Leprechaun: In the Hood (2000)

One of the worst examples of the genre is Leprechaun in the Hood, which has a poor budget, a complicated story full of insulting clichés, and a few characters that are overly caricatured (most notably Fontaine). Despite this, the movie nonetheless succeeds in evoking a degree of intensity that is almost bizarre.

The three main characters of the series, Postmaster P (Anthony Montgomery), Stray Bullet (Rashaan Nall), and Butch (Red Grant), are by far the strongest; in this episode, they even exceed the Leprechaun, which is saying a lot given the Leprechaun smokes marijuana with Ice-T.

Their friendship isn't harmful because they talk about how much they love and understand each other. Even though they are all strong and likeable people on their own.

This is because Montgomery, Nall, and Grant all gave good performances (a genuine rarity in this franchise). I'd love to see a movie about their life as struggling artists.

They don't detract from the Leprechaun series' typical antics with their eager desire to succeed as performers; rather, it adds some much-needed depth to the typically flat characters.
The scenes between the boys as they struggle to band together and keep their dream alive are the (Leprechaun movies) best in the movie.

They have the funniest scenes, which is even more shocking! With Butch's dance in the church, the effort to sell a clearly bogus Hendrix instrument, and a genuine Scooby-Doo reference, they managed to make me laugh far more this time than they did with Leprechaun.

It's no wonder that Leprechaun in The Hood is of such poor overall quality.

What's surprising is how much Postmaster P, Stray Bullet, and Butch have to offer as characters. Yes, they are limited by the movie they are in, which is sad, but they all give incredibly real and emotional performances throughout, culminating in the most painful deaths in the series.

Even while Leprechaun 5 isn't very valuable, by Leprechaun standards, it's a diamond in the rough!