‘Troll’ may have worked once, but doesn’t anymore

When I was a kid, I remember watching Troll on television and being terrified. The story of a family moving into a new apartment building, only to find a troublesome troll living in the basement, gave my young, impressionable mind plenty of nightmares.

Recently, I revisited the supposed horror classic, and found myself more bored than scared. This 1986 gem has aged quite a bit.

First off, the acting is nothing to write home about (though it’s Oscar worthy compared to the acting in Troll 2). Noah Hathaway plays Harry Potter Jr. (funny name, right?), a young boy immediately enraptured and horrified by the troll in the basement. But, of course, like the boy who cried wolf, no one believes him.

Michael Moriarty plays Harry’s father, while Shelley Hack (what a horrible name for an actress) plays his mother. Sonny Bono turns up as a gigolo, while pre-Seinfeld Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets lost in the troll’s universe. Essentially the movie is a spin on the old “monster under the bed” tale, with a few fantastical elements thrown into the mix.

The plot is set in motion when the troll, named Torok, takes the shape of Harry’s sister, Wendy, after she drops her ball in the basement. So, if you ever thought your sister was a troll, you might identify with Harry’s problems. Eventually, Torok, in the form of Wendy, starts killing each of the building’s tenants and turning their apartments into fairy worlds.

Oh, there’s also a storyline involving Eunice St. Clair (June Lockhart), a lovable witch who is the only person who listens to Harry’s pleas for help.

The movie, directed by John Carl Buechler and written by Ed Naha, has passable special effects, but only in comparison to its late-1980s contemporaries. The creature effects, by Buechler and his company Mechanical and Makeup Imageries, Inc., are probably the best thing about the movie.

For the most part, Troll is a silly film that may induce some frights for the younger crowd, but it’s simply too ridiculous to entertain adults. Check out Gremlins for better scares, or Troll 2 for better laughs (note: the sequel has nothing to do with the original Troll).

There’s no denying that the movie tries. And I suppose there’s something to be said about the effort.

• Troll

• 1986

• Directed by John Carl Buechler

• Written by Ed Naha, based on a story by Buechler

• Starring Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Sonny Bono and Julia Louis-Dreyfus

• Running time: 95 minutes

• Bubble score: 1 out of 4

• Click here to read to a review of Troll 2.

• Click here to purchase Troll on DVD.