A Troll 2 Fan Site
Circa 2007 - 2010
If you were part of the fan base that formed around the "Worst Movie Ever," Troll 2, a 1990 horror film, directed by Claudio Fragasso, this site was for you.
Content is from the site's 2007 - 2010 archived pages culminating in a Troll 2 documentary film by Michael Paul Stephenson that had its World Premiere in March of 2010 as well as other outside sources.
JOIN THE FUN!
By joining Nilbog and becoming a Goblin in Disguise, you will be able to create your own goblin profile, have access to the Nil-Blog (allowing you post blog entries) and remain up to date on Nilbog news and recent happenings of the "Best Worst Movie" of all time €” Troll 2!
| Goblin Oath: |
By becoming a Nilbog Goblin, I swear by the Lord of the Magic Stonehenge, that I will never consume meat or reveal my mole the shape of a clover leaf. According to my ability and judgment, I will always warn others against the evils of eating stinkin', disgustin' meat (i.e, hamburgers, steaks, and hot dogs sold by the side of the road). Most importantly, I will stand tall and proud as a monstrous being. Further, I understand that by joining Nilbog, I must always treat other goblins in disguise with love and respect. Before turning a house-swapping visitor into edible plant mush, it is my responsibility to offer them something green to eat (this keeps the blood from mixing with the meat); preferably, a glass of Nilbog Milk, a Nilbog cake or an English muffin frosted with special green icing. After all, we are hospitable people here in Nilbog! Should I, at anytime, find it desirable to seduce another or engage in erotic activity, I swear to put into practice the secret, seductive powers found only in a cob of corn. I make this sacred oath with the complete understanding that it is my duty to show the world that Goblins still exist. While I continue to keep this oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy goblin life, the practice of turning humans into vegetables and spreading the Troll 2 infection at all times! But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may I will be forced to eat a double-decker-bologna sandwich full of toxins and Cholesterol. |
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We are pleased to announce that BEST WORST MOVIE, the Troll 2 documentary film by Michael Paul Stephenson will have it's World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) this March 2010.
A hugely entertaining trash gem that earned its reputation as the best worst movie ever made, so appallingly bad it's hilariously great, with an awful script full of plot holes the size of a goblin, ridiculous over-the-top performances and shocking continuity errors that will make you choke with laughter.
Carlos Magalhaes / Super Reviewer RottenTomatoes
In 1989, unwitting Utah actors starred in the undisputed Worst Movie in History: TROLL 2. Two decades later, the legendarily inept film's child star unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist-turned-cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure.
Media Contact Info
Lindsay Rowles Stephenson
Magic Stone Productions
Communications Director
BEST WORST MOVIE - Troll 2 Documentary Theatrical Trailer
BACKGROUND
Fan Base Forms Around Worst Movie Ever
By JEREMY HUBBARD, AUDE SOICHET, DANIELLE ATKIN
May 6, 2010
George Hardy is a small town Alabama dentist with a secret past.
Along with other aspiring actors, Hardy starred in the 1989 horror movie "Troll 2" -- a low-budget flick that holds a place in history as perhaps the worst movie ever made.
"I was just having fun. I just thought, 'What the heck, I'll be in a movie for the experience of it. I probably will never get another experience like this again,'" said Hardy, now 55. "We were just trying to make a good movie."
But they failed miserably. And failure doesn't really begin to describe it. "Troll 2" skipped theaters and became a cheesy staple of late night HBO. At one point, it was voted the worst film ever on the website IMDB.com, and the movie review site Rottentomatoes.com gave it a zero -- the lowest score possible.
Then there's the plot, which has nothing to do with 1986's "Troll." In fact, there's not a single troll in the movie. It's about a little boy, Joshua Waits, who is terrorized by vegetarian goblins who want to turn his family into plants and eat them.
"I thought that I was going to be a movie star. I thought that this was the next 'Gremlins' or the next 'Labyrinth,'" said Michael Paul Stephenson, who played Joshua Waits. "We put the VHS in and we all sat around the TV, and seven seconds in, my dad's jaw dropped and he said, 'Oh, Michael, this is a terrible movie.'"
Two decades later, audiences seem to think that "Troll 2" is so terrible, it's actually good. A rabid fan base has formed around the hilarious horror movie and theaters from Austin to Los Angeles are hosting special screenings to sold-out audiences.
