'Leprechaun Returns' Gets First Trailer

The upcoming Leprechaun Returns serves as a direct sequel to the original film, which will debut on Digital HD and VOD on December 11th. You can check out the first trailer for the new film above.

In the film, "The deadly, wisecracking Leprechaun is back in all his gory glory. When the sorority sisters of the Alpha Upsilon house decide to go green and use an old well as their water source, they unwittingly awaken a pint-sized, green-clad monster. The Leprechaun wants a pot of gold buried near the sorority house, but first, he must recover his powers with a killing spree—and only the girls of AU can stop him."

The original Leprechaun debuted in 1993 and delivered audiences one of the more absurd horror experiences of the decade. While the horror elements are largely forgettable, Warwick Davis' performance as the main villain instantly created a charismatic killer, leading to the franchise getting multiple sequels. Additionally, the film marked the big screen debut of Jennifer Aniston, years before she became a household name thanks to the sitcom Friends.

The original film was successful enough to score one theatrically released sequel in 1994, with all subsequent installments heading straight to video. By the time the franchise got to its third sequel, it took its ludicrousness into the stratosphere, delivering audiences Leprechaun 4: In Space. The film wasn't the first '90s horror franchise to take their terrors off the planet, with Hellraiser: Bloodline leaving Earth behind in 1996.

The fifth and six films returned the creature to earth with Leprechaun in the Hood and Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood. These films marked star Warwick Davis' final entries in the franchise, having starred as the titular creature since the series' inception.

As was the trend of the late 2000s, the character was given a reboot/gritty origin story with 2014's Leprechaun: Origins, the first theatrically released entry since the 1994 sequel. Dylan Postl, better known as the WWE persona Hornswoggle, took over the role of the main character, yet the reimagining of the monster resulted in the leprechaun being completely devoid of personality or dialogue, which were signature components of the franchise.

This new film stars Linden Porco (Channel Zero, Cult of Chucky) as the monster and also features Mark Holton returning to the series for the first time since the original film. Leprechaun Returns was directed by Steven Kostanski, who delivered audiences the gruesome splatter-fest The Void.

Leprechaun Returns hits VOD and Digital HD on December 11th.

Are you looking forward to the sequel or is it time for the series to die? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Entertainment Weekly]