It's been too long since I posted a blog, mostly because I've been busy writing other stuff and, in the down time, been too damned lazy. But every now and then I can rouse myself from the lethargy and get something done. Yes, I'm still very busy, working a full-time job, writing a novel, and also writing a novella, but sometimes, Goddammit,you have to take the time and watch some Troll violence!
TROLL HUNTER (2010)
Yes, it's silly, and yes, it's funny as hell in some parts, but it also delivers the goods.
A college documentary crew goes out into the wilds of the Norwegian forests to do a story on government-sanctioned bear hunters and stumbles upon a poacher who is going out and killing bears on his own. Following a lead, they track this man down and try to get an interview, are promptly rebuffed, and decide to follow him around, anyway. Late one night, deep in the mountains, they pursue him into the woods, only to become chased themselves by...yes, a troll. And not just a cuddly little creature who lives under a bridge, but a giant, three-headed monster intent on killing them.
What follows, in this found-footage style film is a series of interviews with the troll-hunter himself (brilliantly played by Otto Jespersen as a world-weary, tired of his job, blue-collar kind of guy who matter-of-factly goes about his business of hunting and killing trolls) and a few of the government employees behind his actions. It turns out, the Norwegian government is sponsoring these hunts and keeping them secret from the general public. Along the way, we learn the different kinds of trolls and the ways the Hunter employs to kill them. We are also treated to many funny and scary sequences, as this film simultaneously takes itself seriously and has fun with itself.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. It's fun, it's scary, and it's funny scary. It's available right now on Video On Demand and is supposed to get a limited theatrical run in June. It is subtitled, and it is filmed in shaky-cam, but don't let those things put you off.
Besides, don't you want to learn what a Jotnar is, and how to kill it?