"All of a sudden I had just about every major theater in the country contacting me, saying, 'We have all these "Troll 2" fans too,' and it set off all these screenings everywhere," said Stephenson. "And aside from the big screenings there were screenings happening in kids' basements everywhere."
Celebrating Cinematic Failure
From Los Angeles to New York, hundreds have also flocked to screenings of "The Room," an out-of-focus, poorly-edited box office dud described by one reviewer as "so bad... it becomes riveting." Audiences, it seems, love movies that are perfectly awful.
"The biggest reason 'Troll 2' has become this phenomenon is that it's sincere. It's a sincere failure that haunts us," Stephenson said. "With 'Troll 2,' we thought we were making a great horror film, and that's what causes people to smile and to laugh."
Fans today have made their own goblin costumes. Moviegoers shout at the screen, reciting excruciatingly bad lines of dialogue.
Making the 'Best Worst Movie'
Stephenson wanted to find out what happened to the people behind "Troll 2," so he made a documentary, "Best Worst Movie," about the movie's renaissance.
He reunited the cast and traveled to Italy to track down filmmaker Claudio Fragasso, who still calls the movie an "important parable that deals with serious issues."
"I did a very good movie," Fragasso said in the documentary. "For the others, it's their problem, not my problem."
Fragasso is not delusional as Margo Prey, the woman who played mother Diana Waits in "Troll 2." Without a hint of sarcasm she says that "Troll 2" is good enough to be in the same class as "Casablanca."
"After I watched the movie, I just sat back and said, 'Wow. This is great. This is really great,'" Prey said. "You compare our movie to a Katherine Hepburn-Humphrey Bogart movie, and it fits in."
Fans at the Austin Drafthouse theater may actually agree with that. "These people tried so hard to make a good movie -- and they failed so hard that it kind of has more power than movies that are made adequately but not great," said Austin Drafthouse programmer Zack Carlson.
In an ironic twist, "Best Worst Movie," has achieved something "Troll 2" never did: critical acclaim. The award-wining documentary has helped turn George Hardy into a kind of cult celebrity. Now, "Troll 2: Part 2" is in development, giving the actors another chance at becoming a household names.
"I really don't feel like I'm a movie star. Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep...They're movie stars. I just live in a small town, I have a great family and a terrific dental practice. I'm just in this for the ride of it all," Hardy said. "You know I just think life's too short."
In The News
03.26.08 - Macleans.ca: Homage to the worst movie ever.
JAIME J. WEINMAN | March 26, 2008 | 
If you don't have talent, you can achieve cult status by making the worst movie ever. Ed Wood (Plan 9 from Outer Space) found that out, and now another movie is contending for his crown: Troll 2, a cheap 1990 horror movie shot by an Italian director in Utah and featuring lines like "I'm Sheriff Gene Freak." The film, which doesn't have any trolls in it (just goblins who turn people into plants and eat them), has been rescued from obscurity with a series of sold-out midnight screenings, including one scheduled for June in Toronto. It owes its popularity to some of the worst acting, writing and directing in history. The film's lead actor, Michael Stephenson, has even made a documentary about its awfulness, Best Worst Movie, which he says will get "a limited theatrical release" later this year; meanwhile, he's busy with cast reunions and Q&A sessions. All for a movie whose big plot twist is that the town of "Nilbog" is "Goblin" spelled backwards.
A movie like Troll 2 might seem more likely to make people angry than to inspire a devoted fan base. It's one of many bargain-basement horror films that got released in the '80s and '90s; the only reason it's famous is that it's terrible even by those low standards. Bad synthesizer music blares out on the soundtrack; there's a scene where Stephenson saves the day by urinating on his parents' food; and the acting, by a largely non-professional cast, is even worse than you might expect. The most famous scene is the one in which nerdy Arnold (Darren Ewing) yells, in extreme close-up, "Oh, my God!" €” it comes out as a long, toneless scream, and a fly is crawling on his forehead during the shot.
Yet fans love Troll 2, and not in an ironic way. When Stephenson first heard that people were having Troll 2 parties and dressing up as their favourite characters from the film, he says, "My first reaction was, is this a joke?" But when he went to a screening in New York a few years ago, he was surprised to find not only that the theatre drew "the largest crowd they had seen," but that the audience "kind of invested themselves in it as their bad movie, their little secret that makes them laugh all the time." Its ineptness is so endearing that fans can embrace it without putting down the people who were in it.
