TrollHunter: Best Monster Movie in a Generation

Some rights reserved by Jonathan SaThis post is going to be short and sweet, because there's no need for a prolonged explanation of a film so aptly named as TrollHunter. Suffice it to say, this Nowegian mockumentary delivers exactly what it promises, a mysterious hero who excels at the badass life of hunting trolls. But when the downsides of his job (nocturnal hours, heavy suits of armor, the solitary life of one who practices a lost art) start to wear on him, the troll hunting Hans allows a team of film majors to tag along, provided they do whatever he says.

At first, the college kids believe trolls to be the stuff of legends, insisting that they are on the track of a bear poacher. However, skepticism soon turns to terror. After a few close calls with Hans, the young film makers come to believe in fairy tales, yet the footage is so good that they can't bring themselves to leave his side.

That, and a troll totally trashes their car.

For any fan of action films or the fantasy genre, TrollHunter is a must-see. Although it is done in the often over used mockumentary style, exotic Norwegian landscapes and the classic hero narrative make watching this film hard to resist. Along the way, viewers learn about the many sub-species within the troll family that live across Norway under bridges, in abandoned mines, and high up in mountain rangers. Hidden from a naive public, the huge nocturnal beasts are treated as dangerous wildlife, kept secluded to remote areas, and hunted down when they go outside of their range.

Adding to the intrigue, intricate details regarding the trolls and how to track them create an almost plausible conspiracy theory. In the story, the government blames anything unusual on bears and poachers, thus preventing the countryside from panicking when livestock turns up dead. Since trolls only come out at night, no one but Hans knows how to find them. As the the reluctant hero slowly opens up to his camera wielding sidekicks, he drops tidbits of troll knowledge on them surprisingly consistent with the fairy tales and even slightly believable. For example, the trolls' intolerance of sunlight stems from an inability to process vitamin D. Whether scientifically sound or not, this explanation makes for some inventive weapons and a tricked out Land Rover that lead to awesome troll slaying.

Reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project's "found footage" motif, TrollHunter provides suspenseful horror while leaving a door slightly open to the possibilities of a far off reality. Some critics may chuckle at this notion, especially when the funny looking trolls finally appear on the shaky handheld camera, but detailed-oriented adherents to Norwegian lore will be impressed. For the rest of us who just like monsters and fjords, TrollHunter is definitely wroth the watch even if it is in subtitles. Interested yet? TrollHunter's refreshing mix of horror, fantasy, and comedy is available just a few clicks away on Netflix Instant.

Comments

[James Dugan]

Trolls? You are going to make my next Wed night one to remember. You really could have just written a Troll movie and I would have probably been in. Thanks for the recommendation.