Trollhunter [Trolljegeren] (2010)
Starring Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen, Urmila Berg-Domaas, Hans Morten Hansen, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Nærum, Eirik Bech
Directed by André Øvredal
Expectations: High, I’m super stoked to finally see this.
Trollhunter is the type of film you want to go into without much knowledge. I had seen the poster and I knew that it was a found footage movie about a troll hunter, but that’s it. Realistically, how much more do you need? This kind of movie is all about the wonder of discovery, of not knowing what will be around the next corner. If you want to maintain that level of purity, go check it out without reading the review (or watching the trailer); the four stars above should be enough to tell you that I loved Trollhunter. For those sticking around, I have compiled some general thoughts about the movie, as I don’t know that discussing specifics will be anything more than me repeating “That part was awesome!” over and over.
Trollhunter is such a fantastic idea for a found footage movie, and it’s expertly executed. I’m not generally a fan of this horror sub-genre, but thanks to [REC], I’m also not completely close-minded to it. If someone is able to make it work, it can be incredible, as long as the story is one that can easily be told with this natively gimmicky format. Invoking the name of [REC] might call to mind the intensity that the handheld camera brings to that film, but Trollhunter is a different beast entirely. Instead of focusing on tension and scares, it’s more about simply capturing the images. Remember, the camera crew here is supposed to be three college kids hoping to make a documentary. What starts as a simple exploration into recent bear attacks on livestock, quickly becomes something more when the crew focuses on a strange man perceived by the bear hunters to be a poacher.