“Welcome To Vegas… The Odds Are You Won’t Leave Alive!” Synopsis: An evil leprechaun finds himself in Las Vegas, where he proceeds to cause mischief by killing people, granting twisted wishes, and infecting a young man with his green blood.

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Calamity Brains:

Leprechaun 3 is one of my favorites in the Leprechaun series. It’s a good showcase for everything this franchise does well. There are ridiculous kills, skimpy outfits, hilariously bad magic effects, and tons of one-liners. This movie fully embraces the inherent campiness of a leprechaun slasher, and strives to outdo itself scene after scene.

Despite a few minor changes to the leprechaun mythology that we’ve seen in the earlier movies, the basic premise of Leprechaun 3 is the same. People steal the leprechaun’s gold; the leprechaun (Warwick Davis) goes on a killing spree to get it back. This movie, though, centers on a previously-unseen aspect to the leprechaun’s magic: possession of one of his coins grants the bearer a wish. That goes… about as well as you’d expect. (We also learn in this movie that leprechaunism is contagious, which will never not be funny.)

Like Leprechaun 2, this movie has a mild love story coupled with greedy/smarmy supporting characters. Tammy (Lee Armstrong) ends up being the only likable character in the movie – even her supposed beau Scott (John Gatins) falls under the leprechaun’s spell. But if most of the characters aren’t likable, they are at least distinct and entertaining. (It’s also very satisfying to see them getting their creative comeuppance at the hands of the leprechaun.)

In the end, whether or not you’ll like Leprechaun 3 mostly comes down to what type of movie you prefer. If you like campy ridiculousness with your horror, this should be right up your alley. If the Chucky series was too dumb for you, you probably won’t appreciate the remainder of the Leprechaun franchise. The first and second movies made some attempt at actual horror – from here on out, we’re strictly on the ridiculous side of things.

Calamity Brains’ Rating: B
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