Exclusives

Lionsgate Plotting the Return of the ‘Leprechaun’ Franchise [Exclusive]

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2022

There have been eight films in the Leprechaun franchise to date, with 2018’s Leprechaun Returns most recently heading back to the original movie’s timeline in the wake of reboot Leprechaun Origins four years prior. What’s next from the franchise, you ask?

Bloody Disgusting’s sources indicate that Lionsgate is actively seeking out pitches for the next Leprechaun movie, so you can expect more from the mischievous horror icon soon.

We’ll report more as soon as we learn it.

On that note, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo: The Genetic Opera, Spiral: From the Book of Saw) has been publicly asking Lionsgate to let him tackle a new installment in the horror-comedy Leprechaun franchise for over ten years now, and he recently teased his vision in a chat with Bloody Disgusting. For starters, he’d definitely bring Warwick Davis back.

“I would make a more direct sequel to the Leprechaun franchise,” Bousman told BD’s Jason Jenkins last year. “I would not reboot it. I don’t want to do that. I would demand that Warwick Davis come back. I wouldn’t do it without him.” Bousman added in that chat, “I would not try to change the tone. I would make it equally as batshit, bonkers crazy. It would be between the first film and Back 2 tha Hood. It would be somewhere in that tonal frame. It got really ridiculous as they went on, but that ridiculousness is what made them fun.”

The Leprechaun franchise kicked off with Mark Jones’s original horror-comedy in 1993, which was followed by five Warwick Davis-starring sequels, a reboot, and later Leprechaun Returns in 2018. Even though Leprechaun Returns was a sequel to the original movie, Linden Porco took over the role of the title character, played by Dylan Postl for Leprechaun Origins.

Lionsgate is also looking to revive The Blair Witch Project franchise.

Exclusives

‘The Devil’s Bath’ Exclusive Clip Leads to a Gruesome Discovery in the Woods

Published

1 week ago

June 27, 2024

Meagan Navarro

The Lodge and Goodnight Mommy filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala unleash their bleakest film yet this week with The Devil’s Bath, and an exclusive new clip teases the harsh realities of living in the 18th century.

The Devil’s Bath arrives exclusively on Shudder on Friday, June 28.

Here’s the official plot synopsis for the German-language horror movie: “In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison.”

Check out the clip below, which sees Agnes (Anja Plaschg) giving chase in the woods, only to come upon a grisly cautionary tale for those who commit grave acts of sin.

Shot on 35mm, The Devil’s Bath is based on historical records, and the film debuted at Berlinale this year, where it was awarded a Silver Bear for Martin Gschlacht’s cinematography.

David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter, Camilla Schielin, and Lorenz Tröbinger also star.

If the plot description and clip below don’t make it clear, The Devil’s Bath is grim and emotionally devastating. I wrote in my review, “That the horror stems from grim reality and historical accounts leaves no room for levity or escapism; it’s two hours of escalating suffering, building toward a horrific finale that packs a potent, somber punch. The exquisite craftsmanship and powerhouse performances keep you deeply invested in this downward spiral, but buckle up: it’s a downer of the highest order.”

The Devil’s Bath is produced by Heimatfilm Productions and Ulrich Seidl Productions as a co-production with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion.