Daniel I've seen the movie before, years ago when I was a teen. Watching it again, about twelve years later, I realized how immature I was to forgive some of the terrible acting and the ridiculous dialogue. I love B-rated horror flicks, but usually most of them don't take themselves seriously, and the ones that do try are just so bad that they're fun. The reason of my disappointment lies in it's potential. There were scenes that really creeped me out, and I loved that the Troll's smile was sweet and appeared like he came out some kid's film. Seeing something so child friendly hurting people to me is terrifying. When it smiled at it's victims I really felt dread. I don't want to spoil the movie, I do recommended it. It's terrible in a lot of areas. The scene where the dad's dancing was so embarrassing.

calvinnme This is a ridiculous fantasy/horror hybrid from Empire Pictures. Michael Moriarty stars as Harry Potter (!) who moves into an old apartment building with his wife (Shelley Hack) and two kids (Noah Hathaway and Jenny Beck). The young daughter finds a magical ring in the basement that unleashes the evil troll Torok, who begins to wreak magical mayhem among the various tenants. The bizarre supporting cast includes Sonny Bono, June Lockhart, Gary Sandy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall, Anne Lockhart, and Phil Fondacaro in two roles.This is really silly stuff, and the attempts at menace and suspense fall flat. The movie does hold a strange fascination though, as you don't know what's coming next. There are a lot of special effects, but most of them aren't very special. The scene of Julia Louis-Dreyfus dancing around nearly naked, wrapped in ivy like a wood nymph, is one she must be proud of. I watched in amazement as Michael Moriarty danced badly while listening to Blue Cheer's cover of "Summertime Blues". I also think it's interesting that this film involves a young boy named Harry Potter (Jr.) who learns of a secret world of magic. Did Troll inspire J.K. Rowling? Only the gods know for sure.And finally some thoughts on Michael Moriarty's ponderous career decisions - He plays the leads in films like this and the equally campy "Island of the Alive", then lands a lead spot on a popular and critically acclaimed show - Law and Order - and then walks away (or was fired depending on who you talk to) after four seasons because of some paranoid delusions concerning Janet Reno? His loss was Sam Waterston's gain.I'd watch this only to see actors not normally associated with this kind of modern B film.

Warren Marris The 80's was a time when Horror was a taboo word... Troll is a more simple film and nowhere near as dark as many of the films of the time.Its not the greatest movie ever made with clunky dialogue and some pretty poor acting even for then... Oh! And it also stars Sonny Bono which is a big Boob!!!But the story is not actually that bad... In fact it could be one of those films that could be given a reboot and really become a great movie in the right hands.The story is really quite reasonable and engaging enough. There are some truly laugh out loud moments as well.Sadly, its age is showing... But at least its not Troll 2...

mtrahan97 This film is a mess from minute 1 to 82. From half of its actors seemingly not knowing how to act like humans to a very poorly thought out siege plan on the troll's part, this is a movie that seems to be begging to be made fun of. And when I come in contact with a mess like this, there are usually two ways to approaching it:One way is the rational way by hating or at least disliking it. Plenty of messy films are in no way enjoyable to watch, leaving me unsatisfied. The second way is the "so bad it's good" routine. Troll 2 certainly falls in this category. To me it's neither. People often shoehorn the two Troll movies together as enjoyably bad films, yet I have trouble saying that this first one is uproariously bad.Why? Truly, there is something so innocent about the movie that making fun of it would seem cruel. After all, it's less nasty than your usual horror movie, besides Sonny Bono having foreplay with a woman half his age. The Troll himself is the least threatening thing in the movie. Don't believe me? Google search this movie and see the Troll and his constant smile for yourself. Now imagine that for the whole movie! And as the killer! And it's not a creepy Alex-from-Clockwork- Orange smile either. Instead we get the cutest possible sad Muppet smile. This will be disappointing if you're looking for a horror movie, but infinitely endearing if you want a fantasy film.There are also some genuinely good performances. June Lockhart and Phil Fondacaro are so warm in their parts and Julie Louis Dreyfuss shows screen presence in her three scenes. Also Jenny Beck's performance as a Troll-turned-girl, while over-the-top certainly, shows a lot of commitment that was respectable. What also showed commitment was Michael Moriarty's dancing.This movie also has better effects than I expected. The Troll costumes and puppets are convincing along with all of the practical effects with only a few missteps. It actually feels like talented people are doing a dumb movie, which is usually better than hacks doing a dumb movie. Then you get Troll 2. That's why calling this movie "so bad it's good" is unfair to me. It's like making fun of a four year old making you a sandwich. It's trying it's best and is so innocent that even when it fails, you can't help but appreciate the effort.So I enjoy Troll. Is it a bad movie? Probably. Is it a good movie? Probably that too. Is it either one definitively? That, I can't say. All I can say is that you should "shut the door!" sit back, and enjoy innocently quirky junk.