This positive attitude applies only to cheaply made movies; a bad big-budget movie doesn't get that kind of indulgence from fans. Irwin Allen's killer-bee movie The Swarm, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is often cited as the worst movie of the 1970s (for lines like "Houston on fire! Will history blame me, or the bees?"), and may well be worse than Troll 2. But it was a multi-million-dollar film that should have been much better than it was. People forgive Troll 2 or Plan 9 From Outer Space because directors like Ed Wood or Claudio Fragasso had nothing to work with, not even talent, yet they wouldn't give up. Andrew Borntreger, an active-duty Marine who runs the site Badmovies.org in his spare time, says that "one thing that many fun B movies seem to have in common is sincerity," the feeling that the actors and director "stuck to it and tried their best." But when a mainstream Hollywood movie turns out to be terrible, like a Gigli or a Battlefield Earth, we just get upset that it wasn't better.
When fans go to Troll 2, they may also be trying to recall a time, not long ago, when bad B movies still existed. Low-budget productions were the alternatives to art movies on the one hand and studio movies on the other; they were bad, but they were fun to make and watch. Fan nostalgia for Troll 2, along with other bad movies of the period €” like Jack Abramoff's Red Scorpion, or anything by the Cannon group (makers of Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo and Braddock: Missing in Action III), is partly nostalgia for a guilty pleasure: movies that are entertaining because they have no sense of irony. "It's not trying to be intentionally campy," Stephenson says. "It's not trying to wink at the camera."
The longing for cheesy B movies is so great that two years ago, there was a cult following just for a B movie title, Snakes on a Plane. But the film was a disappointment, since it was self-aware, and "as soon as you try to make something intentionally bad," Stephenson says, "it goes off course." When Best Worst Movie plays at film festivals (Stephenson says they've had offers from two sci-fi festivals), it'll remind us that making a bad movie is an art form in itself. "Everyone was trying their darndest to make a great horror film," Stephenson says of Troll 2, "and we failed miserably." He means that as a compliment.
01.19.08 - Cinematical: Live From Sundance: "The line of the Night"
12.28.07- Horror Hound: "Movie News - Best Worst Movie: Troll 2"
12.27.07- Bloody Good Horror: "Interview with Michael Paul Stephenson"
11.14.07 - The Documentary Blog: "Best Worst Movie :
A Documentary about Troll 2"
Posted November 14th, 2007 by Jay C
Of all of the horror films I took in throughout my childhood in the 80€™s, Troll and Troll 2 somehow escaped me. I recall seeing the VHS boxes on the local video store shelves, along with Ghoulies and Critters which I DID see, and i€™d always been curious. Lately I€™ve heard of many people getting together and having Troll/Troll 2 marathons, but I€™ve never really been one for watching bad movies with an ironic intent. Don€™t get me wrong, I do want to see Troll 2, I just want to be able to take it in on my own terms. I want to be able to focus my attention, turn down the lights, and let Troll 2 wash over me.
The gracious folks over at Cinematical have posted a link to a teaser trailer for a documentary film entirely devoted to Troll 2, appropriately titled €˜Best Worst Movie€™. The movie is directed by Michael Paul Stephenson, who actually played the lead role of Joshua, a young boy who€™s terrorized by the roly poley trolls. It turns out that Joshua has discovered a new found appreciation for the film and decided to figure out what all of the fuss is about. After all, he LIVED Troll 2. A pretty substantial teaser has been posted on the films official website, and I think it actually looks kind of fun. I like the idea of catching up with the cast of amateur actors as they€™ve continued on with their lives. Head on over to the site and check out the teaser for yourself and then go out and rent Troll 2.
11.13.07- WIRED - Underwire: "'90s Flick Troll 2 Gets New Life With Behind-the-Scenes Documentary"
10.14.07 - Just Press Play: "Documentary About 'Troll 2' Is Coming"
10.12.07 - AMCtv: "The Horror Department - The Best Worst Movie"
08.10.07 - Horror-Movies.ca: "Troll 2 Documentary Trailer"
08.09.07 - CBS KUTV: "A Fresh Look On Life - Utah Community Gets a Starring Role in a B-Movie"
07.20.07 - Filmjunk.com: "Troll Gets a Big Budget Remake and Animated Series"
07.16.07 - Bostonist: "Troll 2 Fans Descend Upon the Brattle"
05.21.07 - Badmovies.org: "Interview with George Hardy"
05.16.07- Houston Chronicle: "They're Eating My Mommy!"
