Where there is a pot of gold at the end of a beautiful rainbow, there is likely to be a Leprechaun guarding his grand prize. Out of all of the colorful, pint-sized characters in the history of the horror genre, Lubdan the Leprechaun remains a strangely-lovable creature with a silly disposition while performing terrifying antics.
Leprechaun (1993) initially launched the festive franchise and spawned eight films in total — with Warwick Davis famously portraying the titular character for six of them. From the initial jump, the horror franchise catapulted into mainstream stardom, and even ventured out to explore sci-fi and cultural themes.
So with St. Patrick’s Day officially around the corner, there’s simply no better way to celebrate than diving in and examining the proper watch order for the funhouse-freaky franchise.
What is the Leprechaun franchise about?
Despite including two other actors different from Warwick Davis and a film that specifically doesn’t fit the rest, the Leprechaun films generally follow a vengeful leprechaun from Irish folklore who takes necessary measures to retrieve his pot of gold. Whether it’s causing physical harm or distress, the leprechaun will do whatever it takes to ensure that he reunites with his coveted nest egg.
Each film has seen the leprechaun searching for something — be it a bride, his missing gold coin, a magic flute, or simply just the desire to kill. The original film launched the career of actress Jennifer Aniston, and while she declined to return for any of the lackluster sequels, the franchise has still managed to create a campy atmosphere that remains a guilty pleasure for many horror fans.
While most of the films in the franchise remain loosely connected within the same timeline, one entry serves as a standalone that seeks to create a new origin story for the legendary horror villain. Nevertheless, each installment is a fun adventure filled with silliness and over-the-top antics implemented by the leprechaun.
How many movies are in the franchise?
As previously mentioned, there are eight films total in the long-standing horror series, although a ninth movie has already been rumored.
- Leprechaun (1993)
- Leprechaun 2 (1994)
- Leprechaun 3 (1995)
- Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997)
- Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)
- Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood (2003)
- Leprechaun: Origins (2014)
- Leprechaun Returns (2018)
The original franchise watch order, explained
Even though the first six films in the franchise featured Warwick Davis as the leading star, the films are not necessarily connected to each other. Davis’ Lubdan does search for a missing item in his life each time, though the setting, characters, plot, effects, and humor all change with each new chapter in the franchise. As a result, you could probably get away with watching each film just on its own. Still, if you’re searching for a proper watchlist of the films that do happen to make sense, then this is the major timeline:
- Leprechaun (1993)
- Leprechaun 2 (1994)
- Leprechaun 3 (1995)
- Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997)
- Leprechaun in the Hood (2000)
- Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood (2003)
The standalone film, explained
- Leprechaun: Origins (2014)
Leprechaun: Origins marked the first film without Warwick Davis as the leading man. Instead, WWE’s Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl portrayed the monstrous creature. Seeing as WWE Studios helped produce the film, creators thought Postl would fit the role perfectly since his character in WWE was a leprechaun, for which he played for years. As a result, the film serves as a standalone origin story for the leprechaun, deciding to ignore all of the previous films in the franchise.
The reboot watch order, explained
- Leprechaun (1993)
- Leprechaun Returns (2018)
As the final film in the franchise thus far, and another installment without the acting prowess of Warwick Davis, Leprechaun Returns serves as a direct sequel to 1993’s Leprechaun. Warwick Davis was sought after for the role, but had to turn down the film due to scheduling conflicts. The direct sequel is supposed to take place decades after the events of the original film, and one of the characters is meant to be the daughter of Jennifer Aniston’s character, Tory Redding.
Every Leprechaun film is available now to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu. Additionally, all of the Leprechaun films are available to stream now on Peacock. The free, ad-supported online platform Tubi also offers several of the movies.
