Leprechaun in the Hood: A Short American Tale

The Leprechaun, the Immigrant, and the Essential American Artform 

Reviewed by Paris

Horror Fiction Comes Home 

In December 1920, H.P. Lovecraft penned his story “The Picture in the House” and perhaps gave his greatest contribution to the genre of horror fiction.  What he did was he brought the horror story home. 

Up until this point, horror had been expressed in vast ancient architectures, usually in a foreign land.  After all Dracula originate in distant Transylvania.  Even Lovecraft’s own gothic masterpieces, Rats in the Walls and The Outsider take place in distant or unrecognizable lands in structures far different than any reader will have regular knowledge of.  There are theories about where Poe’s famed House of Usher may stand, but there is no doubt it is not on the American side of the Atlantic. 

Which brings us back to “The Picture in the House”, and many more of Lovecraft’s own late career masterpieces.  He brought the horror story out of far off exotic lands and brought it home, into his own New England backyard, describing the backroads of Rural Vermont and Maine.  This was possibly the greatest American contribution to the genre. Lovecraft’s own protégé Robert Bloch takes it from the American backwoods to perverting the American family with his great work “Psycho”.  Stephen King took aim at the idyllic Norman Rockwell childhood with his novel “IT”. 

This shifting of location was not without its critics.  It was purported that these stories would have far less impact to readers not familiar with the setting. With typical Anglo centrism, Lovecraft’s own hero, Lord Dunsany (Edward Plunkett) described Lovecraft’s work as: “[S]tories that existed outside the realm of decent folk.  Of import and impact only to uneducated locals who read poorly printed new world periodicals” 

And with this backdrop, we can properly examine a specific work of American fiction “Leprechaun in the Hood”.  Continuing the tradition of the American masters, King, Lovecraft and Bloch, this story explicitly takes an Irish Fae Legend and immigrates it to the American shores.  Further, it uses a specific American backdrop, the African American experience and the associated ghettos or “hood”(short for neighborhood). 

Like Lord Dunsany, there is an instinct for us to dismiss this setting and theme as lacking in seriousness, and important themes if it does not personally resonate with the view or their experience.  But we should keep in mind that this work is part of the great American horror library.  The story may not be as impactful to the average viewer, but we should avoid making statements about the value of the setting or its execution.  This author will allow viewers with more firsthand experience in these areas to offer these critiques.  What we can appreciate is the American lineage of the movie, and how it pushes forward the innovation in the genre for which this country became known.   

In fact, the movie itself is filled with themes on the American experience, and it is with that subject that this review will concern itself. 

The Characters as complementary motives 

The first stop in examining this movie must be to examine the characters. The main “gang” as they are presented, represent different motivations driving men.  There is the innocence, the ambition and the altruism, represented by Butch, Stray Bullet and Postmaster, respectively. 

This mix creates a balanced “person” who moves through the obstacles of the movie utilizing all their unique viewpoints.  for example, Ambition suggests they rob a rich local rap star, and Innocence agrees, not fully understanding the ramification.  Altruism eventually is persuaded, once he is convinced it may lead to the greater good. 

This balance is not maintained however, as outside forces eventually kill Ambition and Innocence, and what remains of Altrusim is forever altered.  The African American protagonist’s psyche is corrupted, and again this is the echo of an American experience, particularly when these “Outside Forces” are viewed through a particular lens, which is the subject of our next section. 

The Leprechaun as an agent of Cultural Appropriation and White Supremacy  

The Leprechaun, being a creature from the British Isles represents a decidedly Anglo-Saxon origin threat to the protagonists.  With this backdrop, when we examine the path of this creature as it is first introduced to American Hip-Hop culture, where he begins to insert African American slang into his vocabulary, to the end of the movie where the Black protagonist lacks agency in his own culture, and this representative of White European colonialism declares that he taught him all he knows. 

This same creature proceeds to perform a rap number of his own during the ending credits, an oppressive ending for sure.  Our protagonist has not been able to shake the oppression of the dangerous ruling class, and now lack ownership of even his own culture. 

It is implied that the Leprechaun's own limerick reciting culture gives it a particular talent that can be transferred to a different non-white culture and allow it to exceed the skills of those that were raised in it.  This is not an unusual theme in fiction, as white European descendants are often cast with native non-white cultures, and while at a surface level will claim to celebrate these cultures, these outsiders are propped up as the perfect example of it.  Look to narratives like Dancing with Wolves, The Last Samurai, or the science fiction movie Avatar, as perfect examples of this trope. 

The Leprechaun is standing in for the oppressive American system, our main characters are trapped in this system, and their only way out is through an object controlled by the oppressors, a magic flute.  Namely their only chance at success in life is through the creature which is actively killing them, and it is only with that creature’s blessing that the last surviving member of the gang achieves success, at the loss of his own autonomy.   

The Irish Immigrant experience contrasted to the African Experience 

The Irish came to America willingly and were persecuted.  The slaves of the Americans were brought here forcibly.  Two very different methods of immigration, but both part of the American story.  The Irish were eventually accepted into American society.  This is again mirrored in the movie in a subtle but clear way. 

Consider the leprechaun in the movie with the protagonists.  The leprechauns is laughed at, invited in, given food and marijuana upon request.  Meanwhile the Black protagonists are shouted at, chased out of shops with bats and golf clubs, and are met with obstacles at every turn.  Positions of power are essentially thrust upon the leprechaun without effort.  including roles of power taken previously by other African American residents.   

Finally, in conclusion 

Through this review I have referred to this movie as An American Story, but more than that, it is the story of all of us, and our places in this country that shapes its resident’s lives in visible and invisible ways at every moment.  What a remarkable work this is.