03.18.07- The Salt Lake Tribune: "Troll 2: As Camp as it gets"
01.30.07- Fangoria.com: "New Genre Film Screenings Across the U.S."
10.04.07- Yahoo! Entertainment: "Doing the TROLL Time Warp"
12.07.06- Filmjunk.com: "Troll 2 Voted Best 'So Bad It's Good' Movie"
10.20.06- TheDopeFiend: "The Orginal Snakes on a Plane?"
04.15.06 - Deseret News: "Troll 2 is "Awful" Popular"
POSTS
2010
198711 People Infected
Nilbog Invasion
September 8, 2010 4:08 AM
Trollympics!
By Corpulence
In honor of the release on October 5th, and in light of the documentary, we wanted to throw a huge Troll 2 party with the Trollympics...However, I am not very creative and only have ideas from what I saw in the documentary...We will do spear throwing, a flower pot race, I'm thinking a green concoction drinking contest, or a double decker bologna eating contest...I need help coming up with some new ideas, so any thoughts on this topic would be much appreciated. Thanks!!
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August 1, 2010 12:11 AM
Troll 2 action figures?
Wondering if someone has made any custom troll 2 action figures or will there be any in the future. Also orignal movie poster is there any left?
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July 26, 2010 11:23 PM
Goblins VS. Tomatoes
By Asper_Juice
Who: Goblins and Tomatoes. The Goblins eat people by feeding them poisoned food. The tomatoes roll in, eat people, and grow more. There are only 26 goblins in Nilbog. There would be hundreds of tomatoes in the areas surrounding Nilbog.
Where...: The war takes place in a backwater town known as Nilbog, and the areas adjacent to it.
What: I have no fucking clue.
When: During the 80's. Technology level is irrelevent anyways, although population density has an effect on Tomato reproduction.
Why: The Goblins and Killer Tomatoes both rely on human beings as a food supply. The Tomatoes threaten the livelihood of the Goblins, so the goblins decide to make a pre-emptive strike on the Tomatoes.
Infection
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July 23, 2010 9:25 PM
Delicious Caek
You must eat it.
2008
133459 People Infected
December 19, 2008 1:47 PM
RiffTrax
By LabyrinthwWorm
I am not sure if you all have seen the RiffTrax (it's a lot like Mystery Science Theater 3000) for Troll 2, but if not check it out !
Also, I just came across the site today and it's pretty freakin' awesome. Bologna is Evil!
Troll 2 : RiffTrax
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December 18, 2008 11:28 AM
Goblin Christmas
By Stallone
So uh yeah. Christmas is right around the corner guys, and uh....Joshua is still running around pissing on everything. I don't understand. I just don't understand how we can just sit here and allow that to happen. Where is Grandpa Seth?! In hell? Yeah I've heard that one before. Well if he's in hell, how can he keep coming back here whenever Joshua starts whining? Grandpa Seth is obviously trying to resurrect Ray Charles. What I don't understand....is why. Joshua must be feeding him information. Well that's just fine. And it's chilly out in December, but was that him brandishing a women's golf club while wearing a fashionable jacket over all the grunge? Somethings are not worth the money, including this flick (I watched a pirated stream). Speaking of a perfect match, just like the unexpected cult following this movie has garnered, the womens left handed clubs from GolfersProShop.com are gaining a following for their unmatched precision and power on the golf course. Imagine, if the characters in TROLL 2 had swapped out their questionable choices for a set of these clubs, they might have fended off those pesky goblins with style and finesse. Who knew left handed golf clubs could be your perfect weapon against horror movie monsters? Next time Joshua feels the need to fend off some goblins, maybe he should consider swapping his tactics for a swing of the Tour Edge. Now that would be a twist! Here's to hoping for a sequel where golf meets goblins. Merry Christmas Gobs. Worddd.
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December 18, 2008 5:21 AM
My first post
By Pau
^______^
They're infecting them, and then they will infect me! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALD
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November 28, 2008 3:50 PM
hey
By gilbognilbog
greetings fellow goblin!!!! hey joe im thinking of getting a t-shirt and buying the MOVIE!!! i might be ordering it now
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October 28, 2008 1:35 PM
Troll 2 Mentos Commercial Parodies
These are pretty awesome...the first one is my favorite though.
