Troll (1985)

29% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
30% of users liked it
(7,938 ratings)

When a family moves into a San Francisco apartment, an opportunistic troll decides to make his move and take possession of little Wendy (Jenny Beck), thereby paving the way for new troll recruits, the first in his army that will take eventual control of the planet. As luck would have it, the… More When a family moves into a San Francisco apartment, an opportunistic troll decides to make his move and take possession of little Wendy (Jenny Beck), thereby paving the way for new troll recruits, the first in his army that will take eventual control of the planet. As luck would have it, the building conveniently rests on a crease in the time-space continuum, so it isn't hard to open the door to trollworld, or whatever the troll would call it. But even the path to world domination begins with a single step, so the troll begins by disposing of each tenant with his pointy magical ring; each victim then turns into a fern (this may be the only existing film in which the late U.S. Representative Sonny Bono becomes a houseplant). Fortunately for the human race, the next door neighbor is a kindly old witch who has just the game plan to win back Wendy (now under the troll's influence as evidenced by her poor social skills and equally bad eating habits), vanquish the paranormal pest, and save the human race from imminent troll tyranny. The stage is then set for inevitable battle between the good witch and the evil troll for control of the world, but first she and the brave family must combat a twenty-foot tall ubertroll who looks akin to a Furby doll left in the sandbox over a long, hard Minnesota winter. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: John Carl Buechler
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 17, 1986 Wide
Studio: Live Home Video

Critic Reviews

Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
An insufferable piece of tripe that may or may not have inspired "Harry Potter"...
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
Sonny Bono + Gary Sandy + giant pickles = genius.
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
It goes without saying that the film is pretty awful. But that doesn't mean it's not pretty funny too.
Fred Topel, About.com
Classic cheesy horror. Sonny Bono is great, and the tree stuff rules.
Kevin Fiddler, Henderson Home News (Henderson, NV)
Almost as scary as the Leprechaun

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Zach B

The subject of trolls is something of an obscure and often overlooked figure in mythology. Now, the reason why is due to two main factors. The first will have to be the rise of hobbits and other mythological creatures. You see, due to them taking over the popularity of mythology,… More
The subject of trolls is something of an obscure and often overlooked figure in mythology. Now, the reason why is due to two main factors. The first will have to be the rise of hobbits and other mythological creatures. You see, due to them taking over the popularity of mythology, Trolls are often overlooked. Even more that when we do see them, they do not, at all, look like the typical Trolls that you will see in literature and other mythologies. The second is... This film. Made on a shoestring budget in 1986, Troll is a prime example of how bad a film can be. I know that by the time I review this film, anything that has been said and done has been already checked off. But, this film is unbelievable. In terms of everything. But, like the reviewer that I am, I am going to try to analyze this mess. First the direction. While this film is fast paced, make-up effects man John Carl Buechler (known for working on some of the Friday the 13th films, A Nightmare on Elm Street series, Halloween series) can not direct his way out of this film. From start to finish, he conducts this film like some sad ten year old kid with ADHD and what comes out is something unlike any other. Next we have the script. While there is something of a plot in their somewhere, it is filled with incoherent dialog, weird situations, and some of the oddest character development I have ever seen. Now the acting. May I ask what the hell happened to Noah Hathaway? Okay, lets look at this: He was in the great German/American fantasy The NeverEnding Story playing Atreyu. Now he is playing (and I wish to God I was joking) Harry Potter Jr. Harry Potter, in this film, is one of the weakest wannabe wizards I have ever seen. Okay, I get that he is young and he befriends this witch who teaches him some magic. But, why so weak and pathetic? Plus, he constantly changes his mind about his goal in this film. Seriously, who written Harry Potter. Due to their being a score that is just bad, I am not going to even talk about it. Sorry. Overall, this is a film that is bad, but strongly funny. I am not joking! If you must watch this film, watch it with a group of friends and just laugh at such dialog as: "I am Godzilla!" and "Okay, my name is Harry Potter".
Randy T

Harry Potter Jr. rescues his little sister from an apartment building infested with twisted muppets. Cheesy but kinda fun. *SEE ALSO: Critters, Leprechaun, Ghoulies, etc.
Jeff "

The First of the infamous Troll films is quite a hilarious ride. Right from the start, you will laugh because this is one silly horror comedy that you have to watch to believe. One of the worst of it's kind, but so good; Troll is a a prelude of what was to come in Troll 2.… More
The First of the infamous Troll films is quite a hilarious ride. Right from the start, you will laugh because this is one silly horror comedy that you have to watch to believe. One of the worst of it's kind, but so good; Troll is a a prelude of what was to come in Troll 2. However both films are unrelated story wise. In the second film the Trolls are referred to as Goblins. The acting in this film is bad, but the filmmakers are able to make a good bad movie. Troll ends up being a great film with many bad hilarious results and some of the worst dialogue ever written. This film was only matched it's sequel, Troll 2. A good bad film to watch with many hilarious moments, Troll will surely entertain you and is a definite must see for Comedy Horror buffs.
Eric S

I'm surprised to see such low ratings for this one! This film is what it is, a cult classic that deserves to be regarded for it's willingness to be what it is with no apologies. The effects involving various puppets, etc. are not groundbreaking, but for a 1986 B-movie,… More
I'm surprised to see such low ratings for this one! This film is what it is, a cult classic that deserves to be regarded for it's willingness to be what it is with no apologies. The effects involving various puppets, etc. are not groundbreaking, but for a 1986 B-movie, they get the job done quite well, and the cast couldn't be more perfect. If you've missed this little gem, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Aaron N

Wendy Potter: Ratburgers!
Tim S

This is really terrible. I can understand why the people who grew up with it love it, but I didn't, so I can't be as biased.
Luke B

Weird and twisted mix of family fantasy fun, and weird horror. The troll itself is very creepy and I didn't like having to look at the weird little bastard. Troll is probably most famous for it's lead character of Harry Potter. It's a change from the books, that's… More
Weird and twisted mix of family fantasy fun, and weird horror. The troll itself is very creepy and I didn't like having to look at the weird little bastard. Troll is probably most famous for it's lead character of Harry Potter. It's a change from the books, that's for sure. It's a lot of fun and I really liked the weird puppet creatures, that were better than most CGI, in their impact at least. If you want a little bit of strange, get this uneven entertainment.
James A

An aweful documentary on the life and times of Sonny Bono.
Jacob P

The cheesiest of the cheesey. It's up there with Tremors, Leprechaun, Critters, The Gate, and Legend.
Marion R

This movie is pretty bad and campy, but I was laughing watching it, so it entertained me.