10 Horror Movie Franchises That Went Out With A Whimper
8. Leprechaun
The Leprechaun franchise is one that effectively became a parody of itself by the time it totally collapsed in on itself in 2003 with Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood.
Admittedly, the original Leprechaun movie isn't exactly viewed as a classic of the genre, but there was still enough of a sinister underbelly to Warwick Davis' titular Lubdan in that film to balance out some of the more cheesy, daft moments of the feature. Much like what happened with Freddy Krueger in the Elm Street franchise, though, that cheese and daftness became more and more prominent with each passing film, culminating in Davis' character taking trips to Las Vegas, to space, and two visits to "tha Hood".
By the time of that 2003 film, nobody particularly cared to see another Leprechaun outing, and the ridiculousness of this turd is nicely summed up by how our central protagonists at one point try to use four-leaf clovers found in marijuana to take down the villainous Lep. While Leprechaun 3 - the Vegas one - should have been enough to kill the franchise, and likewise so should've Leprechaun 4: In Space, it would take a further two films for the series to go out with a whimper with Back 2 tha Hood.
Attempts to relaunch the property have since fallen extremely flat, with 2014's Leprechaun: Origins and 2018's Leprechaun: Returns both panned by critics and fans alike. That said, Lionsgate do currently have Milk Teeth's Felipe Vargas attached to direct yet another reboot of the property; a reboot which no further details are currently known about.