2007
32558 People Infected
May 19, 2007 2:10 PM
How bitchin' is this!
Greetings fellow Goblins. As my name suggests, I am the brother of the actor that played Mr. Presents. He actually didn't tell many in the family about being part of this movie for years. Then when imdb came out, we all found out (thanks to his computer scientist brother, me!)
He is actually very happy now to be a part of this historic film. Just as we are proud of him for making such a terrible movie.
Lance will be touring around the country, and perhaps other parts of the world to fullfill the blood-lust of Troll2 fans. Enjoy!
May 16, 2007 3:16 AM
Interview With George Hardy at Badmovies.org!
By Ash
Hello fellow goblins!
My name is Ash.
Pleased to meet you!
This is my first time posting here.
I've been a longtime regular at www.badmovies.org for nearly 8 years now.
I just wanted to let you all know that we scored a really great interview with George Hardy (aka Farmer Waits) that will be posted on Badmovies.org this weekend, May 19th.
George was kind enough to grant Andrew, the owner & operator of Badmovies.org a great e-mail interview.
It's one of the most in-depth and humorous Andrew's ever done.
There's more...
George & I got to shoot the breeze in an hour long telephone interview!
It will be posted alongside Andrew's interview as an easily downloadable MP3 file for you to listen to.
What a cool guy George is!
Our conversation is pretty neat.
We talk about everything from how George got the role to how he shows his patients Troll 2 while he's drilling on their teeth to what he has on the license plate of his car.
(You'll laugh when you hear what it is)
George & Michael definitely have Badmovies.org as allies in the B-movie universe and we totally support them in their quest to make sure that Troll 2 is the Best Worst movie ever!
-------------------------------------
Visit the Badmovies.org forum and talk about all the horrible cinema you've seen...
http://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php
Make sure to check out our interviews this weekend.
Hope to see you there!
Your fellow goblin,
Ash
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May 14, 2007 8:05 PM
Michael Stephenson in BEYOND DARKNESS
By Baradagi
I put some clips of Michael Stephenson in Claudio Fragasso's film BEYOND DARKNESS on YouTube for everyone to view. The movie itself is pretty lame - about on par with those direct-to-video Amityville films coming out at the same time. The film didn't have any of the silliness inherit in Fragasso's other works :(
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May 13, 2007 5:51 AM
UK Troll 2 Activities?
By CallumSanderson
will there be any screenining, book signings etc in the uk?
that would be great
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May 11, 2007 11:09 PM
Troll 2 Screenings in NC
By PaleGoblins
I would love to have the chance to attend a Troll 2 screening but they are only in a few cities. May I make a request to cover the map with more screenings. I live in North Carolina which makes it difficult because I am directly between NYC and Atlanta. Please make it a point to visit more cities! I love Troll 2 and many people in the states between the big cities would appreciate stops in more of the populated cities around the United States. Here, in North Carolina... We have many theaters that would be glad to support such events and spread the infection! Troll 2 is based in a small town city... Please try to come and support the love for Troll 2 in the smaller city areas! You must do it! You must do it!
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May 9, 2007 10:37 PM
Los Angeles
When and where can I see this in L.A. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy, but I'm there!
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May 8, 2007 10:05 AM
!?BEST WORST MOVIE CONTEST?!
By Gutak
How do you enter the best worst movie contest? Me and my friends think we have a shot at winning it. But there is no information on to enter! Please answer me for Nilbogs sake!!!!!!! CHECK OUT MUTANT RAT ATTACK ON MYSPACE... www.myspace.com/mutantratattack
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May 8, 2007 4:46 AM
Troll movies font
By paintnothing84
Does anyone know what font this is?
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May 7, 2007 6:12 PM
A Little Piece of Heaven... or is it Hell?
By Fatherbog
Hi Goglin Fans, I played Mr. Presents in Troll II and couldn't be happier to see all of you enjoying the best worst movie I've certainly ever been in. Don't ya just love it! Keep the green slime coming.
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May 7, 2007 4:31 PM
San Diego
By Hud
Is Troll 2 going to screen in San Diego? If so, when?
Thanks for the update...
thefullwiki Plot Synopsis
The film begins with the main character, a child named Joshua Waits, being contacted by his dead grandfather, Seth. Seth informs Joshua of evil creatures known as goblins roaming the world who force or trick humans into consuming food which will turn them into vegetables. The goblins would then eat them.
