Narrative: Review on "Best Worst Movie" (2009)- Documentary on "Troll 2"

FIG.1 Best Worst Movie Poster

Approximately 20 years ago (1989), a group of amateur actors from Utah teamed up for the creation of the Italian-produced, anti-masterpiece Troll 2. The film featured vegetarian goblins going after a family to turn them into plants and eat them. Of course a scenario like this seemed appealing to the audience at first. Who would have thought that this very special film would be crowned as the worst film of all time and that it made cinematic history? Regardless its harsh critiques and its very bad quality, the film is living proof that just because a film is awful it doesn't mean that it won't find an audience. 20 years later, Troll 2's cast could not hide from the followers that celebrated their ineptness. 

FIG.2:  Famous Scene from Troll 2 (with M. Stevenson)

In honour of Troll 2, the documentary Best Worst Movie (2009) was made, which is a fun tribute to the people who were responsible of unleashing the greatest bad movie ever made. Directed by Michael Stevenson, the once disgraced child star of Troll 2, and George Hardy as the centre of the documentary, who turned into a cult movie icon, the documentary is a delicious flashback to what was going on behind the scenes of the  making of the film and the reunion of the gang. This offbeat journey pays homage to the lovers of bad movies and the people who made them- it is revealing what the contributors of a an anti- masterpiece like this feel like today. 

One of the biggest obstacles the crew faced during the shooting of the film was the lack of communication between the Italian director Claudio Fragasso and the rest of the  cast. Fragasso certainly did not know what he was doing and did not come into turns with his internationally revered cinematic failure: Hardy mentioned in one of his interviews that: "We had no idea of what the script meant and it was difficult to understand. Not knowing what the story was made it difficult to understand the flow of things for the movie. We just did what we were told (in very little English or as few words as possible).", yet he pointed out that he did enjoy the experience: "It was, overall, a fun experience. Not much seriousness in making the film from the cast. We just went along best we all could." (Hardy.2007)

Apart from this lack of interaction between crew members and the bad acting, Troll 2, as a low budget film did not invest as much on the special effects which are vital for a horror film. But what started off as a serious horror film through the eyes of Fragasso, evolved into a cheap B-movie and got really successful, but not in the way he expected. Even the costumes used for the monsters, called goblins, were looking too fake for a start: “Atrocious acting aside Troll 2’s goblins are extra-ridiculous because of their costumes, which resemble potato sacks topped with Halloween sacks. Frankly, they are nowhere near as scary as the ghostly grandpa who advises young hero Michael Stevenson to piss all over his family’s dinner so they won’t undergo the change.” (Klosterman. 2009:176)

FIG.3: George Hardy

FIG.4 : The crew of the documentary 

I conclusion, Troll 2 may have been baptised as the worst film ever made in history but due its special qualities it still has an enormous amount of fans throughout the world, fans that are hungry for films that are totally expressive and don't hesitate to show their flaws and incapabilities in making a pure film. After all cinema, is art and art is a form of expression whether it is meant or not meant to be good.

Bibliography

Klosterman, Chuck (2009) Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls. Onion Inc: New York

Interview with George Hardy (2007) At: http://www.badmovies.org/interviews/georgehardy/ (accessed on 8/10/2011)

List of Illustrations

FIG.1: Best Worst Movie Poster At: http://thewolfmancometh.com/2011/03/12/best-worst-movie-2009/ (accessed on 7/10/2011)
FIG.2: At: http://www.fearnet.com/news/b15026_splat_chat_michael_stephenson_of_troll.html (accessed on 7/10/2011)
FIG.3: At: http://uk.dvd.ign.com/dor/objects/86667/best-worst-movie/images/best-worst-movie-20101117033910429.html (accessed on 7/10/2011)

FIG.4:  At http://collider.com/best-worst-movie-dvd-review/61651/  (accessed on 7/10/2011)