"LEPRECHAUN ISN’T A SCARY MOVIE, BUT IT DOES CAMP HORROR RIGHT" BY JOEL MEDINA
Originally published on Collider
One of the countless franchises that fill the horror genre, Leprechaun, directed by Mark Jones, is a truly special film. Though it was released more than three decades ago, its prominence in conversations about horror's unique villains speaks to what an ingenious concept it was; while many people find it arguable how truly scary it is, nobody can ignore that this film did something that not many other horrors can. While it may not be terrifying, Leprechaun achieved a gold star in it's Camp. Camp horror is rare by nature, whether it's intentional or not, a film that is “so bad it's good” delights its audiences with its ridiculousness while punctuating its absurdity with surprisingly effective scares.
Leprechaun earns this title through its commitment to the story, which completely buys into its mythos. This allows the characters, including protagonist Jennifer Aniston, a complexity matching that of individuals from some of the most well-respected scary movies. It may not be the scariest flick out there, but Leprechaun has shown to be one of the most successful examples of camp horror the genre has ever seen.
Leprechaun Was Campy and Then Some
Leprechaun is a true exemplar of camp horror. However, it's not the first piece of irregular cinema to receive this title. The concept of the camp was popularized by the legendary films of LGBTQ+ icon John Waters, a filmmaker known for his transgressive movies like Female Trouble and Pink Flamingoes that held the wildest concepts but whose actors committed themselves fully to portraying. It's that lack of commitment that has spawned so many movies who attempt to be camp by making their movies “dumb,” misunderstanding how good examples of camp push boundaries as simply injecting as much inane comedy into their films without granting the script the levity that makes these other movies so compelling. Camp is an extremely hard thing to achieve as it takes truly exceptional creativity to craft a story challenging assumptions and requires a cast willing to completely embody it.
The world of the Leprechaun is surprisingly accurate to the real mythology surrounding these tiny creatures, featuring a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, four-leaf clovers aplenty, and even the deep-cut fact that leprechauns are believed to hold the duty of taking care of others' shoes. Giving these fantastical themes prominence in any story would undercut it. Yet, this film pairs it with even more ridiculousness as it portrays the titular Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) doing things like “pogoing” a man to death or getting pulled over for driving too fast — in his toy go-kart. These scenes could easily rob the film of any sense of levity, but they pair the movie's silliness with shockingly effective moments of levity which grants it a depth that would be otherwise impossible.
In both horror and emotion, Leprechaun thrives. This is seen in moments like a police officer genuinely terrified and running away from our pint-sized villain and the emotional friendship between Ozzie (Mark Holton) and Alex (Robert Hy Gorman). This grants the movie multiple scenes of characters genuinely caring about one another. There's no self-aware wink at the audience at a silly setup; these performers are completely earnest, endowing the entire story with inventive comedy punctuated by shockingly grounded performances making it more than worthy of its camp label.
Leprechaun Recognizes the Charm of Camp
Another aspect of a Camp Horror film is that it doesn't forget its horrifying aspects in favor of volatile comedy, something that Leprechaun is surprisingly successful in doing. So much of its horror is immediately discredited because of how laughable the villain is; no matter how terrifying the thought of being crushed to death under a children's toy may be, it being enacted by a tiny magical man dressed in green stockings would make most people laugh rather than shiver in fear. Yet, even amidst its foolishness, this film can present genuinely scary scenes as this mythical creature begins tormenting its main cast. Aided by its shockingly effective gore and the impeccable acting of Jennifer Aniston, it's able to give some truly terrifying moments.
The genuineness of its actors is what allows Leprechaun to present such wild scenarios but still have its plot taken seriously. Whether it be Jennifer Anniston's convincing screams at the sight of this absolute creeping racing towards her or the anguished cries of its victims, these horrific moments would excel in this film or any other that didn't feature such a bite-sized protagonist. This is a necessity for any good horror movie, because how can it even call itself that if it doesn't put effort into the horror? Leprechaun recognizes how unbelievable its premise is and commits fully to twisting that laughable concept to its most terrifying possibility. While it's questionable how scary it truly turns out to be, there's no denying the creepiness that lies in the moments of terror its cast perfectly pulls off. This is what pushes it over the line to becoming a truly amazing example of Camp horror that shocks and thrills everyone watching.
Leprechaun Shows That the Key to Being Camp Is to Not Try Being Camp
While its scariness is debatable, there's no doubt that Leprechaun is one of the true exemplars of Camp Horror and just how amazing this subgenre can be. It takes a concept that would make most viewers laugh and finds authenticity within this ridiculousness to create gripping moments that make those watchers who were doubtful of it originally grow extremely invested in where its plot will go. Even more, thanks to its astoundingly gory kills and extremely committed cast, the film's genuine terror rivals that of the most accomplished horror franchises, like Friday the 13th or Scream. This all speaks to the earnestness of the film, which showcases just how this unreal concept could play out in the real world.
No matter how variable it may be, there have been countless movies that have tried to fully achieve Camp Horror. Most of these flounder completely as they discredit their premises in the hopes of being labeled as “so bad it's good” rather than just bad. While it's truly a struggle to craft the perfect camp horror, Leprechaun acts as a perfect blueprint for how it can be done. Through its laughable premise and exceptional cast, it tells a story that manages to ground itself in its ridiculousness while pairing it with the authentic terror of its main cast. Leprechaun is the prime example of what good camp horror looks like.