Troll
Horror, Comedy | USA, 1986 | 8th October 2018 | Eureka Entertainment | Blu-Ray | Dir. John Carl Buechler | Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Noah Hathaway, Jenny Beck, Sonny Bono
Watching TROLL, sooner or later viewers will ask, “Who was this movie made for?” It’s too simple-minded and dopey for adults, and most teenagers and kids will probably think that as well. Younger and less desensitized kids will probably be freaked out by sights of people turning into trees and ugly creatures, and parents may not be comfortable with the kids also seeing nudity and hearing foul words.
Though it runs about 83 minutes, it feels a lot longer. There’s almost no plot. Scenes go by where nothing happens except time being wasted, like that scene where Michael Moriarty humiliates himself by dancing to Blue Cheer’s rendition of “Summertime Blues”. The little plot there is raises way too many unanswered questions. Like: Why was the troll in the apartment complex in the first place? Or: Why didn’t the character of the witch bother to get seriously involved in the crisis until near the end of the movie?
Almost all the cast completely embarrasses themselves, though they should feel lucky that most of them only appear for a few minutes. Their characters are hollow and as simple-minded as the rest of the script. There are two exceptions; June Lockhart is very fun, putting spunk and a sense of enjoyment in her role. And Phil Fondacaro is warm and sympathetic as the little person in the apartment complex. Interestingly, both roles were written with way more care so that they are actually characters, not essentially stock figures like the rest of the players. So the movie’s not a total disaster… but it’s close.
Troll 2
Comedy, Horror | USA, 1990 | 18 | 8th October 2018 (UK) | Blu-Ray | Eureka Entertainment | Dir.Claudio Fragasso | Michael Paul Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey, Connie Young
No. Just no.
Best Worst Movie
A well made entertaining and often hilarious experience following the actors and film makers of Troll 2 19 years on. The main star the film follows is the dad in the film played by George Hardy who is a dentist in Alabama, an immensely fascinating, joyous and funny character who starts to go to screenings of Troll 2 and finds himself being adored by tons of adoring fans. Other actors from the film are found and come along for the screenings as well as the intriguing but scary serious (deluded?) Italian director of Troll 2, Claudio Fragasso.
As well as being humorous the documentary is genuinely heartfelt, you come to really respect some of these guys. There are some sad moments like when the actor who played Grandpa Seth (Robert Ormsby) states how he has no children, no grandchildren, no great-grandchildren and that he has frittered his life away. And when they find the actress who played Joshua’s mum (Margo Prey) she just screams crazy cat lady and sure enough, there are millions of pictures of cats in her house. She also seems quite depressingly deluded almost tearing up when talking about the final scene in the film and then saying something about how Troll 2 is like Casablanca. She also looks after her elderly mother which is why she can’t join the screenings with the others.
Its these genuine human moments that make this film and the people it concerns so interesting, and since it was made by Michael Stephenson who played Joshua, you can feel and see the genuine interest he has in reconnecting with these people and its just very pleasing to watch.
Special Features
- The Making of Troll [50 mins]- featuring director John Carl Buechler, producer Charles Band, Writer Ed Naha, composer Richard Band and more
- Feature length audio commentary on Troll 2 with Actors George Hardy and Deborah Reed
- Best Worst Movie – over an hour of deleted scenes and interview footage not included in the final cut of the documentary
- Interview with Troll 2 s Goblin Queen, Deborah Reed
- Screenwriting Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, Michael Stephenson and George Hardy (Audio Only)
- Fan contributions
- Monstrous – Music Video by ECOMOG
- A limited edition collectors booklet featuring rare archival material
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