Troll (film)
Troll is a 1986 American horror comedy film directed by John Carl Buechler and produced by Charles Band of Empire Pictures, starring Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Jenny Beck, and Sonny Bono. The film was shot in Italy in the Stabilimenti Cinematografici Pontini studios near Rome. Plot. The Potter family – Harry Sr. and Anne with teenage son Harry Jr. and young daughter Wendy – move into a new apartment complex in San Francisco. While unpacking, Wendy is attacked by a grotesque little creature wielding a magic ring. The troll captures Wendy and takes on her appearance. After meeting  the other eccentric tenants, the family notices Wendy's unusual and aggressive behavior, but they attribute her behavior to the stress of the move. The troll goes from apartment to apartment transforming the tenants into fairy tale creatures (such as goblins, nymphs and elves) and their apartments into lush forests. Concerned by his sister's behavior, Harry Jr. seeks solace in the company of a mysterious older woman named Eunice St. Clair, who reveals herself to be a witch. Long ago, she and a powerful wizard named Torok were in love. At that time, the world was divided between fairies  and humans. The realms were equal and independent of each other; however, Torok and some of the fairies challenged this balance, resulting in a great war in which the humans prevailed. Torok was mutated into a troll as punishment. Torok seeks to regain his power, destroy humanity and recreate the fairy tale world he had once lived in. As Torok requires a princess, he is keeping Wendy alive. Eunice and Harry Jr. discover that all the apartments have been transformed into a part of the magical world. Eunice gives Harry Jr. a magic spear capable of killing the largest and  most vicious creature in this world. Eunice is attacked by Torok and mutated into a tree stump, and Harry finds his sister trapped in a coffin of glass. Harry Jr. saves Wendy, but loses the magic spear when Torok's great batlike monster attacks. Before the monster can kill Harry Jr. and Wendy, Torok kills it himself to spare Wendy, destroying his carefully constructed fairy realm. As the magic world collapses around them, Harry Jr. and his family are given a chance to escape, leaving just as the police arrive. Eunice is restored to normal as well as she bids  Harry farewell and departs. As the police investigate the house, one of them is drawn into a remaining fragment of the alternate fairy world. Torok's arm rises into view, preparing to use his ring on the cop. Release. Box office. The estimated budget for "Troll" was between $700,000 and $1.1 million. "Troll" opened in the U.S. on January 17, 1986, on 959 screens, earning $2,595,054 that weekend, and placing ninth on the box office charts. Critical response. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 30% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating  of 3.67/10. On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, ""Troll" has a knowing tone that's more smart-alecky than clever. And it hovers uncomfortably between comedy and horror, without ever landing decisively in either camp." Variety gave the film a mixed review and called it a "predictable, dim-witted premise executed for the most part with surprising style." Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times described it as "A clunky, poorly executed shocker." Accolades. In 1986 , Beck was nominated in the 8th Youth in Film Association, for . Legacy. "Troll"s plot has no relation to the film "Troll 2" or the two "Troll 3" films, which are intended to be more horror than fantasy. Its first "sequel," "Troll 2", produced under the title "Goblins", is considered one of the worst films of all time, and was retitled "Troll 2" to cash in on the success of the original. Over time, it has developed a cult following. The films "Creepers" (also known as "Contamination .7" or "The Crawlers") and "Quest for the Mighty Sword" (also known as "Ator  IV", "Ator III: The Hobgoblin", or "Hobgoblins") both adopted the name "Troll 3" at some point as an alternate title, despite neither having a plot relation to the two previous "Troll" films, with the exception that the Hobgoblin in "Quest" does resemble the Goblins in "Troll 2". In August 2011, rumors circulated of another sequel. In July 2015, plans for a prequel were reported, titled "Troll: The Rise of Harry Potter Jr.", along with an animated series. The film, starring Patricia Arquette and Baxter Bartlett, was supposed to be released in 2017, with the animated series broadcast in 2018. Home  media. "Troll" was released on a double feature DVD with "Troll 2" by MGM on August 26, 2003. Scream Factory released a double feature Blu-ray of "Troll" and "Troll 2" on November 17, 2015. The first 5,000 copies included a DVD of "Best Worst Movie", the documentary about the production and legacy of "Troll 2". Similarity to "Harry Potter". Since the release of the "Harry Potter" books starting in 1997, some of those involved in the film have accused J. K. Rowling of "borrowing" elements from "Troll". Producer Charles Band stated in an interview that "there are certain scenes  in "Troll", not to mention the name of the main character, which predate the "Harry Potter" books by many years." In 2008, John Buechler's partner in the "Troll" remake, Peter Davy, said about "Harry Potter", "In John's opinion, he created the first "Harry Potter". J. K. Rowling says the idea just came to her. John doesn't think so."