Trollhunter (2011)

At first, “Trollhunter” had me intrigued, baiting my curiosity upon viewing the first troll. Much to my dismay, I steadily lost interest. It just looked entirely too silly and phony. By only filming them after sunset or through night-vision goggles, there was more of an opportunity to use shadows and sound to elicit scares. But I found it more as an excuse to hide the film’s cheap special effects and rely on off-screen action to increase hysteria. I wasn’t buying it. 

I’ll give credit to the film’s ambition though. Writer/director Orvedal creates a detailed mythology for these carnivorous trolls to support the fantasy of it all. We see Hans repeatedly ask the young filmmakers if any of them are Christians, because apparently the scent of a faithful believer is a dead giveaway and drives them nuts. Of course, because it’s put out there, we know that one of these kids is gonna admit their conviction at the most inappropriate time. Sigh. The trolls themselves are creatively designed, with some distinctive looks (one has three heads but is only born with one) and sounds, which provide a couple of intense encounters. Unfortunately, most of the time I was wondering if someone was in a costume of if it was all down in post-production. 

“Trollhunter” tries to maintain its intensity, but after a while it become almost as annoying as “The Blair Witch Project” or those wretched “Paranormal Activity” flicks. It all just felt so forced, with characters I could care less about, except for those big-nosed trolls. At least the title character is fun to watch here. Hans is like a dogged Merlin Olsen with a thick Scandinavian accent and an arsenal of weapons to take out any creature alive. His rugged vehicle has huge claw marks on its side and is outfitted with harsh UV lights that can freeze or explode his prey (depending on the type of troll) on the spot.  Always cautious and sometimes seemingly aloof, Hans never seems get to worked up over the alleged danger they are. He’s been at it so long that it’s just another day on the job. 

If the film only discarded its mockumentary feel and attempted more of a twisted macabre tone, I think I would’ve been sold. The vast Norwegian countryside, with its dense forests and quiet mountainsides, lend itself well to a believable fantasy setting. It’s just too bad that Ovredal and company didn’t embrace full-on fiction instead of delivering sluggish fictitious events through jittery footage. Like every other modern foreign film, it won’t be too long before an American remake is announced. I’m usually against such nonsense but that’s only when the original can stand on its own. This one seems to be stuck in its own giant footprint, so I’d be happy to see another director take this concept and give it some room to romp.