I absolutely love the Warwick Davis fronted Leprechaun films. I was so obsessed with them that I decided that I was going to hate the reboot Leprechaun Origins no matter what because you can’t have a leprechaun film without him. On my first viewing of Origins when it hit VOD in August 2014, I disliked it so much I referred to it as Leprechaun Snor-igins. I wish I could go back in time to tell myself that I was being unfair but at least now I’m a bit wiser and more understanding when it comes to movies.
Leprechaun Origins is about two couples; Sophie and Ben, Jeni and David, who travel to Ireland to see the sights. They come across a small village where they are offered to be taken to see the Clocha de na Naithe by Hamish while enjoying a few pints. These Stones of the Gods are located in a cave a ways from the pub so Hamish and his son Sean take them to a small cabin for the evening.
Unfortunately, for our protagonists, the village harbors a dark secret. The folks mined the cave for gold and the creature had been terrorizing the villagers, who find the only way to keep it at bay is to offer up outsiders for food. Hamish and Sean lock the four teens in the cabin and as the couples soon discover something is outside.
They find a way out of the cabin when the creature gets in and make a mad dash all over the countryside in an attempt to survive the night. Gold earrings are ripped off ears, tongue studs tore out, and legs are chomped. The couples are pretty dysfunctional so that’s an interesting dynamic as well.
That’s not really what draws me to this movie though, the leprechaun is played by former WWE wrestler, Hornswoggle. Dylan Postl’s portrayal of Hornswoggle in the WWE was mostly comedic with very few words spoken He largely relied on his silly antics in the ring. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Hornswoggle a few times at Absolute Intense Wrestling shows. He’s always happy to talk about his work in film, with him playing the leprechaun in this film and his role in Muppets Most Wanted. I would enjoy seeing him do more film work in the future.
It’s kind of funny that Swoggle was a light hearted leprechaun in WWE whereas he is a bloodthirsty creature in this film. The creature does not speak and portrays it’s emotions through physicality mainly through its facial expressions. I mostly get a vibe that the creature is curious throughout the movie but it is also always a very real threat.
Dylan’s leprechaun is not the comedic type and is more of a feral creature. I really like the creature in Leprechaun Origins, I just wish they didn’t obscure it so much through out the movie. There is a feature on the costume and special effects on the DVD that show the costume better and I really enjoyed that.
This is a fantastic creature feature and if I could smack the old me and tell him to stop being an elitist idiot about films I totally would. There is plenty of gore in this film and although most of the movie is dark it is well displayed. The action in the film is usually under the moon light, head lights, or flashlights, which adds an eerie feel to it all. What is lying past our field of vision? Is it one of the villagers or the creature itself? Both are large threats to the teens.
I’d also like to point out that the actor who plays David, Brendan Fletcher, was also in Freddy Vs Jason. This is interesting to note as Rey Mysterio does stunt work in the film as Freddy himself. If you enjoy creature features you should definitely check out Leprechaun Origins. If you happen to have not seen the Warwick Davis fronted films perhaps watch Origins first and then original franchise so as to not have the bias I ran into.
Hornswoggle, practicing his movements for the film
Swoggle and I at an AIW show, November 2018
Wrestling With Film 