Arka Mukhopadhyay
Don’t ever mess with a leprechaun, and we implore you, stay away from his gold. If you ever lay your hands on leprechaun’s gold, know that it is cursed. And before you know it, the leprechaun is coming to poke your eyes out, although he may shine your shoes after you’re dead. Mark Jones’ B-grade comedy-horror ‘Leprechaun’ is a film that crosses the realm of senses with considerable ease, but if you manage to keep aside your rational judgment, this hell of a hilarious ride does not fail to keep you tied to the seat.
The story follows a motley group of teenagers, Nathan, his brother Alex, Tory, and Ozzie, who take on the evil and mischievous leprechaun as it directly descends from Irish myths to a North Dakota ranch. While critics shunned the film for its obvious ludicrous gimmicks, it was a surprise commercial success, thanks to Warwick Davis in the titular role of the malicious leprechaun. Now, if you are pondering over the ending of the movie after the credits have rolled, we might be of some help. Without further ado, let us dissect the final moments of ‘Leprechaun’ for you. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Leprechaun Plot Synopsis
In a prologue, Dan O’Grady (Shay Duffin) returns home happily drunk. He went to bury her mother in Ireland, where he has caught a leprechaun and struck gold. As Dan’s wife, Leah, boils some tea, the leprechaun pops out of the trunk, and boy, is he unhappy! As he asks for his 100 gold coins, a terrified Leah misses her steps, falling into the basement. Dan comes into the house, surprised to find the leprechaun speaking in his wife’s voice.
As the leprechaun contentedly sips some tea, Dan returns with a revolver in one hand and a four-leafed clover in another. The leprechaun tries to run, but Dan finally manages to lock him in a crate by scaring him with the clover. He intends to set the crate on fire but passes out as soon as he lights a matchstick. Ten years later, in the present day, J. D. Redding (John Sanderford) and his daughter Tory (Jennifer Aniston) come to the O’Grady house, which they have taken on rent for the summer. The house looks untended and wrapped up in cobwebs, and Tory is not particularly elated.
Tory does not want to live in that place, and while J. D. is ready to comply with his daughter’s wish, a charming neighbor, Nathan, manages to dissuade Tory from leaving. Nathan, along with his annoying brother Alex, and goofy Ozzie, runs a house painting service. Tory and Nathan come across the crate where the leprechaun is locked, and they decide to open it, but Ozzie is shouting outside. Ozzie is drenched in paint, and Tory asks him to use the bathroom of the ranch house, and he goes in, accidentally releasing the leprechaun.
When a frightened Ozzie tells his friends about his encounter with the leprechaun, they don’t believe him. Then a rainbow is seen across the sky, and Alex and Ozzie follow the end of the rainbow to find the gold coins. Ozzie gulps one down, and they decide not to tell anyone about the gold. The leprechaun caresses Tory’s legs, and Tory believes it to be Nathan, but she freaks out when the leprechaun wounds her with his claws. J. D. thinks it to be a cat, but the supposed cat gives him a big enough bite for him to be admitted to the hospital.
Alex and Ozzie go to a jewelry store to check those coins out, but after they leave, the storeowner is attacked and killed by the leprechaun. From here, the story loses most of its early goof, becoming increasingly sinister as the leprechaun goes on a maddening rampage, killing a police officer. Tory attempts to return the coins to their rightful owner, but one is missing from the purse (which is in Ozzie’s belly, if you remember). However, the sadistic leprechaun would not stop until he gathers all of “me gold.” Tory gets to know from a dying Dan that the only thing that can kill the leprechaun is a four-leafed clover.
Leprechaun Ending: Is the Leprechaun Dead?
Towards the end, we learn that bullets cannot kill the leprechaun, and any other tactic (such as gouging an eye out) is highly ineffective. However, Nathan gives Tory the idea that old Dan O’Grady may know how to kill the leprechaun. When Tory reaches Dan’s room in the Chillview Hospital, she is met with a not-so-pleasant surprise, as the leprechaun has got there before her. Tory is chased by the leprechaun through the corridor but manages to evade him by entering the elevator.
As soon as Tory enters the elevator, the ceiling breaks open, and a near-dead Dan hangs from it. Dan tells Tory that the only thing that can kill the godforsaken creature is a four-leafed clover, which she may find in the bush by the well. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Naturally, Tory is increasingly disheartened, but Ozzie asks her not to lose hope. She finds a four-leafed clover after all, but meanwhile, Alex is attacked by the leprechaun at the barn.
Ozzie confesses that the last gold coin is in his stomach, allowing the green devil to run after him. In a showdown, when the leprechaun is hurting Ozzie, Alex wraps the clover around a piece of chewing gum and with the help of a catapult, shoots it in the leprechaun’s mouth. The leprechaun is seemingly disfigured as he falls into the well. But he’s not quite dead yet. Nathan empties a jar of gasoline into the well and sets it on fire.
The disproportionate but spectacular explosion in the well should mark the end of the leprechaun. However, as the camera hovers over the well, the audience can hear the leprechaun’s voice: “I’ll not rest till I have me gold.” The suggestion is that leprechaun is still alive and will make his return in a sequel. And as there has been more than one sequel of ‘Leprechaun,’ we can be assertive in saying that the Leprechaun lives.
What Happens to Tory’s Father?
Half-way through the film, Tory’s father, J. D., gets bitten by the leprechaun whom he thinks to be a cat. As J. D. is heavily injured, the rest of the crew rushes to get him to a hospital in the city, where he is kept for observation. From thereon, J. D. remains missing for the rest of the film. In the absence of an adult, the group is left to face the leprechaun on their own, a trope that is a camping movie staple.
Gruesome things happen in the absence of adults, but the kids triumph in the end. However, as the dawn breaks following the sinister night, a police convoy arrives on the scene. Towards the very end, Tory is seen to be rushing to hug a man, and this can very well be her father.
Read More: Where Was Leprechaun Filmed?
