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‘Leprechaun Returns’ Is Horror Comedy Gold

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The cycle of horror franchises is seemingly perpetual. Many starting in the 80’s with following sequels pumped out direct-to-video/DVD/VOD and so on to varying degrees of quality. Most are cash-grabs, but when you find a horror franchise sequel, regardless of format, that perfectly captures the spirit of the original, it must be lauded. Which is why I cannot recommend Leprechaun Returns enough!

Image via IMDB

A direct continuation of the original 1993 horror comedy, the story follows Lila (Taylor Spreitler) as she journeys to North Dakota AU Sorority’s brand new, eco-friendly house… which just so happens to be on the site of the dead fairytale creature. And as the old saying goes (or at least it should) you can’t keep a good Leprechaun down! The Leprechaun soon returns to his old habits of one-liners and murder as he tries to track down his pot ‘o gold while slaughtering any sorority sisters in his way!

Being a Syfy Channel TV movie, it’s easy to assume it’s just a schlockfest when there’s some real magic at work here. Directed by Astron-6 alum/SFX artist Steven Kostanski, CG is minimal and flows with a truly impressive array of practical work for all sorts of gory kills and mystical mayhem. Let’s just say the Leprechaun makes some creative use of the green sorority house’s solar panels and a wayward drone. The make-up on the Leprechaun is like that of the old while making it gnarlier to set it as its own. Gross green skin, a flowing red beard, and piercing golden eyes. If you’re in need of a practical heavy movie, this one’s for you.

The script by Ash VS Evil Dead writer Suzanne Keilly stands out in the best ways a horror comedy should. The Leprechaun’s one-liners are as fresh as ever, and there’s some self-referential bits that cracked me up. In particular, the shoe obsessed Leprechaun’s reaction to Crocs were hysterical. The characters are fairly typical of this sort of Greek Week terror. There’s the sorority sisters, some frat guys, and our main character who has some secrets to be unveiled.

Image via IMDB

As well as the return of the Leprechaun, Mark Holton as Ozzie from the first movie makes a comeback. It’s interesting to note that this is also the first time in the franchise that any sequel has connected to another, especially the first. On the Leprechaun himself, while Warwick Davis sadly does not return for this outing, his replacement does a fine job in filling his finely buckled shoes. Linden Porco is able to cackle and crack-wise while cracking skulls with his lepre-claws just fine.

Leprechaun Returns is not without its faults, but mainly can be attributed to a low-budget. Minimal cast means a minimal amount of kills. For the most part, those characters don’t really stand-out too much aside from being Leprechaun fodder. And while a majority share of the jokes land, some felt like they were trying a bit too hard to be current, as in millenials, eco-friendliness, that sort of thing.

Overall however, Leprechaun Returns is most definitely the Leprechaun sequel fans have been craving as much as the titular monster has been craving his gold. Truly recapturing the sickly green heart of the original and setting up for further maniacal misadventures.

Leprechaun Returns is out on digital/VOD December 11th, 2018 and will be airing on The Syfy Channel in 2019.

Image via IMDB

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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