Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Angel Melanson
The interesting thing about horror is that the bar for success is often much, much lower than it is for other genres. That’s because these movies can be produced on the cheap. Rest assured, as sure as the sun will rise each day, if a given horror movie makes money, there will be a sequel. In the case of Leprechaun, quite a few of them, almost entirely thanks to the home video market in the ‘90s. But 25 years ago, writers Doug Hall and Jon Huffman had an interesting idea; what if Leprechaun went to the hood?
See also: 40 Years Ago, FRIDAY THE 13TH Was Given A NEW BEGINNING
On this day in 2000, Leprechaun 5: In the Hood, or simply Leprechaun in the Hood, was released. As mentioned, these movies had been doing pretty well for Trimark Pictures, driven almost entirely by VHS (and later DVD). 1993’s original Leprechaun, which appeared in the pages of FANGORIA #111, did get a theatrical release, but it thrived on home video. That led to a series of sequels that took Warick Davis’ titular, killer fantastical creature everywhere from Las Vegas to Space.
Indeed, Leprechaun went to space even before Jason Voorhees did it in Jason X. Take that, Friday the 13th! After the remarkably cheesy (even for this franchise) Leprechaun 4: In Space, the producers seemed to understand that it was time to try something different. So, they took him back to Earth to hang out with some rappers and a hip-hop mogul played by none other than Ice-T. It was a big swing, to be certain.
For those who perhaps need a refresher, the film centers on a group of aspiring rappers who are desperate to make it big. They decide to steal a magical flute that instantly makes them successful, though it comes at a cost. More specifically, it awakens the wrath of a ruthless leprechaun.
“I got the offer to do it, and of course, I was like, ‘Get the fuck out of here!’” Ice-T said to Birth.Movies.Death (via Bloody Disgusting) in 2017. So, what convinced the rapper to sign on for the role? “At the end of the day, my son was a big Leprechaun fan, and he was like, ‘Dad, you’ve got to be in this movie!’ So I did a little more research, and I found out the Leprechaun had, like, four movies already. This motherfucker was an institution! So I signed on for it.”
The resulting film leans into the camp like never before, but the fish out of water nature of it all actually makes it feel surprisingly fresh. That’s why this is oft-cited as one of the best entries in the series, one that is not generally adorned with critical praise, to put it kindly. It was also a big success, paving the way for a direct sequel, 2003’s Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood.
“I personally think the Leprechaun is very well-suited to be in the hood; he’s a dastardly little creature and that environment suits him,” Davis said reflecting on his time in the franchise in an interview with Dread Central in 2012. The actor also pointed out that the nature of the character itself is what allowed for the series to go in such bizarre directions.
“The great thing about this creature is that he is a mythological character so if he dies at the end of a movie, he can regenerate for another one. There are no real rules, no kind of throughline you have to follow. We never have to acknowledge any sort of continuity so that’s why these movies are so great.”
Back 2 tha Hood was the last time that Davis would play the character, with a reboot in the form of Leprechaun: Origins arriving in 2014. We also had Leprechaun Returns in 2018, which didn’t get a sequel. Instead, Lionsgate is currently working on a new Leprechaun movie, one that is expected to arrive sooner rather than later. Maybe this reboot will be taken a bit more seriously. Maybe that’s a good idea. But if it goes the campy route, the movie would do well to take a page or two out of this very unserious, sort of delightful relic of a bygone era.
For more, check out some goods from Fango’s archives on Leprechaun including…
New LEPRECHAUN Movie Will Be Funny, Scary And Full Of Practical Effects
FANGORIA #131: WOLF; BRAINSCAN; LEPRECHAUN 2
Q&A: Little Things Mean A Lot For Director Zach Lipovsky On LEPRECHAUN: ORIGINS
