Vidmark
Home Video | Review by Dan Taylor
Some
inexplicable sequels have been coming down
the pike lately, namely NIGHT OF THE DEMONS
2 and this Rodman Flender-helmed installment
of the LEPRECHAUN series. That's right,
the Flendermeister -- once the king of head-spinning
video action like THE
UNBORN and IN THE HEAT OF YOUR PANTS,
oops, PASSION -- gets a big-time shot with
something that actually plays in your mutli-plex.
So, with our bellies fortified
with Hacked Chicken, Chinese Pizza and assorted
entrees (courtesy of Bo's Wok, Route 130
in Cinnaminson, NJ -- best Hacked Chicken
around...maybe the only Hacked Chicken
around!) we hunkered down for a nearly-deserted
midnight show, ready to be mesmerized, hypnotized
and yes, Flenderized!
Opening kookily enough, the
evil Leprechaun (a returning Warwick Davis)
attempts to turn the blonde daughter of
his slave into his willing bride with an
odd sneezing curse -- She sneezes once,
she sneezes twice, she'll be my bride when
she sneezes thrice! -- but it backfires,
she gets away and he even has to do in his
own slave! Shit, and good help is so hard
to find. Luckily the Lep pops up in LA 1000
years after this rejection and professes
to win the hand of her descendent -- with
the same damn sneezing curse! Hey, when
you find something that works, you gotta
beat it to death!
Much to our elfin hero's chagrin,
blondie #2 is just as repulsed by the very
sight of him and RESISTS! Then again, she's
got this big ol' ugly mole on her face and
a speech impediment that starts out kinda
cute but had me screaming by the final reel.
Do I have to mention that her boyfriend
highly disapproves of this unholy union
and hooks up with his greedy, booze jockey
of an uncle to put the kibosh on the marriage?
I didn't think so.
Despite a few typically Flenderesque
moments (a bathroom encounter with a dwarf,
a dwarf drinking contest, a killer pot of
gold) LEPRECHAUN 2 only has one thing goin'
for it -- dwarves, dwarves and more dwarves!
Give it a bonus star for having more "little
people" than anything since TERROR
OF TINY TOWN.
Unfortunately, "Where's
me gold?" and "Kiss me, I'm Irish"
don't seem to be sweeping the country as
our latest catch phrases. Let's hope Flender
gets another chance.
[Editor's Note: I guess
we got our wish since Flender went from
directing LEPRECHAUN 2 to helming episodes
of everything from 'Arliss' and 'Chicago
Hope' to 'Milennium,' 'Dawson's Creek' and
'Party of Five.' And he returned to the
big screen in 1999 with IDLE
HANDS (co-starring Seth Green of AUSTIN
POWERS), a horror film about a teenager
who discovers that his hand has a murderous
mind of its own!]
