The 2025 short film Leprechaun Revenge is a surprising and refreshing return to the dark, twisted roots of a horror franchise that's been treated like a punchline for far too long. Clocking in at just nine minutes, it manages to accomplish more than several of the recent full-length attempts combined-delivering scares, nostalgia, and a sense of finality that longtime fans like myself didn't realize we'd been missing.
I'll be honest, I was skeptical going in. Warwick Davis's original Leprechaun has always held a special place in my heart. I know many people consider it campy or silly, but I've always admired it for its blend of mischief, horror, and weird charm. So when I heard about a short film attempting to revive that spirit, my expectations were low-but Leprechaun Revenge proved to be a genuine surprise.
The short brings back Mark Holton as Ozzie, and seeing him again after all these years is a nostalgic gut-punch. He doesn't quite capture the exact same Ozzie energy from the '90s, but that's understandable-time changes everyone. Still, his presence alone gives this short a real sense of connection to the original series. It's a respectful continuation, not a mockery, and that in itself is a win.
As for Maren Altman, who plays Allison, she feels a bit misplaced in the role. Her performance doesn't quite land, and there's a stiffness to her delivery that makes the early moments a little rough. It honestly feels like a case of "who you know" casting, because she never fully embodies the fear or energy the short needs. Thankfully, her screen time is brief, and the film quickly shifts focus to what we really came to see-the leprechaun himself.
Linden Porco steps in as the murderous little creature, and while he'll never fully replace Warwick Davis, he proves himself worthy of the mantle. His physicality, expressions, and overall menace hit the right tone. There are moments where his voice slips a little too far into caricature, but the performance works. He captures that wicked blend of humor and horror that made the original character iconic without turning him into a joke.
The short's tone is what really makes it stand out. It has that gritty, mean-spirited energy that feels reminiscent of Terrifier, but with more structure and mythology behind it. It's gory, creepy, and unapologetically dark. If this is the direction the franchise wants to take going forward-leaning back into true horror rather than slapstick nonsense-then they're absolutely on the right track.
By the end of those nine minutes, Leprechaun Revenge manages to tell a complete story that feels like a conclusive sequel while also reigniting hope for what's possible. It honors the original while paving the way for a new chapter. It's short, sharp, and surprisingly effective-a terrifying tease of what could be if this tone carries into a feature-length revival.
It's not perfect, but it doesn't need to be. What it delivers is a long-overdue reminder that the Leprechaun franchise can still be scary, and that the gold isn't gone yet-it's just been buried, waiting for the right filmmaker to dig it back up.