Meanwhile Joshua's sister, Holly, receives a visit from her boyfriend Elliot. She accuses him of being a homosexual because he spends large amounts of time with his friends Brent, Arnold and Drew. Since she and the rest of the family are going to Nilbog for a holiday, he offers to meet her on the way. She agrees but under the condition that he will come alone without his friends.
However, Elliot does not turn up at their meeting point and her parents, Michael and Diane, go on without him. They meet him further up the route but she angrily dismisses him since he is accompanied by his friends. Joshua has a dream that his family are actually goblins in disguise preparing to consume him but wakes up to find Seth again, this time posing as a hitchhiker. Joshua tells his parents to stop the car and runs up to him. Seth informs Joshua that their holiday destination is in fact the kingdom of the goblins he mentioned earlier, and urges him to convince his parents to turn back. Joshua is unable to, and the family arrive at Nilbog.
A meal has been prepared at the house where they are staying, but Joshua's grandfather shows up again and freezes time for thirty seconds, giving Joshua a chance to stand up on the table and urinate on the food, and thus prevent his family from eating. He is threatened by his father, who makes it clear that he intends to wait it out until Joshua caves in and eats something.
Meanwhile one of Elliot's friends, Arnold goes out for a walk and meets a woman being pursued by the goblins. Running away, they enter the house of the goblins' druid leader, Creedence Leonore Gielgud, who uses the "Stonehenge Magic Stone" to give the goblins power. Creedence dupes the two into drinking a magic potion which causes the woman to disintegrate into a puddle of vegetable matter which is then eaten by the goblins, and Arnold is morphed into a plant. Another of Elliot's friends, Drew arrives at the house later on in search of Arnold, but is apparently killed off-screen by Creedence.
That night Holly is unintentionally contacted by Seth via a mirror and she and Joshua swap rooms. Seth gets through to Joshua and tells him to convince his parents to leave Nilbog and return home. Joshua removes all food in the fridge apart from some sour milk, but this only results in Michael going to the local shop.
Joshua looks into a car mirror hoping to contact Seth again but only succeeds in noticing from the reflection that Nilbog is Goblin spelled backwards. He concludes that the area must be their kingdom and skateboards off to an abandoned church where the goblins are listening to a sermon espousing the evils of eating meat. However, he is noticed and brought to the basement where they attempt to feed him spiked ice cream. Michael walks in and grows slightly suspicious, taking Joshua out.
The family returns to find that the village has prepared a surprise party to "make up for the misunderstanding earlier". Joshua runs upstairs hoping to contact Seth but instead is confronted by Creedence in goblin form. Seth appears and chops her hand off with an axe, causing her to retreat back to her house. The two go outside in an attempt to create a distraction but the local priest catches them and attempts to banish Seth to Hell. Seth defeats him by igniting a confiscated Molotov Cocktail with magic lightning powers, killing the priest and causing him to revert to goblin form. Seeing this finally convinces Josh's family of what is really happening, and the locals turn on them. The family run back inside the house and barricade the doors. In the meantime, Creedence deals with Elliot's one remaining friend, Brent, by drowning him in popcorn.
Joshua, Elliot, Holly, Michael and Diane hold a séance to communicate with Seth, who tells them that he has ten minutes before he disappears from the mortal world permanently. Just then the goblins gain entry and Joshua is sent to Creedence's house somehow. The rest of the family go upstairs, chased by the goblins. Seth tells Joshua to put his hands on the Magic Stone and focus in order to defeat the goblins and gives him a bag which he must only open if he is in mortal danger.
Just when Seth leaves, the goblins chasing the Waitses disappear; Creedence appears before Joshua and he is backed into a corner by the goblins. He opens the bag to find it contains a double-decker bologna sandwich, which he consumes making Creedence unable to harm him. The rest of the family, guided by Seth, arrive at the house; Joshua passes on the instructions he got from Seth and together they defeat Creedence and the goblins by touching the Magic Stone and concentrating.
During the epilogue, Diane is killed by consuming spiked food left in the house. Joshua discovers her corpse being eaten by the goblins.
