Troll (1986)

If you're an 80s kid, chances are you have come across one of Charles Band's productions. Band and his company Full Moon were very prolific and they usually made low budget fair, often in the realm of horror. Well, it was either that, or more kidfriendly stuff.

'Troll' is a bit of both.

It was always presented to be a lot more horrifying than it actually is, but I can remember as a little kid going to the video rental store and seeing the box art for this one and being really freaked out. Sure, as an adult, it might look tame, but I almost had nightmares imagining the horrors within.

I shouldn't have. Well, not really.

The premisse is as weird and out there as it gets. The Potter family moves to their new apartment (the dad and son are both named Harry, which makes you wonder if JK Rowling has seen this one before starting her multibillion franchise). But things quickly take a turn for the bizarre as their young daughter stumbles upon a troll in the basement who instantly takes over her body. This makes her behave erratically and become obnoxious. She also goes from apartment to apartment, turning the residents into goo or plantlife and bringing back a lot of other trolls in various forms and guises. Only the son and the elderly witch who lives on the top floor seem to be able to stand in the way of the troll, before he turns the world into a faery forest.

Yes, that really is the plot.

Why is there a troll in an American appartment building? Or a witch? No one knows. It doesn't matter either way, it is never explained.

Most of the characters are forgettable and beside the Potter family (who is as stock as can be) they all have quirks. There is the military guy, a young actress, a raucous swinger (played by Sonny Bono, no less), ... They are all boring. The only characters that do stand out and are actualy well written, are the witch and the English professor. The former is an electrifying personality, even though I'm not sure if that's not just June Lockhart's real personality shining through. The latter is played by Phil Fondacaro, whom I have only known as Vunkar in 'Willow' (he also plays the troll, by the way). He is written as a gentle and intelligent person, who unfortunately is dying of cancer. He has the most gripping scenes, which is weird because most of the film is so bonkers, it stands out like a sore thumb.

The special effects are, well, not very good. The puppetry is rather basic and the rubber creatures don't look too convincing, especially through their lack of movement. I know this was shot on a tight budget, but it still stands out. The troll itself is a little bizarre as well, shifting from looking cutesy and endearing to snarlingly awful. It's as though they couldn't decide what his personality should be. Looking at the shooting schedule, I can only assume this was actually the case and they just went with whatever they could think of.

And yet, despite its many flaws, 'Troll' has some memorable scenes. Say what you want about a Charles Band-production, but he did manage to include one scene at least in every film he produced that sticks in your mind. Here that has to be the troll song. Yes, the trolls actually have what amounts to a musical number. It comes out of nowhere and has no impact on the plot at all, but it's there. It is weird, and the music is equally weird, but it will remain burned on your retina forever after having seen and heard it.

What also feels off, is that this film is too silly and 'kiddie' for adults, yet some scenes are way too scary for kids. The scene where the troll 'attacks' the little girl in the beginning is actually well done but pretty damn terrifying. Some of the special effects are also more suited for a horrorfilm, whereas others feel more at home in a children's fantasy. Maybe this is the main reason why 'Troll' doesn't work as a film: it doesn't know what it wants to be and thus falls somewhere in between. Although I would be hard pressed to make a film about a troll turning an appartment building into a forest a real horrorfilm.

'Troll' is an interesting snippet of the 80s, but it is not a good film, nor is it one of Full Moon Productions' better works. They were often hit-or-miss, and this one is more of a miss. It's okay if you have about 80 minutes to spare for something weird, but you won't have missed anything if you go through life not having seen it.