Cringe: ⭐
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.
Introduction#
Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) is a 2010 Norwegian found footage film written and directed by André Øvredal. It features Otto Jespersen as Hans, the titlar troll hunter. He is supported by Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, and Tomas Alf Larsen, who play as a group of students acting as investigative reporters. TMDB lists the films budget as $3.5 million, which I would consider pretty high.
The premise of Troll Hunter is much like any other found footage horror film you might have seen. There’s a group of people with cameras, in this case the students, and they go out to discover or document something. What sets Troll Hunter apart is it’s excellent production value, definitely helped by it’s generous budget. It’s also not every day you see a movie about trolls. Having a soft spot for found footage and Norwegian films, there’s no way I could pass this one up!
Plot#
Troll Hunter opens with our curious students interviewing some country folks. Evidently there have been some strange goings-on, and our investigators want to get to the bottom of it. Everyone they talk to points to Hans, as bad stuff seems to happen while he’s around. One of the hunters figures he’s a poacher as well, as they find a dead bear nearby. So, our merry band of adventurers track down Hans and annoy him until he agrees to team up with them.
Hans is very clear that they must do everything he says, even if it doesn’t make sense at the time, and they agree. The newly-minted party of four thus embark on their adventure to document trolls. The students, of course, don’t believe they exist at first, presenting a good opportunity for Hans to drop some lore on us. Aside from the stunning visuals, the whole mythos of modern trolls and how they could exist is expertly crafted, spoon-fed to the audience at regular intervals between the action/horror scenes. It works really well.
Over the next 90 minutes or so, we follow along with our adventurers, learning more about trolls, and perhaps, encountering them. There’s a whole back-story to everything that is frankly a lot more detailed and engrossing than I had ever expected, going into Troll Hunter. The film sticks with the found-footage style throughout, with plenty of grainy, dark, tense moments in the forest.
Review#
Troll Hunter is a lovingly crafted found footage film that really surprised me with how engaging it was. The team really puts a lot of effort into making trolls seem real and believable. The pacing is excellent, and all the main actors nail their roles. Plus, the scenery of the Norwegian country-side and forest are beatifully caught on film, more so than you would expect for the found footage genre. Overall, this is an excellent film and not at all a disappointment.
This write-up intentionally avoids even minor spoilers after several minutes in, because you should absolutely check out Troll Hunter. I’ve seen it several times and thoroughly enjoyed each watch. Even if you don’t like found footage or horror, you might like this one. Be sure to pick up a copy with subtitles, though, unless you happen to speak Norwegian!
Cringe 1/5: Troll Hunter, despite it’s name, premise, and genre, is not cringey at all. Surprising.
Enjoyment 5/5: I loved this film. It’s probably one of, if not the best, found footage thing I’ve seen. It’ll keep you hooked to the end!
Recommended Audience: Everyone, but especially found footage and horror aficionados.