Best Worst Movie
4 min read
As a fan of exceptional cinema, I try to avoid really bad movies. I’m not just referring to your Twilights and Ishtars and what-have-you. I’m talking about those really poorly made, low-budget movies that make you wonder why they even tried. Troll 2 (1990) is one of those movies. It is, with good reason, considered to be one of if not the worst movie ever made. I’ve never seen it myself, though that’s something I mean to remedy as soon as possible. It has garnered something of a cult following. It has been dubbed the MySpace generation’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. Over the past several years, hordes of fans have flocked to art house screenings, claiming that Troll 2 is so bad that it’s good, not to be missed.
Best Worst Movie is a documentary made by the child-star of Troll 2, Michael Stephenson. In it, Michael, now an adult, explores the phenomenon behind Troll 2’s massive and newfound appeal. Along the way, he revisits members of the cast and crew, with special attention given to Alabama dentist, George Hardy, who starred in Troll 2 as Michael’s on-screen father. George himself is quite a character. Tragically optimistic, he’s one of those guys who loves people and gets a charge out of making others happy. While he can’t understand the appeal of Troll 2, he enjoys meeting the film’s fans, making convention appearances and attending as many screenings as he can. The scene where George carps on how much gingivitis he notices at a horror convention is priceless. But that’s who George is; you can’t script comedy that golden, and the film is filled with such moments.
Best Worst Movie is an extraordinary documentary that is as compelling as its subject is to its fans, and I can guarantee that it will be interesting even to those who may never have seen Troll 2. It’s not just a retrospective or a “making of” doc. It attempts to answer the question of why Troll 2 has gained immense popularity while, at the same time, exploring the human condition. There are excruciating depictions of the lives of the people who contributed to the making of Troll 2, some are funny, others are heartbreaking. The subject matter is treated with all seriousness but doesn’t preclude the ability to laugh at itself. Ultimately, the film’s message seems to be about always believing in yourself and your dreams and to give one hundred percent to your endeavors, whether they involve being a dentist or making a truly horrible film.
While most of those involved in the making of Troll 2 now view the work with some embarrassment, the film’s director, Italian Claudio Fragasso, seems to continue to believe to this day that he created something special. Fragasso considers Troll 2 to be a serious critique of society. He is confused by what modern audiences consider to be comedic; he certainly didn’t intend for the movie to be so. His story, counterpoint to George’s, is just as riveting as an examination of an artist who apologizes for nothing. If the brilliance of any aspect of Troll 2 is lost on you, it’s your fault, not his.
Due to Troll 2’s newfound popularity, Fragasso has penned a sequel, Troll 2, Part 2. But Stephenson has said that repeating what makes Troll 2 so magical, the fact that everyone involved treated it, at the time, with the utmost seriousness, is completely impossible. With the cast understanding exactly how bad (yet earnest) their performances were in Troll 2, they would never be able to bring that genuine inadequacy to the screen a second time. Troll 2 was created under a specific set of variables, a “perfect storm” of bad filmmaking, that could never be recreated by the same people.
Best Worst Movie is an exceptional film that is surprisingly good and very enjoyable. Unfortunately, screenings of Best Worst Movie are extremely limited. I caught it at L.A.’s Nuart Theatre (a venue that is actually featured in the documentary), where it will only be playing for a week (beginning May 21st). I was admittedly a bit skeptical about how good the doc might be, but I left feeling that it was an $11 well spent (a very rare thing for me these days). It’s thoroughly entertaining and disconcertedly moving. I’m happy that people are responding to it. I think it’s rare to find documentaries these days that highlight the positive nature of the human spirit (while also reminding us that life can so easily and tragically be wasted) instead of preaching to us about our endless faults. If you have the chance to see it, it’s well worth the time.
