Horror Movie Review: Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)

Well, it’s finally happened. We’ve hit rock bottom with the Leprechaun series. After a trip to Vegas followed by a jaunt in space we now see old Leppy end up in hood. An unashamed ‘blaxploitation’ movie, Leprechaun in the Hood is a snore-fest touching upon every character cliche possible.

Don’t believe me? Watch it & stay to the end for the Leprechaun rap. Or just go back & watch any of the first four. You can read our reviews of those movies below.

1993 – Leprechaun
1994 – Leprechaun 2
1995 – Leprechaun 3
1997 – Leprechaun 4: In Space

2014 – Leprechaun Origins

Stray Bullet, Postmaster P. & Butch are wannabe rappers trying to make it big & get out of the ghetto. Only problem is no-one believes in them (plus they kind of suck) so they try & strike a deal with gangster & record producer, Mac Daddy (Ice-T). Feeling insulted by him, they decide to come back to Mac Daddy’s place later & rob him.

When they do, they accidentally release the Leprechaun (played again by Warwick Davis) who Mac Daddy had imprisoned. At this stage it’s best to just give up trying to work out the timeline of the Leprechaun movies & see them as standalone movies.

The trio end up stealing the Leprechaun’s magic flute that when played can put those who hear it into a trance. The trio start using the flute to make their way up the ladder of success but old Leppy wants it back. Not just that, Mac Daddy knows they robbed him & he wants his revenge.

So let’s talk about the good in Leprechaun in the Hood…it won’t take long.

A lot of the acting is solid. The main trio (Butch, Postmaster P. & Stray Bullet) do a decent job & while their characters are embarrassingly basic they are believable as friends. Ice-T also stands out as one of the villains of the movie. More so then Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun.

Davis is as good as you might expect. He puts in bags of effort but when faced with some pretty embarrassing dialogue & that final rap scene it seems clear that he might not be caring as much as he once did.

A lot of the humour falls flat here but it’s not without its moments that will raise a smile. Silly moments that are at odds with the darker, gangster tone (the Church rap is pretty funny). You’ll actually be grateful for these lighter moments though as Leprechaun in the Hood definitely deals with a much darker subject matter, getting out of the ghetto at all costs.

It’s a pity that it’s cliched characters, bare-bones story (why is this flute a thing?) & attempts to be relevant (by the year 2000’s standard) just result in a sub-standard watch. That this movie is actually followed by another sequel (the sixth in the series) is staggering.

Leprechaun: Back 2 Da Hood. Yeah, they’re not even trying now.