L'abominable lutin

Big fan of 80s-90s horror movies. Always liked this one growing up. Its nothing spectacular but still a fun movie to watch. On top of being a horror movie it has Jennifer Aniston in it so it's a win win!

Alright "phenomenon" may be a stretch, but "cult" definitely describes the Leprechaun film franchise. Writer/Director Mark Jones really took some chances with this movie in the early 90's, a time when the Horror genre appeared to be washed up. The end result was a moderately successful B movie that developed a small, but enthusiastic fan base. The idea of a leprechaun in a slasher flick may seem like a ridiculous concept at first. Let's face it, in most folk tales leprechauns are portrayed as adorable little Irish elves; not as hideous, conniving, murderous creatures. Mark Jones could have tried to make this a dark film, and if he had done that it likely would have failed miserably. By throwing some humour into the mix, the concept of the film begins to make sense and the movie becomes rather enjoyable to watch. Leprechaun was well-cast. Jennifer Aniston got her first big break, and she did a tremendous job. Watching her for the first time, it was obvious that she was going to move on to bigger and better things. Warwick Davis is another talented actor and was the perfect choice to play the Leprechaun. This franchise would likely have never become so popular if it weren't for him. The rest of the cast is made up mostly of character actors such as Ken Olandt, Mark Holton, and Robert Gorman. While their performances aren't Oscar worthy, they all do their part to keep the film moving along smoothly. The story is nothing too complex. It is what one would expect for a horror film with a Leprechaun. A Leprechaun has his pot of gold stolen and will stop at nothing to retrieve it and murder anyone who gets in his way. The only way he can be stopped is by using a four-leaf clover. The effects were decent for a low budget movie. The Leprechaun's make-up was very well done. It really enhanced the idea that this is supposed to be an evil Leprechaun. Overall if you are expecting to get a good scare from this movie, you will be disappointed. However, if you are simply looking for a simple, enjoyable movie with some light humour and a decent amount of gore, then this would definitely be worthwhile.

I wont ever get anything worthwhile as far as true scares with Leprechaun. Maybe if I were younger the effect would be with a stronger, stranger response, because the make-up- which is extremely well-crafted- and the un-hinged demented brilliance of Warwick Davis could be creepy for a kid. As an adult, however, a LOT of this is quite silly, the kind of flick that might've been presented as the St. Patrick's Day special on the grind-house circuit back in the 70s. Which means that what it lacks in any sort of quality and carries with idiot characters, it does a good enough job of making up for it as a comedy. There's next to no real character development at all, but who needs with then with a little green man running around...excuse me, riding around (on a variety of little goofy vehicles). The writer's make a self-conscious effort to make it in a predictable style, at least at first (they also waste no time getting to the Leprechaun at the start). The director Mark Jones makes shallow attempts for 'different' angles at times (lets do a quick tilt here, a little extra grand-guignol there), but it's really the Warwick Davis show at the end of the day, and the crazy situations that come out of his dogged attempt at one thing- his pot of gold!

A funnier side too is just suddenly seeing the name Jennifer Ansiton in the opening credits- a first time acting job that feels very much like one. She and the rest of the main human characters are pretty standard as somehow able enough to stay on their toes with such a wretched little s.o.b., but it goes without saying you'll come across the very inane dialog exchange or just tepid moment of "acting" (Mark Holton as Ozzie is an example of this). Meanwhile, the Leprechaun rides his tricycles and scooters, and sometimes runs like hell (in truly over-the-top action sequences), and its usually a gas if not entirely workable as horror. Whatever cheap thrills do come around, its never anything totally exciting. But I wouldn't trade some of the Leprechaun's classically mad turns of phrasing ("This old Lep, he played one. He played pogo on his lung"). That little near 4 foot ball of comedic bravado makes the picture somewhat memorable, and I'm sure I'd have fun again watching it again some time soon. Cleverest bit of old-time cliché logic: the Leprechaun's ability to talk in other voices ala the Terminator as a trick on those around the corner. 6.5/10

"Leprechaun" is Jennifer Aniston's only big screen appearance before she became a star on "Friends", and WOW! she looks hot! I'm not a fan of hers, and I've never watched "Friends", but she is drop-dead gorgeous in this film, 23 or 24 years old and just beautiful! Oh yeah, there's a leprechaun in this movie too...

I really liked this cheap, low-budget B horror flick. It's bad, but I'll be darned if it's not engaging and compulsively watchable. Much of the credit has to go to Warwick Davis, the evil leprechaun. It's not that he's particularly clever or funny, but he's very engaging, and in spite of myself, I kept wanting to see where he'd pop up next, even when it was predictable. I want more Leprechaun, luckily(?) there's another 5 movies to watch in the series. This film is the truest definition of "It's so bad it's good" that I've come across in recent memory. A lot of fun!

I understand why people hate this movie, but i like it for what it is.

It has good acting Jennifer Aniston is a good actress and it has some funny characters.

I love the Leprechaun and this was the first movie of his franchise.

Warwick davis was great has the Leprechaun and if they make a new movie i hope he is in it.

Overall a entertaining movie and i can't say i recommend it, but if you like this kind og movie go and Watch it.