Lionsgate, out now

When sorority girls renovate an old house as their college home they accidentally release an ancient leprechaun who has been slumbering down a well for 25 years.

It’s funny to think that the recent version of Halloween and this movie Leprechaun Returns have something in common – both released a new entry in 2018 and disregarded the many sequels that had followed the original – but that’s where the similarities end. This is the eighth entry in the Leprechaun series, and is arguably the sequel that no-one was crying out for.

Full disclosure – I only saw the 1993 original so can’t comment on the sequels, but this new entry from director Steven Kostanski shows a sense of fun and there’s lots of gory practical effects to date the gorehounds. Inventive deaths like decapitation by drone sit alongside old genre staples (sliced down the middle, head crushed by vehicle) and it’s all done so tongue in cheek that you really can’t take offence.

Mark Holton reprises his role of Ossie from the original and suffers from the most bizarre chest bursting as he births the resurrected sprite. There’s no Jennifer Aniston this time – her screen daughter explains they she died from cancer a couple of years back – and no Warwick Davies as the eponymous creature. This time he’s played by Linden Porco, who was great as Smart Mouth in Channel Zero and is having a hoot here too. Unusually for this sort of release there’s a couple of extras too – Going Green (19 mins with the director), three minutes of behind the scenes make-up and effects footage and some stills.

Verdict: I feel they missed a trick in not releasing this double-pack (the original movie is included as a bonus) on St. Patrick’s Day, but April 1st still has a novelty value. As the eighth instalment in horror franchises go, there’s a freshness to the execution (literally) and a knowing understanding of what the fans want. Cheeky splatter fodder for post-pub consumption – this cheeky Irish beastie does what it says on the tin. Hardly a crock of gold, neither is it a crock of the other stuff. 7/10

Nick Joy