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Celebrate Halloween with 10 great Irish horror movies - SEE PHOTOS


Stuart Townsend, best known as Charlize Theron’s Irish boyfriend, appeared opposite the late R&B singer Aaliyah in “Queen of the Damned.”
Stuart Townsend, best known as Charlize Theron’s Irish boyfriend, appeared opposite the late R&B singer Aaliyah in “Queen of the Damned.”

But this is a Disney Irish horror movie, so naturally, all turns out right in the end.

“Leprechaun”

Obviously, you can’t talk about Irish scary movies without mentioning “Leprechaun.”

The 1993 film, which starred a young Jennifer Aniston, is admittedly ridiculous, but it certainly offered up a brand new (twisted) view of leprechauns!

Dan O’Grady steals a leprechaun’s pot of gold from Ireland and brings it back to the U.S.

Little did O’Grady know the angry leprechaun would follow him back. O’Grady barely escapes the deadly leprechaun, but manages to lock the little Irish lunatic in his basement.

Fast forward to 10 years later, when J.D. and his spoiled daughter Tory (Aniston) move into the house.

The leprechaun is accidentally released, and wreaks havoc on the town, killing anyone who goes near his gold.

Quality Irish horror film? Definitely not. A good Irish gore fest to watch for a laugh? Absolutely!

"Leprechaun 2, 3, 4 and 5"

Yes. Believe it or not, “Leprechaun” was a big enough success that they decided to make four sequels between 1994 and 2000.

Here’s a quick rundown of these Irish horror gems:

“Leprechaun 2”: The evil Leprechaun comes to claim the bride of his dreams (or nightmares?) on his 2000th birthday.

“Leprechaun 3”: The Leprechaun, now a statue, travels to a Vegas pawn shop, where the owner mistakenly sets him free. Tagline: “Welcome To Vegas... The Odds Are You Won't Leave Alive!”

“Leprechaun 4: In Space”: On a distant planet, everybody’s favorite deadly Leprechaun kidnaps a Princess Zarina, and plans to make himself king, but not if a group of U.S. Marines can stop him!

“Leprechaun in the Hood (a.k.a. “Leprechaun 5”): The Leprechaun is back – but this time, he goes on a killing spree in Compton, Los Angeles. Naturally.

"Lake Placid"

Also in the horror-comedy drama is a film that stars an Irish acting heavyweight.

“Lake Placid” features veteran actor Brendan Gleeson as the local sheriff.

The 1999 film, about a man-eating crocodile that picks off tourists in beautiful Lake Placid, also stars Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman and Oliver Platt.

Great actors, not so great film. But in IrishCentral’s opinion, the beloved Irishman Gleeson can save any movie!

“The Keep”

Last but not least is another thriller starring a popular Irish actor.

Early in his career, Irishman Gabriel Byrne played a World War II Nazi major in “The Keep.”

The movie, made in 1983 and co-starring acting great Ian McKellen, tells the story of a group of Nazi’s who guard a Romanian citadel, or “keep,” that the locals fear is haunted.


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"The Eclipse" based on a story by Wexford's Billy Roche. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1346961/ "In a seaside Irish town, a widower sparks with a visiting horror novelist while he also begins to believe he is seeing ghosts."
On the centennial of the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula, an American TV special aired on the Stoker's life. It was an eye-opening examination of how certain incidents in the Victorian Dublin of Stoker's youth could have influenced his conception of Dracula the Vampire. For example, Stoker's family lived next to a Dublin graveyard, and occasionally persons about to be buried after presumed death due to disease would rescucitate, thus yielding the template of the dead awakening in the coffin. I forget other Dublin connections with the Dracula plot, but the story is quite interesting, showing more "Irish" influence in the tale than one would suspect.
When I was a child, we'd watch "The Wonderful World of Disney" every week. The movies were shown in installments and I still remember the banshee's scream that had me crying in my Dad's arms. He laughed and told me the banshee was only in Ireland, so I had nothing to worry about. I didn't see it again for about 35 years and that scream still raises the hair on my arms.
 




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