity. But that was the intention…to go the route of the absurd. Davis just heartily followed that signature character off the deep end, thankfully allowed to regain his credibility. 

As you can see, Anniston is pimped later on so that her participation and likeness are attached to the first Leprechaun with the two movie posters.

There are fans of the franchise, though. I found myself inexplicably almost picking up the Lep set not too long ago just to review them for the blog. I had the dvd set in my hands and decided, when my wits returned to me, to set it back down. Watching them on syfy or AMC or premium channels (I watched Leprechaun (1993) on Starz-Encore) late at night after renting them on VHS in the 90s is probably for the best. Well, not watching them at all is for the best, but I digress…