Mania Grade: B+

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Info:

• Starring: Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Johanna Mørck, Knut Nærum, Robert Stoltenberg, Glenn Erland Tosterud
• Written by: André Øvredal
• Directed by: André Øvredal
• Studio: Magnolia Pictures
• Rating: PG-13
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Series:

Mania Review: Troll Hunter

Troll Hunter
© Magnolia Pictures/Robert Trate

 Anyone here still excited by the prospect of found-footage horror? I didn’t think so. It’s been overused to the point of collective numbness, and the film that kicked it all into high gear – The Blair Witch Project – just looks shabbier and shabbier as time goes on. So the prospect of returning yet again to that well for the likes of Troll Hunter probably doesn’t fill anyone with burning anticipation.

If you can overcome that stigma, however – accepting that there’s nothing new in the technique and focusing instead on the content – this fascinating Norwegian import suggests that there may be life in the format yet. In the first place, it takes itself a lot less seriously than other found footage movies, with a sly sense of humor and an awareness of its own absurdity that helps stave off ennui. In the second place, it deploys its special effects to maximum effect: paying attention to the way the money shots appear and what our specific reaction might be. It eschews boo-gotcha scares in favor of Evil Dead-style giggles: tinged with nervousness but definitely more upbeat than its brethren.  Its nation of origin gives it an unusual perspective that we rarely see in the States, and its infectious sense of humor never overstays its welcome.

The story concerns the trials and tribulations of Hans (Otto Jespersen), a member of Norway’s Troll Security Team who hunts and destroys wayward trolls. The Norwegian government keeps existence of the creatures a secret, confining them to distant preserves well away from prying eyes. But every now and then, one of them goes rogue and Hans has to hunt it down: using billy goats as bait and employing high-end UV lights to turn the rampaging monsters to stone. The job isn’t as cool as it sounds, and the long years have taken their toll. When a band of student filmmakers inadvertently stumbles on his secret, he decides to let them film his exploits and show the world what he does: blowing the cover off of the “troll conspiracy” for good.

The film uses an escalating series of encounters to fill us in on the details. Writer/director André Øvredal establishes a measure of plausibility early on, then manages the not-insubstantial feat of making the beasts look both menacing and fairy-tale-esque. Their blobby noses and gibbering mouths are inherently unreal… and yet appear perfectly natural when plopped down in the middle of the Norwegian scenery. Troll Hunter finds enough variety in the basic scenario to hold us rapt, sprinkled with a healthy dose of humor (such as a few sly digs at the creatures’ mythic ability to smell Christian blood) and buoyed by some unexpected surprises.

It’s a good thing too, because the film’s chosen technique feels far too shopworn for comfort. Shaky-cam footage can excuse all manner of compositional sins, and while Øvredal tries to mix it up with the odd foray into night-vision and the like, we’ve seen it all too many times to expect anything new. Troll Hunter rebounds with solid work from Jespersen, playing an unorthodox hero whose workmanlike cynicism belies the astonishing way in which he makes his living. It stands in sharp contrast to the students’ exhilaration, which gradually turns darker as the dangers of the work (not all of them troll-based) become more apparent.

Its charms are quiet, to be sure, but quite copious. The more you watch, the more deeply its funky vibe works on you. Troll Hunter’s fiercely proud sense of identity gives it the feeling of a tall tale related by a close friend, rather than product geared to reach as many people as possible. In the throes of June, with a fiercely competitive blockbuster season in full swing, its personable tone becomes a selling point all its own. It embraces spectacle without succumbing to it, while reminding us that “fantasy” and “bombast” aren’t necessarily linked at the hip. A potent lesson… and just one of many reasons to give this groovy little number a look.