The Watchers Council

by JG Hanks
Staff

As someone who has a personal interest in Leprechaun’s Revenge, it would be difficult to write an unbiased review. Instead, I have decided to explore the multitude of references and winks to the genre fan that are prevalent throughout the film. For those with an aptitude and desire to learn new things, this should be a fun read and will hopefully lead to further exploration of the items briefly discussed. Even in a fun B movie such as this, there is ample opportunity to explore and dig deeper into the influences shown on screen and hopefully realize that every film can be a learning experience.

Leprechaun’s Revenge is set in a town called Keening in Massachusetts. Keening is a form of vocal lament associated with mourning, traditional in Scotland, Ireland and Africa. The word keen comes from the Gaelic term “caoineadh”, which means to cry. Louisiana doubles for Massachusetts for this shoot, that’s why you may see some foliage and scenery not normally associated with the northeastern state, much like in Halloween where we see palm trees in a town supposed to be in Illinois.

While on the topic of scenery, did you notice the green light bathing many of the scenes? For those who considered this unorthodox or nonsensical, what about the green glow coming from the tomb in The Mummy or the green that appears in many of Mario Bava’s films, such as Whip and the Body, associated with decadent settings and corrupt characters? For Christians, green is the color of Epiphany, but it is also often associated with decay, death and simply creating an effective eeriness. As far as colors go, the abandoned warehouse that the kids break in for the beer is called Silver Shamrock. Many fans remember the name as the company prominently featured in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Green is featured again, not in lighting this time, but in blood. Other notable films that predominantly featured green blood are Mad Doctor of Blood Island and The Green Slime (one of Drew’s favorites).

Continuing with the scenery, did the Tree of Tears remind you of any spooky trees from other movies, such as Poltergeist, The Guardian or Sleepy Hollow? And what about those horseshoes attached to the tree? Many people realize the horseshoe is a symbol of luck, but do you know why? There are various reasons, so let’s break it down. The shape of horseshoes, the crescent, is where it all begins. This shape is known to have been used by the Chaldeans and Egyptians, with the hieroglyphic of an upside down U representing the mystical door of life. Horseshoes are made of iron, which is traditional known to have power against fairies and goblins. “Iron, because of its strength, was thought to be a very special and even somewhat magical material. Those who were able to work it, such as black smiths, were believed to be magicians with supernatural abilities. It was believed that iron could ward off demons and witches and horseshoes were often hung on people’s front doors for this reason.” For many cultures, the horseshoe is lucky simply because of its association with the horse itself.

What about the other prominent symbol in the film, the triquetra? For different cultures it means different things. In popular culture, the symbol has been used by/in the television show Charmed, on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s IV, in the films Constantine and Thor, and in the video game Assassin’s Creed. Without getting into each culture or religion and its use of the symbolism of the trinity and the Celtic Triquetra, I ask you to look up the conspicuously similar Shamrock of the Druids, the Fleur-De-Lis of the Merovingians, the Nordic Odin’s Horn, the Germanic Trefot, and the ancient Sicilian Trinacria.

Even the vehicles in Leprechaun’s Revenge are worth investigating. Karen’s friend Amanda is just the latest in a line of actors who drives a Volkswagen in a horror film. Others films featuring the “Love Bug” include: Cronos, Dellamorte Dellamore, Wolf Creek, Trick ‘r Treat, Willard, the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Skeleton Key, Phantasm, Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, White Noise and Sleepwalkers. Speaking of Sleepwalkers, seeing Pops driving the old Mustang instantly brought to mind the shape shifting car (that is at one point a ’65 Mustang) that’s also in the movie.

The characters in the film are another lesson in imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. Billy Zane does a remarkable combination of Ed Norton and Barney Fife as the bumbling town sheriff. He harkens back to the tried and true clueless cop authority stereotype that was present in Halloween with Sheriff Brackett and Scream with Dewey. Pops, played by the great William Devane, instantly struck me as a character reminiscent of Barnard Hughes as Grandpa from The Lost Boys, someone who knew exactly what was going on and was ready to take care of it. Probably the most recognizable nod to the horror genre through a character in the film was with Karl Morris, the conspiracy theorist and newspaper writer who is ready to believe whatever Karen will tell him, and subsequently publish it on his blog “Strange Happenings” (which for some reason made me think of Unsolved Mysteries). His presence is part Fox Mulder, but mostly Carl Kolchak: The Night Stalker incarnate, right down to the hat.

This finally brings us to the leprechaun itself, or luchorpain. The story of this name derives from the deity Lugh. “The Birch deity is Lugh, also known as the “Shining One.” Lugh was a Hero God whose symbol in Wales was a White Stag and whose sacred symbol was a spear. Always accompanied by two Ravens, Lugh is sometimes depicted as having only one eye. He was a deity of many skills, a diverse God whose jurisdiction included the Sun, light, grain harvest, fire, metallurgy and weaving. He was also known to be a protector of the weak. Lugh, whose destiny it was to kill his grandfather, was Chief Lord of the Tuatha De Danaan and may have originally been a King of the Fomorians who was adopted by the Tuatha De Danaan and then by the Celts. Though divine, Lugh is thought to have possibly been sired by an earthly father and, because of this association, is perceived as a “bridge” between the mortal and immortal worlds. More statues and holy sites were erected to Lugh than to any other Celtic deity and he is often equated with the Greek God, Apollo. Lugh’s final claim to fame is that his name became part of the term used to describe a certain fairy common in Irish folklore…over time, “Little Stooping Lugh” or “Luchorpain,” evolved into the word “Leprechaun,” the tiny expert cobbler and guardian of hidden treasure.”

Other fun things to look for in the movie are: Drew’s Hitchcockian cameo (Alfred Hitchcock made a cameo in 39 of his surviving 52 major films), the fact that the guys were the stumbling victims here instead of the usual clumsy females, the rows in front of the O’Hara house that made me think of Children of the Corn, and last but certainly not least, the subtly insane speech that Billy Zane gives about losing his wife while shopping on Black Friday, which could only be a wink to the wonderful speech about Christmas and Santa Claus Phoebe Cates gives as Kate Beringer in Gremlins.

All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday night with friends but probably annoying for anyone having to watch with someone like me who points out trivia info like this as we watch.