Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 14, 2014

Note: This film is included in the bundle Leprechaun: The Complete Movie Collection.

The Leprechaun series may have provided Warwick Davis with a steady paycheck for a number of years, but ironically it’s another performer who is probably most remembered from the first Leprechaun film, Jennifer Aniston. In a not particularly august feature film debut, Aniston portrays the teenage daughter of a man who moves into a farmhouse with a deadly history—and a vengeful leprechaun (the aforementioned Davis). Leprechaun plays fast and loose with accepted leprechaun canon, and also doesn’t waste much time really filling in many salient details in its rush to deliver a few chills.

While Aniston does just fine in the damsel in distress department, it’s Davis’ malicious, malevolent but inescapably comic deportment that really sets Leprechaun’s mood and which no doubt helped to establish the franchise as a viable commodity. Leprechaun traffics resolutely in hoary horror clichés, but it does so with a bit of a wink and a jig, nicely balancing chills with giggles.

Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Leprechaun is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While the elements are in generally very good condition, this release appears to have been slightly anamorphically stretched, leading to a somewhat "wider than usual" widescreen look. Colors are quite vivid, especially the all important greens. Contrast is slightly variable (as it tends to be on several of the films in this series), leading to a bit of murkiness in darker scenes. Things pop surprisingly well in brighter lit sequences (see screenshot 4). While there is still a noticeable grain field, there's a slightly digital appearance here at times that suggests some use of DNR.

Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Leprechaun's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix offers very good fidelity and support for the film's dialogue and sometimes goofy sound effects. There are no issues with dropouts, static or pops and cracks. Dynamic range is a bit narrow, but overall this is a fine sounding track.

Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Mark Jones and Special Make-Up Effects Creator Gabe Bartalos


• Audio Commentary with Warwick Davis


• The Leprechaun Chronicles Part One - Beginner's Luck (1080p; 24:25)


• Behind the Scenes Footage (1080i; 6:26)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:47)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 4:21)

Leprechaun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Leprechaun is not lost masterpiece, but it's a good deal of fun if taken on its own lo-fi merits. Davis creates a memorable character, and if everything surrounding him is kind of rote, that's often the case in many horror outings featuring a distinctive villain. While there are some issues with the video on this release, the supplementary features are quite excellent and may help to counterbalance any concerns fans have.