Leprechaun Returns Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate)

Leprechaun Returns is a 2018 horror film directed by Astron 6’s Steven Kostanski (The Void, Father’s Day, Manborg, & ABCs of Death 2). It was written by Suzanne Keilly (Dallas & Robo, Ash vs Evil Dead, & Killer High). It was produced by Josh Van Houdt (Sharknado franchise, Frenzy, Killer High, & No Escape Room) & Daniel Iron (The Banana Splits, Fido, Lake Placid: Legacy, & The Red Violin). It’s the 8th entry in the Leprechaun franchise & the 2nd one in a row not to feature actor Warwick Davis in the iconic role. It was made for the SYFY channel. It was filmed in South Africa. It’s a direct sequel to the original that took place 25 years ago!!!!

The deadly wisecracking Leprechaun (played by: Linden Porco from Channel Zero, Little Man, & The Ghosts of Brewer Town ) is back in all his gory glory. Lila (played by: Taylor Spreitler from Melissa & Joey, Kevin Can Wait, Amityville: The Awakening, & The Contractor), the daughter of Tory Reding returns to her family home. She is greeted by stranger Ozzie (played by: Mark Holton from Leprechaun, Gacy, Teen Wolf 1/2, & Pee-wee’s Big Adventure) who’s familiar with her mother & all the secrets that they buried in the past.When the sorority sisters of the Alpha Upsilon house which includes Katie (played by: Pepi Sonuga from Under the Silver Lake, Ash vs Evil Dead, Cheerleader Death Squad, & Mortal Kombat X: Generations), Rose (played by: Sai Bennett from Trapped, Mr Selfridge, The Vintage, & Lake Placid: Legacy), & Meredith (played by: Emily Reid from Glass Houses & Belgravia) decide to go green. They end up using an old well as their water source, they unwittingly awaken a pint-sized green-clad monster. The Leprechaun wants a pot of gold buried near the sorority house but first he must recover his powers with a killing spree!!!!

Leprechaun Returns was a huge surprise! It was way better than that piece of crap Leprechaun Origins & far superior than the last few sequels especially the Hood ones. Linden Porco is no Warwick Davis but compared to Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl he deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance. He was actually a pretty good replacement for the horror icon & I was very impressed. It was great to see Mark Holton reprise his character after all these years. It really added to the nostalgia for this. It had an old school slasher vibe to it. It was full of hilarious one liners & creative kills with a decent body count. The special fx & gore really shined here, director Steven Kostanski (It, Suicide Squad, Crimson Peak, Hannibal, The Editor, Pacific Rim, & Silent Hill: Revelation) also did some of the prosthetic work for the production. It had some nice eye candy, it was beyond entertaining, & it was such a fun viewing experience. This was way better than you would think when you realize it’s a TV movie made by SYFY, it’s one of their best original productions ever made. I know they produce some questionable & cheap stuff but this was exactly what the horror community needs when it comes a horror sequel, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation & special features from Lionsgate! This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer looks like it was a theatrical release rather than a TV film made by the SYFY channel with a low budget. They were smart with their money here & used it at the right spots. The locations are simple but it provides a similar atmosphere as the original feature. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers all the goods. The dialogue is crystal clear. They even got an actress that sounds like Jennifer Aniston to do a voice over in it. All the murderous fun is elevated & the music has a killer boost to it. It also has English, English SDH, & Spanish subtitles.

“Going Green with Director Steven Kostanski” is an almost 20 minute interview with the filmmaker. He chats about the Leprechaun franchise & how he watched 3 more than the others. He talks about working in a special fx shop when the script came in for this. He says he got offered the film soon after that so he knew he was working on it regardless. He mentions going overseas & filming this in South Africa. He brings up being worried about re-casting the iconic role but he knew he found the right actor after seeing his audition. He jokes that Mark Holton didn’t realize he was the director when he was doing special fx work with him. “Leprechaun Returns Behind the Scenes Footage” is a little over 3 minutes. It all focuses on the special fx for the film & it’s really cool to see some behind the scenes footage from it. “Still Gallery” is almost 4 minutes & it has a variety of photos from the production. It has a slipcover & a digital code. Leprechaun: The Complete Movie Collection is also available from Lionsgate, now you can you have a Leprechaun marathon to celebrate this new release, just skip Origins because it’s trash. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!