Troll: John Carl Buechler

John Carl Buechler's Troll is proof that a film doesn't have to be "good" for it to be enjoyable. But don't misunderstand me, I don't think that the film is so-bad-that-it's-good like its infamous "sequel" Troll 2 (1990). Troll is a bad film. And yet, I enjoyed it immensely. The film is about the Potter family which moves to San Francisco only to discover that their apartment complex is home to an evil troll named Torok. What does Torok do? He captures their daughter, Wendy, impersonates her, and begins to transform all of the apartment complex's inhabitants into magical creatures. If he manages to infect every apartment with his magic, then the world of the fairies will burst forth, supposedly in order to take over the world of mortals. The film has two things going for it. First, the special effects are surprisingly effective considering their low budget. Second, the film has several guest stars who bring a lot of strength and heart to an otherwise very silly story. There is Sonny Bono as a lonely swinger, June Lockhart as the good witch who helps the Potters fight Torok, and Phil Fondacaro in a duel role as Malcolm Malory, a sad dwarf professor, and Torok. Fondacaro's performance as Malory is so powerful that I'm actually mad that he had to give it in a movie like this that wouldn't get him nominated for an Academy Award. The film is alternately ridiculous and charming, so much so that I felt sad to see it go when the credits began to roll.

5/10