Leprechaun
Mark Jones
(1993)
A demonic leprechaun terrorizes a group of young people whom he believes stole his gold.
Cast
Crew
Hook
The monster is human. That's the worst part. Leprechaun builds its terror from something achingly ordinary — obsession, trauma, the cold logic of someone who has stopped caring about anyone else.
Identity
The film has since developed a devoted cult following, valued primarily for Davis's energetic villainy and the campy exuberance of its premise, and the commercial logic of its success generated a franchise of sequels that continued to employ Davis in the title role across increasingly absurd settings throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.
Collector Focus
Warwick Davis's committed physical performance as the murderous Leprechaun and Jennifer Aniston's film debut give this low-budget horror comedy its primary collector draws. Davis's subsequent franchise commitment and Aniston's career trajectory make the original a specific historical document.
Context
Directed and written by Mark Jones, Leprechaun was produced on a budget of approximately $900,000 and shot on location in Saugus, California, with the rural farmhouse setting constructed and dressed to suggest the North Dakota backdrop of the script. The film more than proved its commercial viability at the box office, earning approximately $8 million. The film has since developed a devoted cult following, valued primarily for Davis's energetic villainy and the campy exuberance of its premise, and the commercial logic of its success generated a franchise of sequels that continued to employ Davis in the title role across increasingly absurd settings throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.
