I saw one of these recently…it has to be one of the crazier ideas for a horror movie.
Anyway, they must of been (financially) successful-there were several sequels/prequels. My question-why were the little monsters so hostile?
In Episode I (Meesas seesa a Rainbow) it is revealed JarJarBinks was the leader of the tribe. I think that says it all 
In most folklore, the vast majority of supernatural entities are evil, or at least extremely dangerous if crossed. Good ones are few and far between.
The first few movies seemed to at least try to be straight ahead horror if a bit campy, the hero was a descendant of the person who originally beat the caun’.
Then came the endless sequels which had changed the genre to comedy/horror much like Evil Dead, and the last couple were something like Leprecaun 5:Back 2 Tha Ghetto 3.
This.
Most dwarves/elves/fairies/goblins (the distinctions are rarely clear) are actively hostile. Some are simply alien and governed by alien rules. Exceedingly few are benevolent.
Sounds like a scary world where some of you don’t have access to IMDB or Wikipedia.
The main theme of the Leprechaun films is that someone takes his gold, so he goes on a rampage to claim it back, with a lot of collateral damage along the way.
Apparently a new one is coming out, without Warwick Davis. Starring a 'rassler.
A lot of them are of the vein: “I’ll be ambivalent to you unless you screw me, then it’s payback time. Sometimes I might help if you’re nice.” Like domovoi (house spirit), who can be nice or tricksy dicks, but not murderous usually.
I still say domovoi (sometimes domoyev), brownies, phouka/pooka are the exception.
OTTOMH
Leshies and Leshovicas will kill you if you take too much from the forest.
The Bannik will kill you (probably by skinning) if you forget to dedicate every third firing of the coals to him (Banniks inhabit public baths)
And then there’s Baba Yaga.
And redcaps are the Scottish/N English evil murderous little fucker version of leprechauns.
Clurichauns are like leprechauns except drunker and bigger jerks, although not evil per se. I don’t recall THE Leprechaun drinking much, but he does smoke up in one of the “Hood” movies.
Wikipedia’s description of Bannik:
Well, yeah, I’d say a monster clawing up your back is the definition of “trouble.”
ETA: who says video games never teach you anything? I learned all these Slavic ones from Quest for Glory IV. The domovoi was harmless, the leshy I think you kill you if you tried hard enough to piss him off, the Rusalka could kill you if you were stupid, and Baba Yaga had many opportunities to eat you.
A couple of years ago, a bad-movie-watching group I belong to held an event called Leprethon - all six Leprechaun movies in a row.
Only two of us survived to the end. I really can’t recommend the experience.
My recollection is that Leprechaun 3 is the least awful, if that’s of any value to anyone.
Yep, Shadows Of Darkness was fun, had high replay value, and was obviously written by somebody who knew Slavic mythology. If it didn’t have so many bugs, I’d give it five out of five.
From wiki
If you want the experience of watching one of the movies with your snarky hilarious friends, but without the pain of actually watching the movie, you can check out this episode of How Did This Get Made?
A remake, not a new one. Starring a midget wrestler whose gimmick is that he’s a leprechaun that lives under the ring…
And since it’s being made by WWE, expect it to only come out on about a half dozen screens then be on the shelves of Walmart the following tuesday.
Funnily, before Friends, the original Leprechaun was probably Jennifer Aniston’s most known role. (either that or playing Ferris Bueller’s sister on the flop TV version)
I’d like to see a comedy movie include a hot-tempered Irish dwarf who gets furiously violent whenever anyone calls him a leprechaun.
The last one came out in 2003. The next one comes out in 2013. It is now 2012, ergo it is a new one because it comes out in the future.
Johnny Depp was also in the first A Nightmare on Elm Street before anyone heard of him.
Speaking of people before you heard of them, Peter Dinklage was an writer of some sort in Elf. The main character repeatedly mistakes him for one of Santa’s elves due to naivete. PD gets violent in response, but not Leprechaun violent. And he’s American, and doesn’t use corny puns.
Whatever, it’s still worth pointing out it’s not a sequel.
So, when are they gonna make one about a clurichaun? That would be fun! 
(The clurichaun, or cluricaune, is another traditional Irish fairy, characterized by being always drunk. Featured in a story in The Callahan Touch, by Spider Robinson.)
Thanks-it really is amazing that you can make money , making crappy movies as stupid as the “Leprechaun” series.
But garbage sells, I guess.
According to IMDb, the original movie cost $900,000 to make, and grossed $8,556,940 in the US alone. That’s the kind of return they like to repeat.