Leprechaun Returns (2018)

(On Cable TV, March 2019) At this point, “a Syfy Original” should be interpreted as a warning more than a simple production credit, and Leprechaun Returns doesn’t buck accepted wisdom. This standard “evil force attacks co-eds in a cabin” horror movie has very little to distinguish itself from other similar movies—not in wit, not in execution. Even discounting the silliness of the Leprechaun series, everything about Leprechaun Returns seems extruded from the cheap horror-movie factory, from the bland premise to the off-putting gore to the actors seemingly ordered from some central casting clone farm. The leprechaun-themed humour is obvious and flat, and there’s really nothing anywhere that goes beyond the strict minimal requirements for the genre. Even the modern patina (made out of drones, environmental consciousness, DIY action heroines and media social complaints) fails to bring anything new here. I’ll admit that I’m not that familiar with the seven-instalment Leprechaun series (I’ve seen the first one and only mildly enjoyed it for reasons that had nothing to do with its quality as a horror film), but I doubt that it would have helped. While Leprechaun Returns is a bit too slickly made to escape complete failure, it’s immediately forgettable and eventually a chore to get through.