Some of the best comedies I’ve ever seen were horror flicks. While digging though the extensive horror library of Netflix I came across the crown jewel of bad horror: The Leprechaun series. Last I’d heard they began a franchise with little Warwick Davis (The short guy from Willow) as a blood-thirsty elf, and left off with him starring with Ice-T in one picture. Turns out they made SIX, yes Six “Leprechaun” films. So there’s no need to wait until next March to celebrate leprechauns, throw your own Leprechaun Party with these films.

Experiment Volume 4: The Leprechaun Movies

Leprechaun (1993) Dir. Mark Jones

This movie is actually a little scary. This tiny green psycho rhymes his way through a blood-bath in order to retrieve his pot of gold. The director was trying to make an actual horror film at this point, and didn’t do a bad job.

Party Highlight: The one and only Jennifer Anniston plays the lead as she is terrorized by the little guy. Must have been good practice for when David Arquette is on the “Friends” set.  

Leprechaun 2 (1994) Dir. Rodman Flender

No Anniston means no fun. This sequel is pretty much a duplicate of the first plot. Part two is not as scary as the first and not as funny as the later editions. Stuck in Leprechaun Limbo it’s easily the worst of the six…and that is saying A LOT.

Party Highlight: The Leprechaun uses his magic powers to convince one of the doomed teenagers that the spinning blades of a lawnmower is actually the bare chest of the girl he has a crush on. I think we all know how he ends up. Let’s just say the lawn didn’t get cut that day.

Leprechaun 3: Las Vegas (1995) Dir. Brian Trenchard Smith

Finally having conquered the suburbs, our movie’s namesake ends up as a statue in Las Vegas for no apparent reason. Of course, soon he is slaughtering pawn store owners, crooked casino employees and magicians. This time around, anyone possessing his gold is granted one wish. So of course, the main characters—a country rube and a painfully kind showgirl—make some wishes that lead to disaster. Of course, many people are killed during this film, each in a more brutal and bizarre manner than the last. But good overcomes evil…until the next sequel.

Party Highlight: This is the first journey into horror/comedy for this series. It pulls it off in Vegas, a town so weird that no one notices a blood spattered leprechaun sitting on the craps table. I don’t care what he looks like, as long as he’s rolling sevens.      

Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996) Brian Trenchard Smith

And now the series throws any shred of continuity and all Leprechaunial physics out the door. This time the Leprechaun is on a distant planet wooing a princess. But wouldn’t you know it, space marines storm his lair and “rescue” the princess.  Of course, this pisses the Leprechaun off and he stows away on the ship and systematically kills everyone but the heroes of the story. There is a weird sub plot (Who knew the director even knew what a sub plot is?) involving a half-man/ half-machine evil scientist who mutates into an alien. But it’s pretty boring. Apparently in space, leprechauns have nine lives because he’s blown up, incinerated and murdered half a dozen times before his final demise.

Party Highlight: In homage to “Alien” Warwick Davis is birthed through one space marine’s body. Nope, not through the stomach, but through his crotch. Obviously, subtlety is lost when you are a gore-crazy elf.  

Leprechaun 5: In the Hood (1999) Dir. Rob Spera

Four Stars! This is by far the best of the bunch. Because its level of absurdity is only matched by its plot. Bravo!

Here’s all you need to know. The Leprechaun only speaks in rhymed couplet. He is once again found in statue form—this time in Ice-T’s house! It just so happens, in the 70s Ice-T was an up-and-coming pimp in Compton. He managed to capture the Leprechaun and turn him into a statue and use the elf’s magic powers to his advantage (Wait a second! If Ice-T turned him into a statue in the 70s, wouldn’t it be impossible for the other movies to… Oh, what do I care? I’ll take any excuse to rope Ice-T into this mess). Fast forward to present day Los Angeles. A group of young rappers unleash the troll into the streets and it’s a three way fight between the Leprechaun, the rappers and Ice-T.

Throughout it all, the leprechaun smokes his weight in marijuana, collects a posse of Zombie Hos, and unflinchingly puts everyone through the meat grinder of Irish pain. Oh yeah, and Coolio stops by for good measure. If you like horror movies that are so bad, they’re good. This one is the top of the mountain. Total absurdity rules the streets, apparently.

Party Highlight: There is a full length rap video starring the Leprechaun and his Zombie Hos. It’s a terrible song, but damn if I’m not a sucker for rapping Leprechauns.

Leprechaun 6: Back to Tha Hood (2003) Steven Ayromlooi

Ok, this is getting a little out of hand. Just as this film series found its ridiculous feet, it falls flat on its little green ass. The movie picks up with a flashback to how the Leprechaun was done in by a priest and dropped into cement. But, that’s not how the last one ended? Maybe there is a missing Leprechaun movie out there that links these two…or maybe it’s just a bad movie gone worse. No rhyming Leprechauns, no guest star rappers and the inner-city stereotypes are damn-near offensive. There are some funny spots, but ultimately there’s no reason to go back to the hood once you’ve conquered it by mopping the floor with Ice-T’s ass. Totally pointless and unlike the Leprechaun in the films let’s hope it dies here.

Party Highlight: The Leprechaun gets stoned out of his mind and impales someone with a bong. Who says weed can’t kill?

More NetfliXperiments:

· NetfliXperiments Volume 3: Rock 'n' Roll Freakshow
· NetfliXperiments Volume 2: Ouch! My Head Hurts--Foreign Films
· NetfliXperiments Volume 1: Highway Horror & Hillbilly Fishermen

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