The Leprechaun series might not be the most esteemed horror franchise out there, but whenever St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, fans find themselves wanting to revisit the campy series. This year, viewers have two reliable destinations to be able to check out the movies, as you can tune in to the SYFY channel on Monday, March 17th for an all-day marathon of the films, or if you’d rather play by your own schedule, seven of the films from the franchise are available to stream anytime on Peacock. The only exception is 2018’s Leprechaun Returns, which can be viewed On Demand for any SYFY subscribers.
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The St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun marathon schedule on SYFY is as follows:
- 12:03 a.m. ET — Leprechaun 4: In Space
- 2:05 a.m. ET — Leprechaun in the Hood
- 4:05 a.m. ET — Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood
- 6 a.m. ET — Leprechaun Returns
- 7:55 a.m. ET — Leprechaun 3
- 9:56 a.m. ET — Leprechaun 4: In Space
- 11:57 a.m. ET — Leprechaun in the Hood
- 1:58 p.m. ET — Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood
- 3:58 p.m. ET — Leprechaun Returns
- 5:58 p.m. ET — Leprechaun: Origins
- 7:55 p.m. ET — Leprechaun
- 9:58 p.m. ET — Leprechaun 2
- 11:55 p.m. ET — Leprechaun 3
Part of the reason fans have such an affinity for the franchise is for its blend of humor and horror, as it came at a time when slashers like Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Chucky from Child’s Play embraced sillier sensibilities. Warwick Davis, who played the titular creature in the first six films, brought all of his charm to the role to make the figure the standout element of every entry.
With 2014’s Leprechaun: Origins, the series aimed to offer a more straightforward horror film about the fantastical creature, robbing the concept of what made it so charming. In 2018, Linden Porco took over the role from Warwick Davis for Leprechaun Returns in hopes of reviving what audiences loved about its predecessors.
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Interestingly, director of the original film Mark Jones previously recalled how his goal with the series was always to embrace the goofy tone of Scooby-Doo cartoons and any abject gore came at the suggestion of studios.
“I think part of it was we didn’t try to take ourselves too seriously. I put the elements that I knew … I came from Saturday morning, I started out writing Scooby-Doo cartoons, and I was, by the way, I was eight years old when I directed Leprechaun, so I wanted to make that clear,” Jones shared with ComicBook.com back in 2023 about why the film has earned a lasting legacy. “So I really, really wanted to make it. I just didn’t want another direct-to-video, ’90s slasher movie. I just think the kids found that, and not just kids, but I mean younger people in their 30s, the people who were going to the theater. So I think it was the tone. And I even lit it with some color, and my DP, Levy Isaacs, who was terrific, he got it. We did a live-action Scooby-Doo-ish thing. If you notice the costumes on the kids or the wardrobe is colorful. So that was planned.”
He added, “I did not think it would be going into number nine. If I did, I would’ve made a much better deal in the beginning, on the first one. So no, I didn’t see it [becoming a fan-favorite], but once it got released … And I was killed by the critics, they didn’t understand what we were doing. So they think, they’re comparing it to The Exorcist and big studio pictures. Now, they got it. It took 20 years, but they realized that it’s a fun, cult classic. So I couldn’t be happier.”
Tune in to the Leprechaun marathon on SYFY on March 17th.
Will you be revisiting the series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
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Image courtesy of Walt Disney Animation
