Troll Hunter (2010)

One of the most anticipated movies at this years Frightfest is the movie Troll Hunter, a Norwegian film that has been greeted passionately wherever it has been shown.

A group of school student filmmakers are making a film about a series of brutal killing at the hands of wildlife in more rural areas of Norway, they soon however get to hear about Hans, a transient hunter who is hunting in the areas of the killings, much to the annoyance of the local hunters. The students try to get to talk to Hans on a number of occasions, but are dismissed by the man. One night however they follow him, and make a startling discovery, Hans is a troll hunter, hired by the government to control the very real presence of trolls in Norway.

Troll Hunter is a great movie, a nice mix of comedy and the more serious stuff, which was without a doubt a hit for the 1000 strong audience that rolled in to see it.

There is so much to the movie, you simply cannot put it into words, firstly you have to commend the photography, this is a movie that will make everyone who sees it want to go to Norway, everything in the movie just looks to incredibly inviting. The humor is a big part too, and it’s always there, even in times of horror, the humor follows along for the ride. While the horror, is not particularly scary, you have to take into account that few horror movies really are, and this genre piece despite its lack of scares, really is in a league of its own.

A lot of time and attention has gone into the movie, particually the conspiracy between Hans and the government official, who do anything they can to cover up the presence of trolls. This includes depositing Polish bears in the landscape, and a man walking on bear feet, to make it look as if the attacks are carried out by bears moving in hungry from other territories.

The special effects are pretty good, very Ray Harryhausen, but in a good way. The trolls are all enormous, and look rather a lot like they belong in the Neverending Story, which is quite amusing considering all they want to do is kill people.

The story is told very much in the “Cannibal Holocaust/Blair Witch” vein something that seems very much in demand again with A Night In The Woods, and Atrocious both being part of the Frighfest schedule. Troll Hunter is a little different though, a much more refreshing found footage feature.

With a series of great performances, if you watch just one found footage feature this year, give Troll Hunter a shot.