The Troll Hunter Review: A Hilarious Mock-Doc About Trolls

Just like the Blair Witch Project, The Troll Hunter is about a group of youngsters making a documentary that deals with a supernatural element. Fortunately, this mockumentary is more than just an elaborate stunt.

The earth shakes, the trees shiver then Hans comes running out of the woods shouting Troll! and you get to see a real creature brought to life by impressive special effects. The frame sways and the camera flips, but you know full well what you’re running away from.

The characters were amusing (with Otto Jespersen as a convincing troll hunter fed up with bureaucracy), the settings were fantastic (the supposed troll fighting grounds was epic), and the inept government cover-up was funny (played out in one scene with deadpan humor).

As the story moves along you get to know more about the folklore, but spun in a realistic way. Trolls are creatures who live like any other animal that “eat, mate and shit”, with different types, territories, and quirks. There’s even a scientific explanation of what happens to trolls when they get exposed to the sunlight and why.

The movie loses its novelty fast once you’ve seen the first troll. The creatures were supposed to be breaking out of their territories but there isn’t enough shown, instead we get more of the group’s downtime. This makes the whole mystery and big reveal less potent.

The Troll Hunter is about a common theme of man being more of the monster than the monster he thinks is, but it’s done in an entertaining way to keep you amused throughout.