The Leprechaun Movies Ranked
“I WANT ME GOLD!”
Ah, the Leprechaun series, the quintessential ‘so bad it’s good’ franchise. Over the course of a decade, Warwick Davis starred in six movies as a green-lovin’, rhyme-spoutin’, gold-seekin’ leprechaun from Ireland who wants two things: a pot of gold and a pretty bride.
The first movie, Leprechaun (1993), was a surprise box office hit. Its sequel, Leprechaun 2 (1994), fizzled in theaters, but the series continued as a straight to video franchise.
The Leprechaun movies have the barest pretenses of plot, bargain basement special effects, crappy production values, and acting that (other than Davis) is barely adequate at best. There is also no continuity whatsoever between installments.
So, why has this series endured for so long? Two words: Warwick Davis. Well, and two more: great makeup. Davis is phenomenal as the Leprechaun. It’s great how he gives it his all every time. It would have been easy for him to go through the motions after the first couple movies, but Davis’s energy and enthusiasm is consistent throughout the whole series.
Also, the Leprechaun looks fantastic. These aren’t scary movies, but Lep looks like he would be right at home in a real horror film.
There were two more Leprechaun franchise movies after Davis retired from the role: Leprechaun: Origins (2014) and Leprechaun Returns (2018). Origins ignores the previous movies and Returns only acknowledges the original. Without Davis, these movies received little attention. I’ve excluded them here.
In honor of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, I risked my sanity by binging this series. Previously, I had only seen the original and Leprechaun in the Hood. The others were pretty much what I expected. Holy shamrock, the space one is so difficult to sit through! I deserve a pot of gold for surviving that wretched trash. Here are the Leprechaun movies ranked.
The Leprechaun movies in order
Leprechaun (1993)
Leprechaun 2 (1994)
Leprechaun 3 (1995)
Leprechaun 4 – In Space (1996)
Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)
Leprechaun Back to Tha Hood (2003)
All the Warwick Davis Leprechaun Movies Ranked
6. Leprechaun 4 – In Space
I had heard this one was mind bogglingly awful, and it certainly lived down to my expectations. In the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, there was a bizarre trend of sending famous horror villains to outer space. These movies consistently sucked, and this one is the worst. Even Critters 4 had better production values.
The leprechaun is in the future this time. Somehow he is stowed away on a spaceship. Lep wants to marry a beautiful alien princess who turns out to be almost as deranged as he is.
The main problem here is that the movie goes through long, insufferably boring stretches without the leprechaun. Instead, there’s seemingly endless footage of a bunch of bickering space cadets roaming around the ship. Were the filmmakers under the impression that anyone was going to care about these idiots?
The Leprechaun movies are supposed to be entertainingly bad, but this one is just dull.
5. Leprechaun Back to Tha Hood
The concept of a leprechaun interacting with the fine folks in “the hood” was pretty funny the first time (although the concept probably wouldn’t fly today). But why go back? The gimmick of the series, from part 3 onward, was for the leprechaun to appear in a unique location each time.
In fact, the original plan was to have this movie set in a tropical location during spring break. That could have been fun. Instead, we get a lazy retread. This one doesn’t do anything that wasn’t already in the previous movie. It feels stale and tired. The Leprechaun barely even gets to do any rhyming.
4. Leprechaun
The original is best known for being the first film role for Jennifer Aniston. After a prologue in Ireland, the leprechaun shows up in South Dakota, where he menaces the residents of a small town while searching for his missing gold. Why South Dakota? Probably a cheap place to film, I reckon.
This movie has the best kill in the series (death by pogo stick), but not much else to distinguish itself. Davis and Aniston are the only legit actors in the cast.
Leprechaun has a couple of elements that were dropped in the sequels. Lep has a bizarre fixation for shining shoes in this movie. He also wears red pants instead of green. If you’re wondering if this movie is any scarier or more cerebral than the sequels, the answer is absolutely not. This series was trashy from the beginning.
3. Leprechaun 3
The series’ first non-theatrical installment has Lep hitting Vegas in his endless pursuit of gold. A bumbling college student and his love interest, a pretty magician’s assistant, try to stop him. There’s a magic coin that can grant wishes and several people use it, with predictably disastrous results.
Sin City is a perfect place for a leprechaun. This is among the more imaginative movies of the series. The Leprechaun gambles at a casino and later works as a Vegas magician who pulls off a delightfully gruesome trick in front of a crowd of onlookers.
2. Leprechaun 2
The leprechaun returns, and this time he’s in Los Angeles. Lep wants to take a teen girl, who is the descendant of a woman he tried to marry centuries ago, as his bride. Not surprisingly, she’s isn’t interested in marrying a dude whose half her size and thousands of years old.
I was surprised at how much I didn’t hate this movie. It’s a wacky and cheesy sequel with more imagination than the original. Leprechaun 2 is as brainless as the rest of the series, but Davis is as entertaining as ever. Tony Cox (Bad Santa) has a funny cameo in a St. Patrick’s Day bar scene.
1. Leprechaun in the Hood
Leprechaun in the Hood has plenty of energy and a self-aware sense of humor. I don’t think you could make a movie like this today, but if taken on its own terms, it’s the most entertaining of this rotten series.
The surprising appeal of this weird concept (which is filled with the stereotypical “hood” characters often seen in movies of the era) led to this installment being a VHS hit back at the turn of the century.
Lep is determined to retrieve his stolen magic flute. While he’s hanging out in the ‘hood, he smokes a joint and butchers the local residents. This one has easily the funniest scene of the entire series: the leprechaun rapping! This classic moment is more clever and better made than anything else in the franchise.
Will Warwick Davis Ever Play the Leprechaun Again?
It’s been over twenty years since Davis played this character, but he has expressed interest in potentially returning to the series. Lionsgate has announced plans to make another installment, with Felipe Vargas directing. There’s been no word as of yet about who will play the leprechaun.
