Troll

Film: Troll

Year: 1986

Director: John Carl Buechler

Writer: Ed Naha

Starring: Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack and Noah Hathaway

Review:

This was a film that I remember my father buying when I was a child. My sister, Allison, and I would watch this all of the time as it wasn’t too scary and just fun. It is interesting now that I’m an adult knowing that this is an Empire pictures film since this would turn into Full Moon, which is a company I would watch a lot of movies from growing up. This is the second time seeing it with a critical eye as a Scouring through the Sixes and to do a bonus episode with my sister on Journey with a Cinephile

Synopsis: a wicked troll king takes over a San Francisco apartment complex to unleash his horde of creatures.

I corrected the Internet Movie Database's inaccurate synopsis for this film. A family—father Harry Potter Sr. (Michael Moriarty), wife Anne (Shelley Hack), son Harry Jr. (Noah Hathaway), and daughter Wendy Anne (Jenny Beck)—moves into an apartment complex. While unpacking, Harry Jr. is told to watch Wendy. She goes to the basement where the troll Torok (Phil Fondacaro) attacks her and then disguises himself as her.

From this moment on, Wendy acts differently and the family notices it. She takes the bag of burgers that Harry Sr. brought home and pulls the fire alarm. It is through this that we get to meet the neighbors in this building. There is Peter Dickinson (Sonny Bono) who is a swinger, Jeanette Cooper (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) along with her boyfriend William Daniels (Brad Hall), Barry ‘Duke’ Tabor (Gary Sandy) who is the super and a strange old woman named Eunice St. Clair (June Lockhart).

Harry Jr. knows something is wrong and seeks solace with Eunice who is hiding a secret. We see that she is actually a witch. Torok goes around the other apartments and stabs him with a needle on a ring that he has. This changes them into a kind of pod that opens up to another world. As he takes over each apartment, he becomes more powerful. Harry Jr. thinks his sister has become a pod person from Mars, but Eunice lets him in on what is going on here. It is a race before Torok is able to break out of this prison.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. This nostalgic movie is fun, centered on a supernatural event in an apartment building. Eunice explains that Torok was freed on a witches' Sabbath, the day the Potters moved in. The 80s film's premise is still relevant, as modern neighbor anonymity makes a scenario like this plausible. Torok further disarms people by disguising himself as a little girl.

Sticking with this idea of setting it in the apartment building, this is something that producer Charles Band loved doing. It plays with the idea of a mundane, normal apartment building holding these magical worlds and creatures. It also has the duality of humanity and nature. Torok originally was a knight who used magic. He was punished into the form he has now. It is an interesting concept with how peaceful the worlds he creates in each room but with monstrous beings.

There’s also an element of using fairy tale troupes. Wendy is put into a sleep and could be seen as the princess. Harry Jr. is the chosen one who needs to save her. There’s a loss of innocence he endures in the process. There is a cyclic nature that Eunice learned magic from her mentor and then she takes on that role for Harry Jr.

The last element would be going back to that duality of the mundane apartment with the fantastical worlds. This seems to almost be a satire of the fantasy genre. We have weirdly sweet music with a musical number that as the troll gains power and his minions. There is gross-out horror with the changing of people in order for them to gain shape. Not all, like Jeanette who becomes a nymph. There’s also an English professor, Malcolm Mallory (Fondacaro) who is made into an elf. This isn’t effective, but the attempt was good.

That should be enough for the story so let’s go over to the acting performances. Moriarty is comedically engaging with his wisecracks. Hack is attractive and has a great smile; they fit well as loving parents. Hathaway was good, and his knowing something is wrong, given his interest in monster movies, adds an element. More set up for Beck should have been established before her transformation, though she plays the weird kid well.

I also like both Lockharts; near the end, Eunice becomes younger, played by her attractive daughter, Anne. Fondacaro plays both the creature and Malcolm well. The rest of the cast—Bono, Louis-Dreyfus, Sandy, Charles Band, and Albert Band—worked well for what was needed.

Let’s then go over the filmmaking aspects. The effects, predictably excellent from Beuchler, are the true highlight and what initially made his name. The creatures are great since they’re done practically. What is funny is that some are re-used from the Full Moon film Ghoulies. I can overlook that. The cinematography and framing also worked well. Charles’ brother Richard composed the fitting soundtrack, including a fun, charming, though slightly out-of-place, musical number.

I do have to point out that this came out in 1986 and the main character’s name is Harry Potter. He is dealing with magic and creatures that would be found in that world. It’s crazy to come out that much before the famous Harry Potter series and makes me wonder if J.K. Rowling might have seen this at one point. There is also a painting of director/co-writer John Carl Beuchler as well as Anne Lockheart, because I’ve seen it used in other movies actually.

In conclusion, this remains a highly enjoyable, nostalgic piece of 80s fantasy-horror, skillfully blending the mundane setting of an apartment complex with fantastical, fairy-tale elements. Despite some uneven acting and less-than-effective side plots, the film excels thanks to Buechler's excellent practical creature effects and the charm of its central premise. Its playful duality between normalcy and the supernatural, alongside the oddly prescient "Harry Potter" character name, solidifies its place as a fun, if flawed, cult classic that holds up well for viewers looking for a lighthearted creature feature.

My Rating: 6 out of 10