10 Best St. Patrick’s Day Horror Movies, Ranked
With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to take a look at the best horror films the industry has to offer to celebrate the Irish holiday. Although films such as Leprechaun Immediately comes to mind when imagining the horror of Paddy’s Day, there are several lesser-known gems in the subgenre that build on the story created by Mark Jones.
Many horror films with St. Patrick’s Day themes include the involvement of leprechauns, from the Celtic folklore of “lobaircin”, who are said to be short men who used trickery to guard their treasures. While the pixie has become the norm for horror films of this genre, recent filmmakers have explored other avenues of terror for an otherwise joyous holiday.
ten Lucky Charm (2013)
Available on Prime Video
In Lucky charmfive young women compete to win the opportunity to model the latest line of famous fashion designer, DeeDee Deville, played by Jeryl Prescott of The Walking Dead. One by one, the contestants disappear as DeeDee uses the power of an ancient charm bracelet to unleash a hobgoblin, cyclops, banshee, and pixie to steal women’s souls and keep her young.
Although the makeup and special effects may be lacking, the unique concept makes it the perfect horror-comedy to host the season.
9 Manic Cop (1988)
Available on AMC+
A killer disguised as a police officer commits a series of seemingly random murders in New York City. As the investigation continues amidst the chaos of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, it becomes clear that the undead killer cop may have been one of them.
In the first of three manic cop movies, diabolical death Star Bruce Campbell plays Jack Forrest, a cop who must find the real killer to clear his name. While not explicitly St. Patrick’s Day themed, this movie is a fun slasher to watch for any occasion.
8 Red Clover (2012)
Available on Prime Video
Originally titled “Leprechaun’s Revenge”, Red clover follows Karen, a teenage girl who was cursed by a leprechaun after picking a red clover in the forest. While her skeptical father, played by Billy Zane, doesn’t believe in the curse, Karen’s grandfather knows the truth and helps her track down the leprechaun, who must be reburied within four days to save Karen’s life. .
Despite the low budget, the Syfy Original movie manages to reinvent the pixie horror genre and portrays a distinctive portrayal of the pixie that leans more woodsy than humanoid. Red clover embraces St. Patrick’s Day snaps to create a fun creature feature.
7 Pixie: Origins (2014)
Available on Syfy.com
Unrelated to the Leprechaun franchise, Sprite: Origins is Zach Lipovsky’s version of the legend that audiences have come to know and love.
Using the classic “unsuspecting tourists abroad” trope, the film follows four backpackers who are led to a shack and locked inside before being tormented by a goblin. Based on the anatomy of mole rats, the film’s pixie is one of its most notable features.
6 The Saint (2015)
Available on AMC+
Bojana Novakovic, whose horror credits include drag me to hell and Devil, plays a young mother who moves to a remote Irish village for her husband’s job. Despite being warned by local residents of the dangers of trespassing in the forest, the pair ignore the warning and find themselves victimized by the demon fairies living in the relics.
Drawing on traditional Irish folklore of fairies and banshees, The Saint is a great holiday horror movie.
5 Return of the Elves (2018)
Available on Syfy.com
Twenty-five years after the events in the film that started the trend, The return of the leprechaun 1993 modernization attempts Leprechaun while retaining its comic slasher roots.
Building a sorority house on the land of the original pixie’s disappearance awakens the creature who takes revenge on the sorority girls. Although it’s the first in the franchise without Warwick Davis playing the leprechaun, this film is full of funny kills and the same banter that made the original so successful.
4 Leprechaun (1993)
Available on Syfy.com
The film that launched the pixie genre and the career of Jennifer Aniston, Leprechaun tells the story of JD (John Sanderford) and his daughter Tory (Aniston), who move into a house containing the previously trapped leprechaun. When the painters mistakenly free him, Tory and his friends must track down the original owner of the house and figure out how to defeat the leprechaun once again.
While the film was intended to be scary, the campy nature of the film made it a cult classic among horror fans.
3 In the Dark: Crawlers (2020)
Available on Hulu
Inspired by Invasion of the Body ThievesSt. Patrick’s Day revelers are forced to regroup at Hulu’s In the dark episode, “Crawlers”, when an alien invasion begins to take over the bodies of everyone in the city.
The character’s narration, Shauna, is reminiscent of zombie apocalypse movies and an unexpected addition to the alien invasion plot. While the characters sometimes lack authenticity, “Crawlers” is a fun contribution to the holiday genre.
2 Pixie 3 (1995)
Available on Peacock TV
the Leprechaun The franchise took off with the third install, as the leprechaun wreaks havoc in Las Vegas, terrorizing casino-goers and gamblers alike. When a gold medallion is removed from an ancient statue in a pawnshop, the leprechaun is released again.
Unlike previous films, Sprite 3 leans into its genre as a horror-comedy, playing up jokes and outrageous murders. The movie also ups the stakes as the pixie infects an unsuspecting human with his green blood, turning him into a “big” pixie. Featuring a scene where the leprechaun dances with an Elvis impersonator, this movie is worth at least one hate watch.
1 Seekers (2012)
Available on AMC+
Inspired by the famous horror film Tremorsthe Irish film plays on stereotypes of creature traits to poke fun at itself.
As Erin’s Island is attacked by a sea creature that can only be described as an alien squid, a team of officers and a scientist discover that the only way to defeat the man-eating beast is to get as drunk as possible. Although the film is not set on St. Patrick’s Day, Catchers Ridiculous horror-comedy is the perfect film to celebrate the Irish holiday.
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