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When I was in Chattanooga, my friends Collin and Russ introduced me to the sweet horror of Troll 2, a 1990 movie that has been dubbed one of the worst films of all time.
But as people in the film’s growing cult understand, this movie isn’t just bad: It’s transcendently bad. This montage suggests why…
Honestly, it’s just sublime. The acting, the writing, the fact that the director and crew were Italians who didn’t know English. The fact that one of the actors was an Alabama dentist with no previous acting experience. It’s almost too much to absorb.
But plenty of movies are bad. Why is this one so much fun?
I’d argue it’s not just because the audience can sit back and mock the travesty before it. That kind of irony makes it fun to watch films like Showgirls, which was made by experienced professionals. The backing of a major studio implies skill, so when everything goes awry, there’s perverse joy in seeing so-called experts crash and burn.
Troll 2, though, comes from amateurs and non-English speakers. It feels like a home movie shot on grandma’s farm, which invites us to remember our own plays in the backyard and home videos made with dad’s camera. We can identify with these people because they almost seem like us.
Also? The actors and director are totally sincere. Every moment in this movie is played straight, with no one winking at the camera. That earnestness is endearing because even though the movie is a train wreck, you kind of have to root for the people who worked so hard to make it. For me, that’s what makes Troll 2 a disaster I can love.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Collin H // Aug 14, 2008 at 2:42 pm
The first time I saw Troll 2 my mouth was quite literally agape. My poor brain couldn’t handle the complete and total ineptitude oozing from every frame of the film.
I’m delighted that you were able to appreciate the soul-searing awfulness of Troll 2. I’m especially happy that you were able to point out something that I’ve never noticed before – the movie is totally right wing propaganda.
It seems you’ve already seen the majesty of Showgirls and Cristal Conners, but theres so many more disasterpieces out there that you need to see. Let me recommend two more.
Half Past Dead is a stellar choice from the Segal Oeuvre. He’s a Russian who has to stop people from breaking IN to Alcatraz. A guard gets shot several times in the chest and Segal brings him back to life with a taser.
Everyone knows that Halle Berry’s Catwoman was awful, but so few actually saw it to discover how bad it really is. Berry has a kung-fu battle with Sharon Stone, who’s the head of an evil cosmetics corporation. And for reasons unknown, everyone in the movie seems to think that Benjamin Bratt is super hot, which is both mystifying and hilarious.
2 Russ Jackson // Aug 14, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I can’t wait for the Troll 2 documentary, supposed to come out sometime “in 2008″.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRccOQjmVQ
3 Hamlet 2: Well… I saw it. // Aug 25, 2008 at 2:27 am
[...] I don’t mean it sucked in a delightful way, like Troll 2 or the recording career of The Pussycat [...]
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