Best Worst Movie

Best Worst Movie (2009)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Michael Stephenson

Starring: This is a documentary; you'll see the cast and crew of the infamous movie Troll 2

From: Magic Stone Productions

Here's a movie I've wanted to see since it played at the Florida Film Festival in 2010 and I wasn't able to see it there due to circumstances beyond my control. Before I get to talking about that, I have to talk about Troll and Troll 2.

The first Troll was released in 1986 and put out by Empire Pictures. It's a wacky tale about a troll king who invades an apartment complex to try and return to his human form, and it involves a young boy who has to try and fight off the troll, often using magic. It's goofy and yet inoffensive and has some famous names in the cast, like June Lockhart, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Sonny Bono! But the biggest impact that this movie has had on popular culture is that the young boy is named... Harry Potter! This is long before J.K. Rowling wrote those novels. Hmmm, suspicious, I say.

Troll 2 is a sequel in name only. It is an Italian production that filmed in Utah and used no-name actors and actresses. There was a language barrier and the director may be insane, but there are many reasons why this movie really is as bad as they say. The villains are actually goblins, for example. The full plot can be read on its Wikipage, but in short, a family go to live in another town for the summer and it turns out the entire town is possessed by goblins who want to turn the family into plant/human hybrids so that the goblins could eat them. Yes, the goblins are VEGETARIANS. 

The highlights include the bad acting, the no-money spent on the special effects, all the bizarre scenes, the young kid that's the hero of the story (who was the guy that directed Best Worst Movie) talking to the spirit of his dead grandfather, urinating on the poisoned food so that it can't be eaten, a bologna sandwich figuring into the climax, the town being named Nilbog... yes, it's “troll” spelled backwards! There's so much to say about the movie, but it really deserves its reputation as being all-time terrible.

Like I said, Best Worst Movie is directed by the young kid all grown up and he talks about how the movie was made, the wacky cast involved, and how in some circles it's a big cult favorite. There are some interesting characters involved, as in the actors sometimes having unusual stories to tell. For example, the dad in the film was and still is a dentist and he tried out for a walk-on role and ended up being one of the leads. Another guy was in a mental institution and did it while on a day off from the loony bin. Another person is a creepy cat lady. I don't want to spoil anything else but all those unique people are a big part why this documentary is so entertaining, especially if you've seen Troll 2 before.

I'll be back Tuesday night.