Fourths Of July: LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE (1996)

The Leprechaun franchise seems to be the ugly stepsister among horror fans. I don’t hear many people talk about it, except around March and even then, it comes with the begrudging acknowledgement that we do have a holiday appropriate horror icon. But for all the haters, there are those of us who stand unwavering in support. I like the Leprechaun franchise. I like it so much that I bought my friend a copy of the bluray set when I bought mine in order to spread the love. My favorite Leprechaun movie is LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE (1996).

Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, an Ozploitation King, LEPRECHAUN 4 is a bizarre, hilarious, wildly inconsistent on purpose movie that is a masterful example of controlled chaos.

If you haven’t seen it, our favorite evil Leprechaun kidnaps a Princess on an alien planet and plans to marry her so that he can become king. Many try to stop him. There is also a mad scientist in all this fantastical mess.

One of the negative reviews I’ve heard most often is the snarky, “choices were made.”

Which, in my eyes, is not a negative comment at all, but a compliment when it comes to Brian Trenchard-Smith films. He is acutely aware that the humor is cringey, the CGI looks weird, yet the practical effects look incredible. His movies aren’t supposed to make you comfortable. When the viewer asks, does he have balls to go there, Trenchard-Smith presents his big cheesy balls and proudly exclaims, “Yes. Yes I do,” and then cues the lightsaber dick joke that every 12-year-old boy has done since STAR WARS (1977) was first released.

For me, LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE has a lot of the same appeal that JASON X does, in that it is self aware in its absurdity. It embraces the opportunity to make jokes about how far technology can go even with humans generally behaving stupidly. LEPRECHAUN 4 specifically doesn’t shy away from being “low budget” even with $3 million to work with.  It wears that badge proudly with its Syfy sets and over the top acting. Subtly isn’t the point. The art is in the exaggeration.

Brian Trenchard-Smith’s work gives us an opportunity to talk about what separates sloppy shock value versus the art of exploitation.

While both ask us to check our expectations at the door, well-crafted exploitation films have us challenging our ideas and values in a positive way. A sloppy shock value film just leaves you feeling bad for no reason other than to feel bad. A good exploitation film will create this safe portal for you to think about uncomfortable topics and sort through scary feelings.

They can also serve as a way for you to find humor in the absurdity of life and help you laugh at things that hurt, like much of John Waters’ work. Many horror fans find comfort in cult movies especially because it’s a complete escape from reality where nuance dominates our lives. Cult and exploitation films go big so that you can also process big feelings whether that be in sadness, fear, or joy.

I’m not saying that LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE is a shining beacon of exploitative film and full of undiscovered life wisdom. There are better examples for that. But LEPRECHAUN 4 asks us not to take things too seriously. It reminds us that it’s okay to laugh at things merely because they are stupid. It’s ok to have fun for the sake of having fun. There is tremendous value in silliness. I’m always going to laugh at the lightsaber dick joke. I’m not apologizing for that. I love that LEPRECHAUN 4 plays like a movie that a child would imagine with outer space, princesses, growing giants, and mad scientists. Most of all I love that Trenchard-Smith DID make all these choices on purpose. He calculated the balance of nonsense, satire, and fun, and made something deliberate and artful.

My dream double feature is JASON X first and LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE second. Carnage, satire, dad jokes, laughter, and good old fashioned dick jokes. What more can you ask for in a world that already eats itself from overthinking? What I’m really trying to say is, don’t be so hard on LEPRECHAUN 4. (It gets there on its own, wink.)  It is not ever going to be “elevated horror” and it doesn’t want to be. It just wants to make you laugh and have fun. Sometimes that’s more than enough.