Alicia I love this movie so much

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Leofwine_draca A bizarre children's fantasy, produced by Charles Band, filmed in Italy and directed by special effects man John Carl Buechler. Now if that isn't a strange mixture then I don't know what is! TROLL follows in the footsteps of earlier '80s fantasy yarns like LABYRINTH or GREMLINS in mixing reality with a fantastic world hidden just beyond the boundaries of our own. Here, its accessed by a magic ring which emits a green light and can transform people and objects into other-worldly creatures.There isn't really much plot to speak of. It begins with Jenny Beck, our little blonde Heather O'Rourke wannabe, descending into the basement of her new apartment block and getting possessed by the spirit of Torok, an evil troll. The troll then goes around and transforms all of the weird neighbours into either plants or similarly slimy creatures. Only a young boy, Harry Potter (!) knows the secret of the troll and learns from a friendly old witch living upstairs about how to defeat him. Things predictably culminate in a battle between good and evil on which the fate of the world hangs. That's it.Well, this is a very weird film which has a higher budget than you might expect. Thus we get lots of cheesy '80s computer effects of magic beams and funny lights which invariably look dated in light of today's modern technology. The various creatures are cheap yet effectively slimy looking, and the troll itself is a commendably ugly little monster which looks impressive when you first see it (despite the fact it's just a dwarf in a suit). I did like the use of stop motion to animate some plant shoots, which pops up in the amazing scene in which Sonny Bono (!) is transformed into a plant. There's also a brief shot at the end of the movie of shoots waving out of the top of the apartment block which I liked.The cast is better than you might expect, and it's a surprise how many familiar faces pop up in it (unlike the sequel TROLL 2 which was populated by unknowns). Noah Hathaway is the non-irritating child lead, and isn't bad at all. His father is played by the ever-quirky Michael Moriarty who ends up embarrassing himself by doing a silly dance. Shelley Hack is the boring bad acting mother. June Lockhart (a veteran actress from Lassie) plays the wise old witch and her real life daughter, Anne, her younger self. The aforementioned Sonny Bono is a swinger (!) who doesn't last for very long. I like the way that Phil Fondacaro has the dual role of a neighbour and the troll itself, just to cut down on casting costs no doubt.The film is very strange and unpredictable. It's too silly to be successful but it's unlike anything else you will see. Lots of people are transformed into slimy creatures which are like those in GREMLINS. A young lady is transformed into a nymph and runs around naked only for ivy leaves. At the end of the film a giant unexplained monster pops up and wreaks havoc. This film made my head spin. Six years later an unrelated sequel appeared (directed by the Italians of all people!). It goes without saying that I'll be reviewing it shortly.

calvinnme This is a ridiculous fantasy/horror hybrid from Empire Pictures. Michael Moriarty stars as Harry Potter (!) who moves into an old apartment building with his wife (Shelley Hack) and two kids (Noah Hathaway and Jenny Beck). The young daughter finds a magical ring in the basement that unleashes the evil troll Torok, who begins to wreak magical mayhem among the various tenants. The bizarre supporting cast includes Sonny Bono, June Lockhart, Gary Sandy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall, Anne Lockhart, and Phil Fondacaro in two roles.This is really silly stuff, and the attempts at menace and suspense fall flat. The movie does hold a strange fascination though, as you don't know what's coming next. There are a lot of special effects, but most of them aren't very special. The scene of Julia Louis-Dreyfus dancing around nearly naked, wrapped in ivy like a wood nymph, is one she must be proud of. I watched in amazement as Michael Moriarty danced badly while listening to Blue Cheer's cover of "Summertime Blues". I also think it's interesting that this film involves a young boy named Harry Potter (Jr.) who learns of a secret world of magic. Did Troll inspire J.K. Rowling? Only the gods know for sure.And finally some thoughts on Michael Moriarty's ponderous career decisions - He plays the leads in films like this and the equally campy "Island of the Alive", then lands a lead spot on a popular and critically acclaimed show - Law and Order - and then walks away (or was fired depending on who you talk to) after four seasons because of some paranoid delusions concerning Janet Reno? His loss was Sam Waterston's gain.I'd watch this only to see actors not normally associated with this kind of modern B film.

kclipper This is one of the best of the 1980's Empire Pictures movies by Charles Band to grace the VHS and cable TV generation of that time. As campy, goofy and downright fantastical as that era has to offer, this combines elements of witches, magicians and mystical forests with the eccentricities of a downtown New York apartment and its out-of-the-ordinary tenants. Harry Potter Jr. (obviously an inspiration for J.K Rowling's groundbreaking novels) is a young boy that just moved into said apartment building with dad (Michael Moriarty in his usual crazy role). Apparently, Potter's younger sister is possessed by the "Troll", Torok, who is actually a cursed warlock that is trying to create a fantasy garden environment of elves and creatures out of the apartment and its tenants, all with the power of a magical ring. As the disappearances of the occupants grows, Harry befriends Eunice St. Claire, who is actually an ex-princess turned good witch that was once acquainted with the evil Torok. Now, young Harry Potter must team up with St. Claire to save his sister and the world as we know it from Torok and his sinister plan.This is your typical 80's cheesy movie weirdness from Empire Pictures who's rubbery creature effects mimic the "Ghoulies" films, but is on a completely different level, incorporating many comedic elements along with charming, funny characters, fairy-like worlds and an exciting climax involving the young Harry Potter Jr., the fair-haired maiden and the Princess. This little movie embedded itself into history not only with the "Harry Potter" aspect, but its delightfully energetic performances from June Lockhart (Lost In Space), Julia-Louis Dreyfuss (Seinfeld), Moriarty, and not to mention Sonny Bono's transformation into a giant green sprouting turd. Enjoy it for what it is, a mixture of Tolken-like themes and the type fantasy-adventure cheesiness that put film-making of the 1980's in a class by itself.

Adam Peters (18%) Best known now as the trash J.K Rowling watched while/before writing the Harry Potter books. And lets be perfectly clear, this is trash, but it's still somewhat entertaining trash nevertheless. The characters are some of the most annoying examples of badly drawn "people" in any film ever, and it's little wonder why the troll, who has the ability to shape-shift, can go around undetected when everyone is so over-the-top and grating. Although why the troll thought it best to be so overly aggressive while disguised as the little Potter girl is questionable. A key draw to this is the practical effects of the many creatures featured that do manage to raise a chuckle, and the song they "sing" is oddly fun. But besides the rubber monsters everything else is too sub par to bother with.