This post is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every other week.
PLOT: A found footage movie in which a group of film students follow a man they believe to be a bear poacher, only to discover that he is hunting something much more mythical and dangerous.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Throughout the film the troll hunter (Otto Jespersen) shows nothing but contempt for the enormous creatures he kills. However, during the film’s final third he recalls a mission he undertook that led him deep into the troll’s home territory. What we learn about him is a complete one eighty from everything we have known up to this point, but it fits his character perfectly.
IDEAL AUDIENCE: I wouldn’t go so far as to call Troll Hunter a “horror comedy” because unlike most movies in that sub-genre, such as Shaun of the Dead, Gremlins or Evil Dead II, there aren’t that many jokes (although the epilogue does end on a punchline). There are few clever one liners and or self-parodying scenes. Furthermore, the film contains some legitimately tense moments. So Troll Hunter might not be a comedy, but it’s also not a horror movie that takes itself very seriously.
This is in part because the trolls look so damn silly. They’re less like the fever-dream inspired nightmares you would expect to see in most horror movies and more like the funny, dimwitted creatures from a children’s picture book. They’re hairy, have oversized noses and one of them has three heads. And yet the film presents them as realistically as possible and the characters act as though they are in legitimate danger. This juxtaposition accounts for much of Troll Hunter’s appeal and even charm. It might not be enough to make the film a comedy but it’s more than enough to make this film one of the most entertaining found footage movies I have ever seen.
I wouldn’t recommend Troll Hunter for anyone looking for a horror film that will truly get under their skin (although, as I said, it does contain some truly tense scenes). This is a film for people who are interested in the quirky side of horror, the side that reminds us that early fairy tales were themselves works of horror. This is a film that has fun with its ludicrous premise. The trolls might not give you nightmares but they will remind you just how much fun and imaginative horror movies can be.
FROM IMDB:
- Trollhunter contains many references to Norwegian culture and Norwegian folktales e.g. the belief that there are different species of trolls, trolls having a tail, multiple heads, the ability to smell a Christian’s blood, trolls eating rocks, but loving meat and sometimes being man-eaters. The trolls are also described as big, old, strong, but slow and dim-witted, turning to stone when exposed to sunlight. The film also has several specific references to some traditional fairy tales e.g. Boots Who Ate a Match With the Troll, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Soria Moria Castle.
- The look of the trolls in the film is influenced by painters like Theodor Kittelsen (Forest Troll; Christian Troll; Troll at the Karl Johan Street) and John Bauer (Root Trolls; Look at them, mother Troll said….).
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: Troll Hunter is available on Netflix DVD. It is also available through Amazon to rent ($3.99) or buy ($9.99).
RUNTIME: 103 Minutes
DIRECTOR: André Øvredal
WRITER: André Øvredal
STARING:
