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The many traditions that come with St. Patrick’s Day include drinking green beer, eating Irish soda bread, and of course, watching all of the Leprechaun movies in order. The horror franchise kicked off with the now-cult classic 1993 original, Leprechaun, that starred Jennifer Aniston in her feature film debut as Tory, a young woman whose family rents a house inhabited by a vengeful killer leprechaun, played by Warwick Davis. Though the film didn’t make Aniston a household name, she became one just a year later when Friends debuted on NBC. The film wasn’t taken seriously, garnering a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it still managed to produce several sequels in the decades since it first came out.
How many Leprechaun movies are there?
There are eight Leprechaun movies in all: The original, six sequels, and one prequel. Warwick Davis has starred as the titular leprechaun in all but the last two, 2014’s Leprechaun Origins, where he was replaced by professional wrestler Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl, and the 2018 film Leprechaun Returns, where actor Linden Porco took over the role.
Are the Leprechaun movies available on Netflix?
If you’re wondering where to watch Leprechaun and all of its sequels just know that none of them are currently on Netflix. However, you can rent them all on Prime Video, Google Play or iTunes, or watch first seven films for free with a subscription to Peacock. (Leprechaun Returns, which was a direct-to-VOD film that also had a TV premiere on SyFy, is the only one not currently available on Peacock.) Here’s how you can fill your day with a complete Leprechaun marathon. You won’t need luck to watch them all, just your remote control.
'Leprechaun' (1993)
When Leprechaun, the original film in the franchise, came out in 1993, its hard to believe that Jennifer Aniston’s name was probably the third-most recognized name on the call sheet behind Warwick Davis, who was already famous for his roles in Willow and Star Wars, and Mark Holton, the guy who played Francis Buxton in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Looks like Aniston kept that four-leaf clover from the set because look at her now.
'Leprechaun 2' (1994)
Warwick Davis reprised his role as leprechaun Lubdan Buttowski in 1994’s Leprechaun 2, which also starred Cody Heath, Shevonne Durkin, and features cameos from Clint Howard, comedian and MadTV actor Michael McDonald. In the sequel, our murderous friend seeks a bride, and he’ll stop at nothing – and spare no one – to find a nice Irish lass to make a life with.
'Leprechaun 3' (1995)
After the not-so-huge box office receipts from the first two Leprechaun movies, Leprechaun 3 was the first installment in the film franchise that went direct-to-video. In this chapter, the leprechaun sets his sights on the Vegas strip where he wreaks havoc on a casino called the Lucky Shamrock, and, if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s the film that really ups the ante when it comes to creative death and destruction. People explode, one of Lubdan’s victims actually morphs into a leprechaun himself, and a magician gets sawed in half in front of an audience. Come for the buffet, stay for the creative kills.
'Leprechaun 4: In Space' (1996)
If Leprechaun 3 took things to a new level by going to Vegas, Leprechaun 4 goes even bigger by going into space, 100 years into the future. There, the Leprechaun weds a space princess named Zarina, but when a group of space marines arrive on their planet and threaten them, the Leprechaun is killed. Not to worry though, because his spirit travels into the penis of one of his foes and manifests as gonorrhea and who says Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas anymore?
'Leprechaun In The Hood' (2000)
The one thing you can say about the Leprechaun films is that the go bigger and harder with every film. So after conquering outer space, what can you do? You hire Ice-T for your next installment, that’s what. In the film, Ice-T plays Mack Daddy O’Nasses, a man who steals the Leprechaun’s golden flute. Thanks to the lucky flute, Mack Daddy eventually goes on to become a successful record producer, but his flute is stolen by a group of disgruntled artists (including one with the excellent name Postmaster P.), who the Leprechaun hunts down. If you like your films full of four-leaf-clover-laced joints, raps about villainous leprechauns, and cameos from Coolio, this is for you.
'Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood' (2003)
For the sixth Leprechaun film, and the final one to star Warwick Davis, we go Back 2 Tha Hood. This installment co-stars Tangi Miller, Laz Alonzo, and Keesha Sharp, and finds Lubdan in Los Angeles, once again battling anyone who dares to steal his precious gold. Even those who plan to use the gold to build a youth center in a bad neighborhood. Look, it’s not like they were all winners, but this one might be the worst of all the Leprechaun movies, mostly because it spends more time diving into racial stereotypes than coming up with creative death scenes.
'Leprechaun: Origins' (2014)
Have you ever wondered how the lore of the Leprechaun all began? Leprechaun: Origins purports to be the origin story. The film stars WWE wrestler Hornswoggle as the Leprechaun (the film was co-produced by WWE Studios, a thing I did not know existed) and stars actress Stephanie Bennett as Sophie, a college student who visits Ireland and uncovers the dark, violent history of the Leprechaun.
'Leprechaun Returns' (2018)
Forget everything you ever knew about all of the Leprechaun sequels. That’s what Leprechaun Returns wants you to do, anyway. The final film (so far) in the Leprechaun franchise is a direct sequel to the original, and it stars Taylor Spreitler as Lila, the daughter of Jennifer Aniston’s character, Tory Redding. (Aniston does not appear in the film, but her OG Leprechaun co-star Mark Holton does.) Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, Lila and her sorority sisters, who just want to help their campus become more sustainable and environmentally friendly, awaken the Leprechaun when they begin renovations on their sorority house. For what it’s worth, the film has the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating of all the Leprechaun films, earning a whopping 45% approval rating.
