Horror History: LEPRECHAUN Unleashed Its Tiny Terror in 1993

On this day in horror history, writer-director Mark Jones’s Leprechaun opened in 1993. The movie tells the tale of – you guessed it – a killer leprechaun (Warwick Davis) who goes on a roaring rampage of revenge after Aniston steals his gold.

The movie marks Aniston’s film debut and Trimark’s first theatrical release.

Jones wrote the script as a straightforward horror film. He originally envisioned the title character as a “horrible, murderous creature.” But Davis added more comedic bits before filming began. Jones agreed and they shot it as a horror-comedy.

RELATED: Original LEPRECHAUN Star Warwick Davis Explains Why He Quit the Franchise

That said, several scenes had gore added in reshoots after the producers wanted the film to appeal to older audiences. I guess the tactic worked as the movie grossed $8.6M in the US alone. And all on a budget of just under $1 million.

As you might imagine, reviews for the flick were pretty negative. Most still are. But that didn’t stop the franchise from spawning six fucking sequels and a reboot.

Do you dig Leprechaun?

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