Trollhunter
Found footage has become so repetitive that it makes me fearful of opening my own home family movies. Though Blair Witch championed it and utilized it to make it a fearful horror movie, it has been churned out repeatedly ever since. It’s infuriating because it highlights the lack of genuine ideas that are bouncing around Hollywood at the moment. Paranormal Activity, Chronicle and many more all harbour the idea that when something is great, it can be repeatedly trotted out without being tiresome. Much to the hefty disappoint of its audience. And while many can do it exceedingly well, some often fall under the shitty category.
So when Trollhunter came out, underlying just how far this cinematic phenomenon had reached, it had everyone gasping at whether it could succeed in the genre. And thankfully it did, but not without its faults.
Set in Norway, Trollhunter revolves around a group of young reporters who have heard of secrets lurking in the woods nearby (and that sentence is so much better when you read it in a pirates accent.) They stumble upon the illusive Hans who is a famed troll hunter (gasp, that’s the title). After much persuading, they come along for the ride as Hans takes them through the dark and strange world of trolls. But as they capture the famed mythical beasts, they find out that instead of larking around creatures – it might prove more dangerous. Especially if you are a Christian.
Trollhunter is good fun. That’s what really works here. The trolls, the enthusiastic students and the stoic Hans all combine to make the film a riotous watch. Not forgetting the scary elements, the film becomes part horror and part hilarity combined with this political and religious vein running through it. It is suspenseful and full of whimsy that can rightly capture your childlike imagination when you see the monsters whilst tickling your nightmares too. While it suffers from drawn out moments, and the camera effects can hamper it too – it still holds a good bout of fright to tantalise you further.
And the acting is good too because each is able to bring a realistic sense to the wailing (that sounds harsh but it’s true.) See to spend a lot of time off screen or hurried with the shaking movements, it’s easy to pull back and not try. But lead by a ferocious Otto Jesperson as Hans with Gleen Erland Tosterud and Johanna Morck having the most screen time, the acting is entirely absorbing. Althought it is definitely the off-screen howls from Tomas Alf Larsen as Halle who delivers one of the more terrifying scenes.
There is something missing for Trollhunter to be truly excellent. Maybe it’s because of the found footage aspect that dims the brilliance of it. Or because of the CGI Trolls that do not look entirely realistic when seen in full view. Nevertheless, it is still better than a lot of horror (or black comedy) tripe that comes through the cinemas consistently. And it is a complete Scandinavian romp with a dash of nightmares.