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10 Stellar Reasons to Watch ‘The Walking Dead’ Sunday!

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Premiering Halloween night (like, this Sunday!) at 10/9c on AMC, Frank Darabont’s The Walking Dead, based on the comic series created by Robert Kirkman, is the most highly-anticipated new show of the season for horror fans. What, you aren’t excited? You really should be – and inside B-D gives you ten good reasons why. Please, just take our word for it.
Ten stellar reasons to watch The Walking Dead premiere this Sunday:

1. Frank Darabont directed it.

Not a big TV watcher? Neither am I – but Frank Darabont is a top-notch film director, meaning the likelihood of the pilot being of better-than-average caliber for a television show is pretty high. Not to mention, Darabont knows horror – his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist, in my opinion, was one of the greatest scare movies of the last decade. Being the Walking Dead showrunner, he also has much more invested in the series than he would if this were just a one-off directing assignment – so you can bet your ass he’s brought all of his considerable cards to the table for this baby.

2. It’s on AMC.

Who would’ve ever thought that the channel formerly known as American Movie Classics would come to rival HBO and Showtime in its commitment to quality original television programming? Over the past three years the cable network has launched two excellent series – Mad Men and Breaking Bad – that have garnered both enormous critical acclaim and hefty audience numbers. AMC’s recent focus on prestige output – Men and Bad have 19 Emmys between them – bodes well for The Walking Dead‘s chances of not sucking. Of course…

3. Even if it sucks, high viewership numbers will create buzz and send the message to TV suits that we want more horror programming.

There’s always the possibility that The Walking Dead will turn out to be a total dud (though I highly doubt it), but the chances of seeing a continued dearth of original horror series on television is almost certain if no one ends up watching. You can bet that big numbers – and the watercooler buzz that goes along with it – will mean the greenlighting of other T.V. shows in the horror vein, which can’t help but benefit us fans in the long run. Bonus points if you’re a “Nielsen family”!

4. Robert Kirkman is heavily involved.

It’s always a red flag when the creator of the source material distances themselves from the adaptation, but Kirkman is not only serving as executive producer but also penned the fourth episode. As one of the premiere genre comic book writers working today, Kirkman knows quality – not to mention how to please fans of the graphic novels – so his hands-on involvement can’t be seen as anything but an asset to the show.

5. Greg Nicotero did the special effects.

Not only are the f/x said to be mostly practical for the series (no fake-looking I Am Legend “zombies”), but the legendary Greg Nicotero is the one handling them. From his iconic work on Romero’s Day of the Dead to stellar recent outings like Grindhouse and Drag Me to Hell, Nicotero is one of the best around – meaning even if you don’t dig the show, you can be damn sure all that decayed flesh is going to look stunning on screen. Which brings us to our next item…

6. The zombies look pretty freakin’ cool.

Any zombie film that’s worth its salt simply must give us (duh) awesome-looking zombies, and the images and footage we’ve seen so far of Walking‘s living dead has us salivating (that decaying zombie torso crawling along the grass in the trailer is insanely awesome). Oh yeah, did I mention…?

7. The promo is really, really good.

I know, I know – good trailers don’t necessarily translate into good films (A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, anyone?), but the 4

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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