TROLL

US, 1986, 79 minutes, Colour.
Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Sonny Bono.
Directed by John Carl Buechler.

Troll is a variation on the haunted house theme. It presupposes the existence of trolls, fantastic beings who lived in forests but who are now trying, to take over the world and achieve their kingdom. They appear in an ordinary house, take over the daughter of the family, take over the members of the apartment block and finally there is a confrontation between these monsters and a young boy who becomes a hero of chivalry.

The film is small budget horror fantasy. It was written and directed by John Buechler, a makeup and visual effects creator. He worked on such films as Ghoulies and Dungeon Master. The film is produced by Charles Band who, during the '80s, specialised in small budget genre films. The emphasis is on straightforward action, special effects. The films have the bluntness and directness of B budget films, and are enjoyable according to that style. There is also a competent cast led by Noah Hathaway (The Never Ending Story) and Shelley Hack and Michael Moriarty. June Lockhart and her daughter Anne portray the same character, Eunice St. Clair, a witch who has the secret of the trolls.

1. Enjoyable science horror fantasy?

2. The production values: the house, the rooms, the street? The special effects for the transformation of the house, for the forest, for the battle between Harry and the trolls? The make-up and techniques for the trolls themselves? The transformation sequences for the victims? The musical score providing atmosphere?

3. The title and its focus on the trolls? Their Scandinavian background? Elves and goblins? Their small stature, their ugliness, sinister presence? The range ot monsters? Their taking over humanity? Their preparing tor the takeover of the world?

4. The focus on the Potter family: the ordinary American family, moving into a new apartment? The encounter with the oddball guests in the building? Harry and his age, Wendy and her nerves, erratic behaviour? The hostility of some of the inhabitants? Harry J. and Anne as the ordinary American couple, the ambitions about the house, the managing of the kids? The ironic humour of so many domestic scenes with sinister underpinning?

5. Harry J. and his place in the house, his room (with the poster for Dungeon Master), science fiction films? The clashes with Wendy? His concern about her? His realising the truth? The encounters with the various inhabitants with the block of the building? His visiting their rooms, the transformations? The encounter,with Eunice St. Clair and coming to visit her? His parents' worry? The final understanding of the truth, Eunice St. Clair giving him a mission? Going our into the forest, the discovery of the sleeping Wendy, breaking the spell, fighting the trolls, returning to the house? The victor?

6. Wendy and her tantrums, playing ball, being overtaken by;the troll, her erratic behaviour with the troll inside her? Seemingly sweet, aggressive? Her encounter with the different inhabitants of the building, confrontation with them? The final rescue?

7. Harry and Anne and their trying to deal with the situation, their bewilderment? The screenplay's humour at the portrait of the attractive American mother being exasperated, the middle-aged father (and his jazz records and dancing)?

8. The inhabitants of the building and their eccentricities: their being taken over by the troll and their rooms turned into a forest: Dickenson anu his swinging style, girlfriends, resenting the intrusion, critical of the children? Tabor and his musclebound exercises? Jeanette and William? Malcolm the dwarf, the English professor, his cooperating with Harry?

9. Eunice St. Clair, her friendliness, her knowing the secrets, being a sorceress? Her story about Torok, the human turned into a troll? His collaboration with evil, the Bark Side? Her revealing the ways of overcoming him? The younger Eunice and her support of Harry?

10. The visual impact of the trolls, their behaviour? The legends about them?

11. The incongruity of trolls turning up in the laundry basement of an American apartment block? The audience suspending disbelief and going along with the horror fantasy? The tongue-in-cheek nature of so much of the dialogue? An effective enjoyable B-budget genre film?