The following contains spoilers from American Horror Stories season 4 episode 4, “Leprechaun,” now streaming on Hulu
American Horror Stories' “Leprechaun” episode ends on a bittersweet and tragic note. The anthology series delves into different corners of the horror universe, shifting focus from episode to episode. “Leprechaun” brings the show to a small town that seems to be collapsing underneath itself. With little work to be found, four young men unconnected toAmerican Horror Stories' other charactersdecide they can steal their way to riches. However, their bank heist ends up putting them on the menu for a version of the Leprechaun that’s a far cry from the version most people associate with the folklore.
“Leprechauns” instead casts the creatures as an insidious and long-running factor in town, luring people to horrible fates so they can feed on their blood. Although the episode embraces a darkly fun tone for much of the run-time, the story builds to a tragic twist that gives emotional stakes to their actions. Here is how “Leprechauns” monsters compare to otherAmerican Horror Storiesmonstersand how it reflects the cost that greed can enact on people and monsters alike.
What Happens To The Eastie Boys In American Horror Stories: Leprechaun
The Eastie Boys Don’t Make It Out Of “Leprechaun”
The Eastie Boys are the unfortunate souls who find themselves targeted by the titular LeprechaunsinAmerican Horror Storiesseason 4, with none of the four surviving. Colin, Liam, Finn and Declan plan to pull a heist on a local bank. Colin is the most sympathetic of the group, as he’s an out of work welder who is desperate to provide for his partner Hailey and their soon-to-be-born daughter. However, the promise of gold in the bank is secretly part of a lure set in place by a number of leprechauns that immigrated to the United States centuries prior.
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Although Declan isn’t killed on-screen, it’s likely that he suffered the same fate as Liam and Finn. Those two are both caught by a leprechaun in the tunnels beneath the bank, with the scaly creature biting into their necks and draining their blood. This is also how Colin dies, although he is killed in a far more personal matter. Finding out that Hailey is a “half-breed” Leprechaun who is firmly aware of the conspiracy to lure townspeople to their doom,Colin doesn’t resist when his theft of the gold makes him susceptible to a reluctant Hailey’s blood thirst.
Hailey’s Connection To The Leprechauns In American Horror Stories, Explained
Hailey Has A Big Secret That Ends Up Getting Colin Killed
Hailey’s status as a “half-breed” Leprechaunallows her to seemingly appear more human than the rest of her species. She even mentions to Colin before she kills him that she requires significantly less blood than the “Elders” of her race. Hailey being a Leprechaun and tied to the powers that seem to control the local town helps explain why she was so reluctant to move away with Colin at the beginning of the episode.
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However, it’s clear that Hailey and Colin’s relationship is genuine, suggesting that Hailey isn’t removed from humanity. In fact, she seems to make genuine friendships in the episode, even sharing a casual chat with her co-worker Martin the day of the heist.Her genuine grief over the death of Colin proves that she does have a sense of humanity, but his decision to try and steal the Leprechaun’s gold makes him one of the few people they can actually feed on. This gives “Leprechaun” a genuinely tragic edge.
Why The Leprechauns Are Monsters In American Horror Stories: Leprechaun
The Leprechauns Aren’t As Cute As Lucky Charms Would Have You Believe
Leprechauns are the central threat of “Leprechaun,” with the episode revealing that the mythical creatures feed on the blood of humans. Hailing from Ireland, the famines that pushed many people from that island to the United States forced the Leprechauns to follow suit. These leprechauns are nothing like the typical imagery of the creatures, with the episode even calling out the difference between the two.The episode repositions them as monstrous beingswho can assume a human form but secretly have a far more scaly and monstrous body with claw-like nails and rows of sharp teeth.
The Leprechauns are notably not treated as an invasive species or overwhelming force in “Leprechaun.” According to Hailey,the Leprechauns have spent centuries in America feeding on the bloodof those with “greed in their hearts.” They cannot attack innocents, although they can lure relatively good people into their clutches by dangling riches before them. This is ultimately Colin’s fate, as he’s a good man whose “greed” stems from a heartfelt place. It makes the Leprechauns horrifying in doses, but different from the overwhelming evil of some ofAmerican Horror Stories' other creatures and killers.
The True Meaning Of American Horror Stories: Leprechaun
The Very Real Cost Of Greed
American Horror Stories' “Leprechauns” is a quietly tragic episode of the anthology series, highlighting the consequences of greed. Although all four of the Eastie Boys have a different motivation, all of them are ultimately driven by envy and greed. While Liam and Finn are the most obvious with their desire for riches, Colin and Declan want to provide for their family and greater acceptance respectively. Their motivations still lead them to steal, getting themselves into the path of the monstrous creatures. The episode’s themes are about the cost of greed, even when the motivation is pure.
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Even the Leprechauns are greedy to an extent, constantly coveting the blood of humans as a food source. Although there are rules to how they can take it, Haily’s explanation to Colin reveals that they aren’t above tricking people into becoming susceptible. Although they may live, their greed has a clear mortal cost, one that Hailey feels first hand by the end of the episode.American Horror Stories' “Leprechaun” story is one of the more overtly tragic of the season thanks to Hailey’s loss in the ending.
American Horror Stories
Cast
The creators of American Horror Story reunite to launch American Horror Stories, a horror anthology series created for FX and Hulu. Centering on a new, unique horror story each episode, AHS follows various new characters through each episode as they experience their own terrifying tales, often including the supernatural.
