The Troll Hunter

I'm wondering if it's possible to write a review of a horror/fantasy "faux-documentary" without referencing The Blair Witch Project? Since I've already failed to do so, clearly I'm not the man to answer that, but I'd like to see it done. Anyways, on to my thoughts about Andre Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter. Shot in the fake doc style that seems to have maintained its popularity (especially outside North America) post-BWP, it focuses on a group of Norwegian university students who set out to get footage on bear poaching for a class project and inadvertently stumble upon Norway's best kept secret - bloodthirsty, Christian-hating trolls! I won’t go into much detail on the plot (since quite frankly there isn’t much of one) but I will say that some of the film’s biggest question marks and plot holes were also some of my favourite aspects. Were this a bigger budget film from a more established film market such as the United States or the UK, the military would have a much more prominent role. There would be covert strike teams, a shady bureau in charge of covering up the existence of these so-called monsters and, of course, lots of helicopters. In Norway? One bad-ass, trailer-living mountain man, one snively low-level civil servant and a handful of Polish carpenters seem to do the job quite nicely. Although it may be a bit far-fetched, I certainly find it refreshing to see an entry into the monster genre that doesn’t involve carpet-bombing and mass destruction.

I also have to commend the filmmakers on the creature designs. They look like they wandered straight out of a 17th century children’s fairytale book, and it works wonderfully. The film dips its toes ever-so-slightly into the “science” behind the trolls, and frankly I wish they had gone much deeper. Why are there so many different varieties? Why can they smell a Christian? How the hell do some of them grow to the size of office buildings? Nevertheless, it does a satisfactory job of presenting them not simply as creatures that go bump in the night, but as a legitimate species living in the secluded wilderness. And what a wilderness it is. The vistas in Troll Hunter are simply incredible. Sign me up for a trip to scenic Norway, I’m sold.

It’s understandable that many people might be sick of the whole “found footage” genre, and there are elements of The Troll Hunter that won’t do much to change any minds about that (especially the ending). However, that said, I have to absolutely recommend this film for anyone looking for something a little outside the box. If you’re able to forgive some inconsistencies and underdeveloped ideas in the plot, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what the film has to offer. The lead character is wonderfully matter-of-fact about his unusual job, the effects hold up well for a low-budget, non-Hollywood feature, and the premise and mythology is intriguing enough to support the run time. From what I understand Magnet, Magnolia’s sub-division for genre pictures, has purchased world rights to the film so here’s hoping it gets a proper theatrical release in North America, with a corresponding DVD and Blu Ray release. With so many straight-to-video giant creature features flooding the market these days, it’s nice to see one that does things a little differently. Much like Gareth Edward’s Monsters, it’s a breath of fresh air in a genre already in danger of becoming stale so soon after it’s resurgence.