You'll Never Look At Green Jello the Same Way

Yesterday, I shared with you a list of some of my favorite movies for Halloween viewing. Today, I'm going to tell you about a movie that, honestly, I'm not sure if I should recommend you watch or avoid like the plague. Really, it depends on your perspective.

If you are a fan of finely crafted cinema, subtle nuance, carefully honed scripts and brilliant storytelling...this is not your movie. Run. As fast as you can. Remember Lot's Wife and Do.Not.Turn.Back.

However, if you can handle unintentionally absurdist comedy, silliness for silliness' sake, and actors who can laugh at themselves, you might be able to handle...well, probably not the whole thing, but a really fun hour or so.

A few months or so back, I heard about a documentary called Best Worst Movie. A former child actor decided to profile a film he'd worked on in the 80s: a low-budget horror movie, Troll 2. It's become a bit of a cult hit over the years, and he thought it would be fun to follow it around the convention circuit, meet up with some of the cast and crew, and generally see what it was that made this, by all accounts, awful movie such a hit.



Photo Credit: BustedTees



The doc is fantastic. It's engaging, lovingly shot while remaining unbiased, smart, funny, and just flat-out entertaining. To prepare for the doc, Thomas and I sat down to watch Troll 2 (no relation to Troll, in case you were wondering.), fully warned that it's, well, not good.

Wow.

There are not words to describe this movie. Fellow Mysties, out there, you're going to want to watch this one. Briefly, it's about a family who goes on vacation to Nilbog (Goblin, spelled backwards), and have to fight to not be turned into the green, vegetative goo that goblins like to eat. Along the way, we have hormonal teens, creepy townsfolk, an impromptu dance number, the ghost of Grandpa, and, oddly enough, zero trolls. Not one. Definitely not two.

Now, lest you think I'm being harsh, let me explain that absolutely no one associated with this movie thinks it's any good, excepting the producers. Language and cultural differences went a long way in taking what was meant to be a serious drama and turning into what has become a legendarily comedic mess. Fortunately, the film has gone on to have new life in midnight showings, college movie nights, conventions, and the hearts of fans everywhere. If you enjoy laughing with a movie, you'll enjoy Troll 2. It's a scream.