Having seen people’s comments on Twitter about this film I was so excited to see it and it certainly didn’t let me down. Many have described it as the ‘fantasy Blair Witch Project’ which gives some idea of the found footage mockumentary style and aesthetic the film opts for, and it works very well. The point of view shots throughout that the camera naturally adopts enable the viewer to become completely immersed in this fantastical story of the existence of trolls, yes trolls! Three students from the local Volda College in Norway hear rumours of an illegal bear poacher and go on the hunt to make a documentary about him. They find Hans, a mysterious character with a trailer full of strange objects and a Landrover with large gashes down the side. Suspicions lead the students to follow Hans one night and what they encounter is something much bigger and better than a bear. After saving the students from a troll Hans agrees to let them make a documentary about him and the existence of trolls in order to let the world know what the government have been hiding.
The plot does sound ridiculous but the film is cleverly done and it never feels ridiculous. It takes a rare knack to be able to combine such a story with funny moments one minute and then genuinely tense, scary moments the next. The special effects are outstanding and it is due to this that the viewer can really invest in the story and become totally absorbed, suspending their disbelief. The shots of the Norwegian landscape are breathtakingly beautiful and atmospheric and play an important role in adding to the believability of the story and reflecting the trolls and their differing habitats.
Otto Jespersen is brilliant as Hans the Troll-hunter and delivers the facts about trolls in a deadpan, matter of fact way. The tongue-in-cheek elements and the attention to detail within the film are really what make it work. There is an incredible amount of backstory and thought and attention gone into designing and making the trolls. The film had an approximate £2.2 million budget so it is not quite as low-budget as it would first appear and it is the investment in the trolls that prevents the film from being a laughable farce. Trollhunter is an original and exciting film that will certainly become a cult classic. It has remained with me for days now, a sign of a great film, and in a week when I watched several Hollywood Blockbusters as well, this film stood tall and proud way above the rest just like the Jotnar troll!
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