‘There’s nothing heroic about what I do. It’s dirty work...’
Found Footage horror films were everywhere in 2010. Off the back of the success of Paranormal Activity, [REC] and Cloverfield, it felt like a new found footage entry dropped weekly during that era. While many of them were pretty similar, Troll Hunter certainly stood out in what had become a saturated market…
A group of students travel to a small town in Norway to investigate a series of mysterious bear killings. Upon arrival, however, they discover that it’s not bears causing all the trouble. Although initially sceptical, troll hunter Hans (Otto Jespersen) eventually persuades the camera crew that trolls are not only real but also that they are a genuine threat.
Writer-director André Øvredal has gone on to be a big name in horror, having been at the helm for The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. After re-watching Troll Hunter, it’s clear why studios were happy to take a punt on the Norwegian director. Put simply, the special effects here really are something special. The trolls are perfectly rendered, awe-inspiring even, and the film perfectly handles the tonal shifts between absurdist humour and flat-out horror. Despite all the technological advances that have demystified the wilderness somewhat, there is still plenty of horror to be found in an exploration of the natural world, and the idea that there are things waiting in the wilderness to attack us is just as prescient now as when King Kong and Godzilla were fighting it out at the dawn of cinema.
Troll Hunter is a thrilling, unique film that introduced a filmmaker who has quietly become one of the most consistent horror directors in the game – and it still looks fantastic.