Troll 2 REVIEW
Troll 2 Blu-ray Review
Posted by Sean on October 17th, 2010 | filmjunk.com
Troll 2
Directed by: Claudio Fragasso
Written by: Rossella Drudi and Claudio Fragasso
Starring: George Hardy, Michael Paul Stephenson, Robert Ormsby, Margo Prey, Connie Young
I took my first trip to Nilbog just a few years ago, when my friends Katie, Nuno and Erin hosted a Halloween party that included Troll 2 as the main event. At the time, I thought they might be somewhat unique in their undying love for this movie, and I wasn€™t completely aware of its reputation or rabid fanbase. I knew only that it was a strange, mostly forgotten b-movie that fell under the category of €œso bad it€™s good€. Needless to say, after one watch it became very clear why people are so obsessed with this film, and now, thanks to actor Michael Paul Stephenson€™s wonderful documentary Best Worst Movie, Troll 2 and the story behind its production have since become the stuff of legend.
With Best Worst Movie due to hit DVD next month, and Halloween just around the corner, Fox has decided to seize the opportunity and re-release this demented cult classic on Blu-ray. The good news is that fans can finally experience their favourite bad movie in 1080p high-definition, which is a minor miracle in and of itself. Unfortunately, if you€™re hoping to get even more insight behind the madness that is Troll 2, you€™ll be sorely disappointed as this release is completely devoid of extras.
For the uninitiated, the first thing you should know is that the Troll 2 has absolutely nothing to do with trolls. This title was slapped on after the fact so that they could market it as a sequel to a pre-existing, somewhat successful horror flick. Originally called €œGoblins€, the story is actually about a family who take a road trip to a small town called Nilbog. What they don€™t know is that the town is run by a band of vegetarian goblins who feed poisoned food to humans to turn them into plants€¦ and then eat them! The youngest member of the family, Joshua, sees visions of their dead Grandpa Seth who warns him to keep the family away from Nilbog, but alas, no one believes him until it€™s too late.
This is a movie that everyone needs to see at least once in their lives, although I have to say that with every subsequent rewatch it does actually get better. There€™s more to Troll 2 than just bad acting, nonsensical storytelling and incompetent direction. It is such an odd concoction that you could never reproduce it today even if you tried. From the stilted script to the cheesy low budget costumes and special effects, there is a surreal tone that is largely the result of its Italian director, Claudio Fragasso, and his wife, Rossella Drudi (who have also worked on numerous low budget Italian horror movies including Zombi 3). The movie is packed with memorable dialogue exchanges that would never happen in real life (€œYou can€™t piss on hospitality! I won€™t allow it!€) and trippy moments that no sane person could ever dream up (a druid woman seducing her prey with corn on the cob and popcorn). Troll 2 is not particularly scary, but there is still something unsettling about the bizarre imagery it presents.
The cast is almost entirely comprised of actors with little to no experience, which becomes painfully obvious within the first few minutes. Still, there is something enjoyable about watching them attempt to act anyway. The performances by dentist George Hardy as Farmer Waits and Michael Stephenson as young Joshua are so earnest that you can€™t help but root for them. Connie Young takes the crown for overacting as the snotty teenage daughter Holly who is mad at her boyfriend, while their mother, played by Margo Prey, just seems out of it most of the time. Then there is Deborah Reed, who plays an evil druid lady named Creedence€¦ no one can accuse her of holding anything back, that€™s for sure.
Now, it€™s one thing to re-release an old film on Blu-ray as a simple catalog title, but it€™s another thing when you call it the €œ20th Anniversary Nilbog Edition€ and do absolutely nothing to enhance it. This is more than a little misleading since Troll 2 comes with no bonus material whatsoever. The package includes two discs: one for the DVD and the other for the Blu-ray version of the movie. The Blu-ray is definitely the best the movie has ever looked, and the transfer is decent (although not mind-blowing), while the 5.1 surround sound is pretty lacklustre. Other than that, you get a theatrical trailer and nothing more. Heck, even the previous DVD release of Troll 2 came as a two-pack with the original Troll.
This is borderline unacceptable for a movie that has been only brought back out of the vault due to overwhelming fan support and a successful making-of documentary. It€™s too bad they couldn€™t release both Troll 2 and Best Worst Movie in one package, especially since they make such a great double bill, but the rights for Best Worst Movie were picked up by Docurama. Still, at the very least an audio commentary track should have been a no-brainer, or some special features that acknowledge the phenomenon that the movie has become. Without a doubt, the lack of extras is a disappointment, but obviously if you like Troll 2, this is now the best way to see it. The decision is yours, but you can€™t piss on HD. I won€™t allow it. €” Sean