As a young'un, I must have passed by the dusty old Troll films sitting lonely on the horror shelves of my local video store about a billion times. I recall the cover art catching my eye on numerous occasions, drawing me in for closer inspection of the worn out VHS boxes. I never felt the need to actually rent them, though, as they seemed, for lack of a better word, stupid. It wasn't until years later, after having learned of Troll 2's cult status, that I decided to finally give in, initially doubting that it could possibly be as ridiculous as its reputation would lead you to believe.
In short—it is every bit as ridiculous as its reputation would lead you to believe.
Whenever I see an incredibly awful movie, I can't help but wonder: Are the filmmakers and actors involved truly not aware that they're making a really, really bad movie? Does this realization at least occur after their first viewing of the completed film? Surely these people must be crazy if they never have this realization at all...right?
Right.
Best Worst Movie, a documentary about the notoriously bad Troll 2, tackles some of these questions with a surprisingly heartfelt approach and actually makes me feel guilty for allowing that old VHS to collect dust all those years ago.
The doc follows actor George Hardy, now working as a dentist in a small Alabama town where everyone knows and adores him. He and his family treat his Troll 2 days as an embarrassment best left forgotten. It was painfully obvious that it wasn't a good film and even his mother admits "he's no Cary Grant."
The filmmakers responsible for the disaster were a married couple straight from Italy who didn't seem to speak much English (or none at all?) and yet thought they knew more about American culture than even the American actors themselves. After all these years, they remain absolutely proud of their film, explaining how it dealt with important issues in life and how the odd story of vegetarian trolls was actually a "ferocious analysis of today's society."
Save for a few actors who actually share this enthusiasm (who obviously aren't playing with a full deck—one even admits his casting came immediately after his release from an institution), most of the cast look back on the memories of Troll 2 as a laughable embarrassment. But it soon becomes quite clear that their humorous dismissal of the film is really just a mask for their enormous feelings of disappointment.
The director of this documentary is Michael Stephenson, who played George Hardy's on-screen son. He explains how utterly sad it was to see how terrible the film turned out to be and how quickly it fell into obscurity. His dreams of becoming a big time actor were shattered right then and there after his first viewing of Troll 2. And then something astonishing happened. T-shirts and costumes were made, annual Troll 2 parties were established and soon enough, the cast and crew were making appearances at horror movie conventions, signing autographs and getting standing ovations. All these years later, George and his fellow cast members were finally able to enjoy the limelight.
But even with its somewhat large cult following, nothing could truly erase the disappointment they all felt upon the film's initial release. As George is followed to horror movie conventions, he's forced to walk around and introduce himself, as no one seems to know who he is. The longing in his eyes makes it almost painful to watch. When asked if he'd be willing to appear in another Troll film, George responds with a resounding yes. No hesitation in his voice.
Best Worst Movie is a sweet, wistful documentary that proves that even bottom-of-the-barrel horror movies are made with love and hope. Troll 2 may not be considered brilliant art, and it may not be loved worldwide, but it will always have its place. In the end, that's all that really matters.
In short—it is every bit as ridiculous as its reputation would lead you to believe.
Whenever I see an incredibly awful movie, I can't help but wonder: Are the filmmakers and actors involved truly not aware that they're making a really, really bad movie? Does this realization at least occur after their first viewing of the completed film? Surely these people must be crazy if they never have this realization at all...right?
Right.
Best Worst Movie, a documentary about the notoriously bad Troll 2, tackles some of these questions with a surprisingly heartfelt approach and actually makes me feel guilty for allowing that old VHS to collect dust all those years ago.
The doc follows actor George Hardy, now working as a dentist in a small Alabama town where everyone knows and adores him. He and his family treat his Troll 2 days as an embarrassment best left forgotten. It was painfully obvious that it wasn't a good film and even his mother admits "he's no Cary Grant."
The filmmakers responsible for the disaster were a married couple straight from Italy who didn't seem to speak much English (or none at all?) and yet thought they knew more about American culture than even the American actors themselves. After all these years, they remain absolutely proud of their film, explaining how it dealt with important issues in life and how the odd story of vegetarian trolls was actually a "ferocious analysis of today's society."
Save for a few actors who actually share this enthusiasm (who obviously aren't playing with a full deck—one even admits his casting came immediately after his release from an institution), most of the cast look back on the memories of Troll 2 as a laughable embarrassment. But it soon becomes quite clear that their humorous dismissal of the film is really just a mask for their enormous feelings of disappointment.
The director of this documentary is Michael Stephenson, who played George Hardy's on-screen son. He explains how utterly sad it was to see how terrible the film turned out to be and how quickly it fell into obscurity. His dreams of becoming a big time actor were shattered right then and there after his first viewing of Troll 2. And then something astonishing happened. T-shirts and costumes were made, annual Troll 2 parties were established and soon enough, the cast and crew were making appearances at horror movie conventions, signing autographs and getting standing ovations. All these years later, George and his fellow cast members were finally able to enjoy the limelight.
But even with its somewhat large cult following, nothing could truly erase the disappointment they all felt upon the film's initial release. As George is followed to horror movie conventions, he's forced to walk around and introduce himself, as no one seems to know who he is. The longing in his eyes makes it almost painful to watch. When asked if he'd be willing to appear in another Troll film, George responds with a resounding yes. No hesitation in his voice.
Best Worst Movie is a sweet, wistful documentary that proves that even bottom-of-the-barrel horror movies are made with love and hope. Troll 2 may not be considered brilliant art, and it may not be loved worldwide, but it will always have its place. In the end, that's all that really matters.
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