A Look At A Couple Horror Cult Classics for Friday the 13th and St. Patrick’s Day
- Matt Palmer
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
With both Friday the 13th and St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner. I wanted to do something centered on the horror genre since a majority of this week’s review slate is centered on the genre. So, for this review, I took a look at a couple cult classics for both Friday the 13th and St. Patrick’s Day - “Friday the 13th: Part VI: Jason Lives” and the original “Leprechaun.”
In “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” years ago, Tommy Jarvis infamously killed hockey-masked Jason Voorhees, and the intensity of the experience has landed him in a mental institution.
To end his torment and achieve a level of closure, Tommy escapes from the hospital and heads to the graveyard where Jason is buried, intending to dig up the body and cremate it. But, before this total annihilation can occur, a freak electrical accident resurrects Jason from the dead, and the terror begins anew.
“Jason Lives” is easily one of the best and most entertaining sequels in the franchise and it also delivers some humor that can be a little funny, a good fast pace and a self-aware tone (almost like “Scream” in a way). “Jason Lives” is a turning point that also revitalized the series by introducing supernatural elements.
While “Jason Lives” is a slightly lighter and campy direction to the series, it also brought horror fans the modern “supernatural” or “zombie” version of Jason, which numerous fans prefer over his earlier human iteration.
Even though this movie is lighter in tone for the most part, there are still some decent scares, such as Jason’s graveyard resurrection, Jason lurking around the camp towards the latter half of the movie and the lake confrontation at the end. There’s also a scene that features Jason stalking some paintball players that can be both a little tense and a tad silly.
“Jason Lives” is widely regarded as a high point in the franchise, revitalizing the series by embracing a campy, self-aware tone and officially introducing an undead Jason.
MPA: Rated R (runtime 86 minutes) (the first 8 movies can be currently found on Paramount Plus)
In the 1993 cult classic “Leprechaun,” Dan O’Grady steals 100 gold coins from a
leprechaun while on vacation in Ireland. The leprechaun follows him home, but Dan locks him in a crate, held at bay by a four-leaf clover.
A decade later, J.D. Redding and his daughter, Tory, rent O’Grady’s property for the summer. When their new neighbors accidentally release the leprechaun, he goes on a rampage to reclaim his gold.
The 1993 movie has been largely embraced by horror audiences as a cult classic, celebrated for its campy, “so bad it’s good” charm rather than genuine horror. While not critically acclaimed (in fact, I don’t think any of the movies in this franchise were critically acclaimed), many fans often praise Warwick Davis’ iconic performance as the killer, gold-obsessed antagonist.
I’ll admit “Leprechaun” can get a little cheesy at times, yet it can be highly entertaining or its intentional and unintentional humor, such as seeing the leprechaun riding a tricycle or using a pogo stick to get someone. I honestly think that without Warwick Davis’ performance as the leprechaun, this movie probably wouldn’t be nearly as the cult classic that is still loved today by horror fans.
“Leprechaun” is a cult classic horror-comedy defined by Davis’ iconic, witty performance, which turned an intended serious horror into a campy and sometimes silly slasher. While critics heavily panned this movie, it’s still cherished by horror fans alike.
MPA: Rated R for horror violence and language (runtime 92 minutes) (the entire series can be streamed on Peacock throughout the rest of the month)
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