This will be excluding Leprechaun: Origins. Like my Ghostface entry, I'm compositing most versions together. I know he isn't quite scary to a lot of people. To be honest, he was a rather unexpected concept that surprisingly done bigger than expected. The character is among my favorites despite being a rather unusual take on the concept.
Leprechaun
In most Leprechaun movies he's often referred to as the Leprechaun. In a rather unexpected form of media his true name gotten revealed to be Lubdan the Leprechaun. He has been around a few centuries that's obsessed with gold. To the point, he sold his soul for his Pot of Gold. In a few ways this is among his worst weaknesses.
Anyone who tries to steal it doesn't survive long afterwards. This magical creature is short yet has a good variety of powers. He also has some weaknesses with some being among the stupidest for a horror icon I ever heard of. For example, he must clean shoes he comes across. This is like particular seeds vampires must stop to count every single seed before continuing whatever they're doing.
At one point, a lot of shoes were thrown outside to help a member of the group escape. A medallion placed on him turns the creature into stone. Four leaf clovers can weaken the creature. One of his victims placed an four leaf clover on top of a crate the creature inside. This kept the Leprechaun inside for a decade.
Occasionally he has fun with strangers until something gold from him shows up. Just like that he becomes dangerously serious. Leprechaun doesn't think highly of humans because so many were too greedy for their own good. Yet greed itself he also represents with his gold. Of course, he doesn't take kindly to another leprechaun.
Early on Leprechaun 3 describes two leprechauns doesn't get along. I should point out Scott was bitten by the creature. After he stabbed the Leprechaun caused some of his blood sprayed. Into the area the creature was biting on his arm. Which triggered the process of Scott becoming another leprechaun. The same AI program confirms never trust an leprechaun.
The actual fact first appeared from a book revealed by an old man named Morty in Leprechaun 2. This is because leprechauns are manipulate, tricksters. They may say anything to get people to drop their guards. Including offering up his Pot of Gold or a small chest in Leprechaun Back Tha 2 Hood case. At first he doesn't appear to be smart but he knows exactly what he's doing!!!
The actual folklore he came from is Irish mythology. Like Freddy and Chucky, he often says one liners or jokes. This creature has been to some locations like Las Vegas to a spaceship!!! He also been to a few hoods as well. When the original Leprechaun movie showed up not many twisted takes on folklores were done in horror movies.
Some might view this as a precursor to recent public domain horror movies. The creature enjoys a good chase after his victims. He is willing to use any tactics to get exactly what he wants. Nine out of ten times being his gold. He doesn't take well to insults either. The creature can be quite nasty at times especially desperately searching for his gold.
You better hope you don't have a single piece of it or you may get an unpleasant visit. Leprechaun doesn't care if you're young, old, male or female. He will never stop unless he gets all his gold or he's dead. Trying to kill this thing is quite difficult for a few reasons. He has rather broken regeneration to survive being blown to pieces twice in Leprechaun 4: In Space's case.
Either he or his gold can appear inside people. Of course I gotta mention, he once came out a guy's unit I'm dead serious!!! He also can appear inside a mail box in Leprechaun Returns. He also can easily manipulate machines including a drone. He can shape shift to appear as another human or change his voice.
He also has telekinesis that can be used to shut doors. The creature can cast illusions a few ways to throw off his enemies. The less of his gold he has, the less powerful he becomes. But the opposite also true becoming stronger with more of his gold returned. He also can survive being in the vacuum of space being blown up.
You also can destroy his gold effectively killing him in the process as shown in Leprechaun 3. He really doesn't take being force to give up his gold. Eventually he will find those who held him up for his gold. He also can magically make weapons appear like a chainsaw. One of my favorite reference weapons was his cane transformed into a light saber.
This is a direct reference to Warwick Davis who played one of the Ewoks in a few Star Wars movies. The creature will kill anyone that met with those having his gold or a magical flute. He doesn't leave any stones unturned. On a few occasions, he also wants a woman to a fault. It's not as bad as his greed for gold though.
This also led him open to surprise attacks. Either a human women or an alien princess in Leprechaun 4: In Space's case. Personally he seem much happier being by himself. He wears the clothes you would expect of a leprechaun. He's a huge drinker as shown in Leprechaun 2 in a drinking contest against Morty.
The creature doesn't respect boundaries as well as authority. There was one notable exception in the origin story for Leprechaun Back Tha 2 Hood. A fortune teller revealed to the group in that movie how unpleasant he is? This lady tried to hold him off by herself. Leprechaun can quickly adapt to situations like a room filled with flesh eating bacteria.
He can instantly swap out whatever he's wearing with ease. He once briefly made coins come out of a person like a slot machines. He even caused a few body parts of a woman get massive. She ended up exploded like a giant balloon. This creature enjoys taking out anyone who had any pieces of his gold. He also could teleport to a degree on the fly as shown in a scene of the original Leprechaun.
Sometimes you just don't know which advantages he could help? He could be forcing a friend to shoot himself while getting back a magical flute. This had an unpleasant end the guy didn't survive. He easily ripped a police officer's leg off. Just knowing he can freeze you temporary in place, control a part of you or simply throw you back with telekinesis.
You got to be clever to get dangerously close to the creature with a fatal weakness. The most fatal weakness that gets used on him a lot was Iron. Which also can be used through safes to trap him inside. An actual stab with something made out of iron can easily kill him. You also could trick him into swallowing a four leaf clover.
This weakens the creature to be easy to kill off. The most common usage of that weakness is bullets altered with four leaf clovers. The problem is this variation of the concept acts more of a temporary weakness than an actual kill method. The creature is well aware of his weaknesses. He is also a master of blending in locations.
You may never know if he's already at the location you're preparing to face him or not? What is crystal clear don't even bother facing him without either fatal weaknesses or you'll die. This creature can be rather sadist towards humans. Not the same way as Art the Clown though. At the same time, don't be surprise how unpleasant things gets.
The creature is quite fast on his feet. He also can use magic to reanimate a skeleton into helping him. He will search everywhere for his gold. You may run but one way or another he will find anyone that's stolen from him. He once allowed a gang leader to beat him up. As soon as he gotten tired he simply ripped his heart out.
He may not look like but the creature can truly take punishment from his victims. I do get not everyone going to understand why the character meant so much to people? He is among the meanest magical slasher villains I ever seen!!! He isn't a typical take on the slasher genre since his magic as well as his claws are his main weapons.
Let's be honest it's difficult to take a leprechaun going around killing people. Yet somehow in a way it surprisingly worked better than anyone could've imagined!!! He never was meant to be scary but in some aspects I understand. How some people felt about the character that way. He was a rather creative take on the concept being a magical folklore creature turned into a horror movie monster.
Funny enough, the original Leprechaun movie went through a few genre changes before it became an horror movie. At one point would've had a box of Lucky Charms cereal. Until it became a horror movie that led to one of the last lines changed to insult the cereal company true story. The creature's surprise success led to other folklore monsters to get horror movies.
Yes some of those took a little longer than expected to happen. A lot of them owe the original Leprechaun movie big for that!!! The character is among the funniest slasher villains I ever seen. I always dream of a crossover with Chucky likely never happening now. Unless Dead by Daylight goes for the creature being a huge request from the community.
The creature was truly ahead of his time. They turned a silly Irish folklore creature into a rather ugly horror movie monster. More in terms of his attitude with parts of his appearances being more monstrous. Like Chucky, he's also proof big things do come in small packages. The creature also comes off being rather unbalanced due to a lot of his abilities as well as some of his weaknesses.
Just imagine if his fatal weaknesses he didn't have. This thing would truly be unstoppable force with only one trap method. Obviously, there had to be some limitations or he's too powerful for his victims. The creature is something special since his franchise became the main St. Patrick's Day horror franchise.
For a couple years, Syfy does an Leprechaun movie marathon for the holiday. Now that should speak volumes how much people enjoy watching those horror movies. Something old made into something that ended up becoming a timeless alternative version of the creature. Like Castlevania's Dracula was to the novel Dracula respectively.
Conclusion
I been waiting patiently for a new Leprechaun movie since Leprechaun Returns. I will give Leprechaun Revenge having some of the actors reprising their roles some credit. Which was an unofficial indie Leprechaun short film. I liked two actors' take on the creature. As long one of them comes back I felt we're in good hands
There's plenty of possible directions they could do with the creature. Leprechaun did pick a good stop to time. A few attempts to get things going again. I think the world needs a new Leprechaun movie soon. For the love of God, it needs to be a leprechaun!!! Not sorry Leprechaun: Origins. I simply can not get enough of the creature.
Being one of a few slasher villains my family really enjoys watching. The creature is like a more silly Chucky with more broken magic powers. I always deeply respected the creature for a long time. I absolutely would love for the creature to show up in Dead by Daylight. Ignore all the newer horror Leprechaun movies not related to the franchise you'll thank me!!!