My dear readers, as 2019 clips by at a brisk and bracing pace, we find ourselves in the aftermath of another day dedicated to one Saint Patrick. Though I understand the gentleman is quite popular with both native sons of Ireland and hordes of libation loving adoptees, I myself find the commemoration of his passing to be a bit unpleasant. I am not usually one to discriminate when it comes to reptiles but I have been particularly fond of serpents since boyhood and the thought of celebrating a tyrant who drove an entire species from their native land seems as unfortunate a miscalculation as a day dedicated to Columbus. I mean it's all well and good to structure religious observance around dauntless feats of intoxication and demands for brightly colored dyes in one's ale but surely Catholics could find a laudable fellow who is a bit more in touch with his environment. 

Lila (Taylor Spreitler) and her friends would be sympathetic to both my concern for animals and my reservations about traditional Irish figures. She and a collection of adventurous coeds have decided to form a sorority of their very own and unlike the many superficial young ladies usually seen associated with exclusive collegiate social circles, this particular group has been united by their appreciation for the environment. They have banded together in the hopes of building a sorority house from scratch, seeking to convert an abandoned property into an abode that makes mindfulness a priority and wastefulness a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, another less altruistic individual is working on a “green initiative“ of his own. A leprechaun (Linden Porco), dead for a quarter century, is suddenly revived when the women and their construction project disturb his resting place. This mythical and murderous Scotsman is as enticed by the promise of new beginnings as the new crop of sorority ladies and he is eager to pick up right where he left off. But while some of the locals prove to be easy prey, the leprechaun soon discovers that this newly formed collection of Gaiai-loving ladies represent as much of a threat to his well being as he does to theirs. Before the victor from these two warring factions can be decided, the audience is treated to benevolent ghosts, a swarm of tiny Leprechauns, much bloodshed and several jokes.

Leprechaun Returns is admittedly a bit murky as a title since very little from the previous films is utilized. The content of all the previous sequels is ignored and Warwick Davis, that most wondrous thespian who saw the leprechaun through a trilogy, an outer space adventure and two visits to the “ghetto,” does not appear in this feature. What has returned, however, is the impish spirit of delight that made the first five entries such a pleasant way to spend an evening. Though a lesser production might have filled its villain’s buckled shoes with any willing person of diminutive stature, Linden Porco is obviously a gentleman of considerable talents. His presence should be a great assurance to any franchise purists who may have feared that Leprechaun: Origins (2014) signaled a new direction for the series. The sort of gritty approach that has become such a fashionable means of reviving material was evidently a solitary experiment and in Mr. Porco’s capable hands, Leprechaun Returns manages to comfortably swing the series from grunts back to gags.

Leprechaun Returns runs 86 minutes and is rated R for horror violence, gore and some sexual references.