Better Than Worse: Reviewing BEST WORST MOVIE (2010)

Posted by Michael Thielvoldt

I’ve been seeing goblins around town lately, big-eyed, snarl-toothed, potato sack-wearing (sometimes, bikini-clad) goblins. This can only mean that Best Worst Movie, the documentary about the famed film flop turned cult classic Troll 2, has come back to Austin. BWM had its world premiere at last year’s SXSW and it returned to Austin two weeks ago for its theatrical debut. Smart move. Austin is a city that loves its bad movies, and Troll 2 is a real gem of a stinker. So, logical reasoning should conclude that a documentary about the “best worst movie” of all time would fare well in this town. Box office numbers don’t necessarily reflect this infallible logic, but what can you do, it’s only playing in one theater in the country.

The good people over at the Alamo Drafthouse have lent their support in hopes of making this film a success. The beloved theater chain kicked off BWM’s theatrical release by hosting four special screenings with Q&A sessions with BWM filmmakers and few of the film’s key subjects—including the charismatic Dr. George Hardy. A small but energized cohort of friends and I prefaced one of these screenings with our own viewing of Troll 2.

I’ve been aware of Troll 2’s deplorable reputation and of the cultish following it has accumulated for years now. And, despite growing up with a self-recorded VHS copy of Troll (a film which I discovered has no connection to Troll 2 other than the title), I had never seen the “sequel.” This would not do. We plopped down in front of a friend’s oversized television set and got to work. Man-o-man, what a train wreck. The acting is atrocious, the script, possibly even worse. Truly a BAD movie.

The basic premise: a city folk family of four travel to the rural town of Nilbog (that’s “goblin” spelled backwards, if you didn’t catch it) for a vacation. Instead of enjoying a relaxing week of farm work (???) they are confronted by a town of creepy, milk loving, vegetarian goblins disguised as humans. The goblins are intent on turning the human visitors into plants so they can eat them. That about covers it. Oh wait…there’s also a dead grandfather who continually appears to talk to our preteen protagonist to warn him of the goblins, a band of horny teens stalking the iron-pumping daughter, a wicked witch, an abundance of green food coloring, and one life-saving, double-decker baloney sandwich. NOW, that about covers it.

BWM documents the perplexing phenomenon surrounding this cult conundrum. Though it does not adequately answer the question why Troll 2 has garnered such a following (rather it half-heartedly concludes that it is just a “certain type of person” drawn to the film), it makes a valid attempt to chronicle the selective craze. The film’s director Michael Stephenson, who was also the child star of Troll 2, travels between screenings and conventions accompanied by Dr. George Hardy, the one time actor that played his father.

Hardy, now a small town dentist and father of two, long ago gave up on his dream of becoming a movie star. With BWM he is given a second chance, stepping back into the limelight as a major promoter of Troll 2’s cult rebirth and stealing center stage in BWM. In my opinion there are three subjects in this documentary that make it a worthy film viewing experience. Of course, Dr. Hardy is at the top of my list. But, additionally, there are Claudio Fragasso, the Italian director of Troll 2, and Margo Pray, who played Hardy’s on-screen wife.

Hardy is charismatic, infectiously cheerful and has a beaming row of pearly whites fit only for dentists and Disney characters. He’s the kind of guy you just can’t help but like—I mean, even his ex-wife readily admits she still likes him (though why exactly they got a divorce is never explored). Through the film, we follow along as Dr. Hardy experiences stardom for really the first time in his life. Initially he is dumbfounded and then eagerly engaged, as he travels from screening to screening. Over time, though, the dream fades. He grows tired or reenacting the same scenes, quoting the same stale lines (neither of which have improved with age). He must confront indifference at a few conventions and for the first time the doctor’s chipper demeanor starts to chip away. With his heart and character arc, Hardy is undoubtedly the soul of this film.

Equally entertaining—yet much less amiable—is the Italian director of Troll 2 Claudio Fragasso. Claudio is what you’d call a true character. He’s a walking, talking, “directing” cliché of a filmmaker that yells things like: “These acting dogs, these dog actors don’t know what they’re talking about.” He honestly reveres Troll 2 as a successful work of art that was simply too ahead of its time to be successful at the time of its release. Yet, with it’s new found success, he is baffled at audiences’ reactions. To paraphrase Claudio’s reaction to contemporary screenings of his film: They laugh at the funny parts, but they also laugh at the non-funny parts. This audience is strange. He attends these screening in complete denial of camp or critical readings, deflecting any questions or comments that imply his film is “bad.” And he is baffled when someone asks him why there are no trolls in Troll 2. “You don’t know what you’re talking about” is his universal reply. But, Claudio is not disillusioned by these comments; rather, he is fully illusional, perhaps delusional, seeing nothing but a masterpiece in his alegorical criticism of vegetarianism.

Finally, there is Margo Pray, the woman who played Hardy’s wife and Stephenson’s mother in Troll 2. Hardy and Stephenson visit Pray at her home with the hopes of completing their Troll 2 cast reunion for an Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow screening held in Morgan, UT (where the film was shot). There is nothing particularly special or even intriguing about the form of BWM. The film itself is good, not great. But, its strengths lie in its characters and playful approach. Those moments with Pray lend themselves to the former, touching on something very real. Since stepping away from acting some years back, Pray has become a recluse, living her life hole up in her house with only her mother for company. She appears to be suffering from severe agoraphobia and possibly schizophrenia, refusing to leave her home and admitting to hearing voices. Though she is eager to reenact a few scenes from Troll 2 with Hardy and Stephenson, her scenes in the documentary are quite sad. They are powerful moments, undoubtedly the truest in the film. And, for them alone, this film is worth watching.

For those of you who are avid Troll 2 fans, BWM is a satisfying accompaniment. It is a fun film, if nothing else that—like the film it documents—was made by passionate people putting forth sincere efforts. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Troll 2, BWM is still worth a watch and will ultimately serve as the best promotion for its focal text. But, if you ask me, I suggest you do as I did: get your hands on a copy of Troll 2 and with a few good friends sit down for a head-scratching, side-splitting, eyebrow-raising pre-screening of Troll 2 before heading out to the theater.