The Leprechaun's Rage (2021)

Begorrah, just when you thought it was safe to kiss the Blarney Stone, the world's tallest Leprechaun from Louisa Warren's The Leprechaun's Game (aka Vengeance of the Leprechaun) is back. This time in urgent need of a four-leaf clover is Tilly (Sofia Lacey) who has inherited a Manor House from her deceased father. Unfortunately the house was bought by her crooked step-brother (Lee Hancock) with stolen leprechaun gold. Now taking up residence in the place puts Tilly, her friends, her stepmother (Chrissie Wunna) and her himbo boyfriend (Stephen Staley) at risk from a second round of shenanigans from the Lep, once again played by Bao Tieu. Who as a 5' 4" Cheshire born shaolin Kung Fu performer probably never imagined that playing an Irish leprechaun would be part of the career plan.

The first film was, even by Warren's standards, a little rough around the edges, with an impending lockdown likely factoring in there. This sequel is a tad bit more polished and sees Warren having far more fun with the concept. Out of all the films Warren makes-and she makes quite allot- these leprechaun movies do seem to be becoming an outlet for a particularly impish sense of humour. Leprechaun's Rage might not reveal its hand as an out and out comedy to the extent of say, Funnyman or I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle, but it does leave the impression that Warren directs these leprechaun movies with a wry grin on her face. The silliness here, including a spoof 'cash for gold' advert, the gold tooth that Chrissie Wunna sports towards the end, and dialogue like "you take me gold and then you try to go for me family jewels...how dare you", indicate that Leprechaun's Rage isn't crying out to be taken too seriously. Only once does Warren take a stab at out and out nastiness, with a bit of eyeball squashing violence.

Compared to the chilly looking Yorkshire Youth Hostel that Scott Jeffrey has been making movies at recently, Warren appears to have landed some very upmarket digs for The Leprechaun's Rage. The main location being- if not exactly the Manor House referred to in the dialogue- a nice suburban home complete with an indoor swimming pool. I'd guess at this being a rental place, rather than someone's actual home, going by the amount of Covid-19 guideline signs around. House rules about shoes being removed near the poolside area are written into the dialogue, and seem to have resulted in a continuity goof early on. One minute the half-brother is running away from the leprechaun with his shoes on, the next he is at the pool and down to his socks. Not even being pursued by a homicidal leprechaun causes etiquette to go out of the window at this place. Classy as the location looks, I'm not sure if I'd want to live in a neighbourhood where a woman can have a standoff confrontation with a leprechaun in her driveway and yet nobody walking by, nor the police van that goes past at one point, gives this spectacle a second glance. Whatever happened to neighbourhood watch? Warren herself shows up in this one, reprising her character from the first film, who inbetween films has become a cleaning lady (you can't accuse Warren of giving herself glamorous roles) and proud parent to a very plastic looking baby.