As is very frequently the case with horror franchises, the Leprechaun series started out with a pretty silly premise, but took itself quite seriously, then quickly devolved into parody as the sequels came out. That being the case, this first Leprechaun movie is actually not very jokey (at least, not when you consider the fact that the villain of the piece is a three-foot-tall Irishman with a penchant for skipping, rhyming and polishing shoes). The effects are hit and miss, the acting is not very good, and a lot of the movie is shot too dark to make out properly, but Leprechaun really is an okay horror movie. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.