Review of Troll (1986) by Bobby L — 09 Jun 2010

I kind of liked this movie. Don't misunderstand me, this movie isn't particularly great, and lots of the acting is very poor, the special effects are goofy and obvious, but that's what makes it all so charming.

Director John Carl Buechler keeps the pacing going, and seems to aim for comedy, horror, fantasy, and adventure all at the same time, which makes for a few odd bits, but mostly, and surprisingly, they all meld rather well. In the beginning, he's trying to establish a pure sense of foreboding and dread, and while not all that successful, he does set up the family dynamics very well, and we meet the tenants in a rather decent fashion, that doesn't feel entirely forced.

Once the titular creature, in a pretty good costume and some solid make-up effects, shows up, the camp really starts, as Phil Fondraco is hamming it up behind the mask. He anchors the silliness by always trying to out do it, and is clearly having fun.

Phil's other role as professor Malcom Mallory is boring, and rather pointless. He's the really only unnecessary side role, as the others contribute much more to the story, if troll sing-alongs count as plot development.

Yes, that's right, once Torok, the troll, turns all but the Potters apartment into a forest realm; which, if all the apartments become such, Torok will become a man once again and the faiery realm will be opened into the Earth realm, and he and his army of trolls and such shall rule the world; the baby trolls all have a freaking sing-along, and it's one of the funniest damn things ever!

June Lockhart plays a kindly, old matriarch that knows what's going, and her companion is a talking toadstool with the cutest little face! She, unfathomably, plays it straight and is by large and far the best actor/ actress here. She brings some much needed dignity to this film, and elevates a tad.

Noah Hathaway playing our hero, Harry Potter Jr., is a bit whiny at times, but is suitable enough. Yes, the name Harry Potter, in the mainstream pop media comes from here first, weird right?

The one and only Sonny Bono plays a swinging lothario, and gets quite a few laughs before being the first eggplant/ portal victim.

Oh, by the way, the victims, when they get turned, by the magic laser ring that Torok wears become eggplant-like before turning into the most fake, plastic looking forest of all time! It's funny as hell!

The adventure and fantasy come when Harry is taught by Lockhart the history of and how to defeat Torok. John handles this much better, and makes it fairly engaging.

The ending is a bit of a cop out, setting up for a sequel that would never come (well, not really anyways), but overall, this makes for some great fun, that's a little better than expected.