Leprechaun Director Confirms a Director's Cut of the Horror-Comedy Exists (Exclusive)

The original cut of the film had a much sillier spirit than the theatrical cut.

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Released back in 1993, Leprechaun has earned a passionate following among fans, with the movie earning seven sequels to date. It's hard to pinpoint the singular element that has made it such a success, as it occupies a unique place in the world of horror, largely due to the ways in which it blends elements of terror with silly slapstick. According to director Mark Jones, his initial approach to the material was to lean fully into the absurdity, as he recently confirmed that there's a director's cut of the film that is much goofier than the theatrical release, despite director's cuts often including more intense sequences that had to be trimmed to meet the demands of censors. The entire Leprechaun franchise is currently streaming on Hulu.

"I originally wrote it to be comedy-horror, and I said I didn't want to do a straight slasher and stuff," Jones recalled to ComicBook.com. "There is a director's cut somewhere and I got to find it ... The kids loved it, because I wanted it to be a kid's horror movie, like Scooby-Doo, but live-action. The studio wanted more hard R, and when they saw how the kids reacted and it became this classic thing, then they [said], 'Oh, we should have let you keep even more comedy.' I had a lot of battles with the studio, but eventually it came out, I think, because of [star] Warwick [Davis], Warwick got the humor."

While it might not particularly be known for its graphic violence, Jones noted that it was the inclusion of more violent scenes that sets the theatrical release apart from the director's cut.

When speaking about the differences, Jones detailed, "It had the violence in it. They added inserts later for a little more violence, but there were actual scenes, cartoon things. There were scenes of the Leprechaun being run over by the truck and we don't see them, and there's tire tracks and he digs himself up and he's got tire tracks down the back. A bunch of cute little scenes that they thought should be taken out. But it was my first-time picture. I didn't have final cuts, so I had to listen to them. So there was some comedy taken out."

The original film is described, "When a greedy tourist steals a Leprechaun's pot of gold, the evil sprite goes on a murderous mission to get it back."

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The entire Leprechaun franchise is currently streaming on Hulu.

Would you like to see a director's cut of the film? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!  

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