There have been many great documentaries over the years about the film industry and the process of making films. “Heart Of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse,” comes to mind as an example of one of the best documentaries that captured what it was like to make one of the greatest films ever made. Well now, with the new film Best Worst Movie audiences have a chance to see one of the best documentaries ever made about the people who produced one of the worst movies ever made, “Troll II.” The original film was produced in 1990 and thanks to VHS and the early day’s of HBO gained a cult following, a reputation for being the “worst film ever made” and has in the last few years become the “Facebook generations” answer to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Filmmaker Michael Stephenson, who was the lead of the “Troll II” as a child, paints a loving, funny and often touching film that takes a serious look at the making of the doomed picture and the phenomenon that the film has experienced ever since. The movie begins by introducing us to the affable, gregarious and absolutely delightful star of “Troll II” Alabama dentist George Hardy. Hardy is an extremely likable local dentist working in a small town in Alabama, who twenty years ago, with no prior acting experience starred in “Troll II.” George’s acting days are long gone now. He has a nice, quiet life living in a small town and raising his teenage daughter but George longs for the attention that he once briefly had when he was an actor.
When George realizes that the film he made over twenty-years ago has become a huge cult hit and has sold out midnight showings across the country, he goes on a quest, along with Stephenson, to look back on the film, reunite the cast and bring the magic that was “Troll II” to audiences around the world. The film chronicles the bizarre origins of the film including why it was called “Troll II” when it had nothing to do with the first film and featured no trolls in the movie. Italian filmmaker Claudio Fragasso directed the picture based on a script written by his wife. Due to their cheap, string-shoe budget, the filmmakers decided to shoot in a small town in Utah and hired un-experienced actors, often just regular people, in the roles in the film. The result is a movie that often doesn’t make sense, that’s more goofy than scary and which features some of the worst acting you’ll ever see.
What the documentary does well is to put a spot light on the interesting cast of characters that made the film in the first place and what they are doing now. As the film goes on, we see the original cast and filmmakers learn about the cult success that the film has achieved and it is so touching when you see the pride that begins to develop out of the shame that many of the cast had for the film prior to learning the news. Watching the cast members, especially Hardy, soak up the attention is really remarkable. Hardy and Stephenson slowly reunite with the cast and show us what they have been doing with their lives ever since. Some have sad lives, like Margo Prey who played the mother and now seems out of reality, depressed and forced to care for her ailing mother, or Robert Ormsby who admits that he basically has wasted his life away. Others are more odd like Gregg Zaun, who played the drug store owner and admits that he was clinically insane when he shot the film, having just been let out of a mental institution and who was high on weed throughout the production. Then you have people like Connie McFarland, who has continued a successful career as an actress since and doesn’t include “Troll II” on her resume.
Also extremely interesting in the film is Italian filmmaker Claudio Fragasso himself, who has made over twenty-five films in his life. The director takes great pride in the fact that the movie has begun to get so much attention but you can see the anger on his face anytime some one refers to it as “the best worst movie ever made.” In fact, at one point the director begins yelling at the cast while they are talking at a Q & A presentation. As the film continues, Hardy and crew go to horror conventions and midnight screenings around the world spreading word about the film but the movie culminates in an outdoor festival in the small Utah town where the film was originally shot. Stephenson does a marvelous job or setting the stage for the story and his knowledge and love for the subject is unquestionable. As a first time filmmaker he shows a lot of promise having completed such a superb film.
But a documentary is only as good as it’s subject and Stephenson has one hell of a great subject in George Hardy. In fact, the film is really a look into the life of this special man who has touched so many lives, not just in his own community but as he learns, fans all around the world. You can’t help but fall in love with the guy because he is just so damn likable, he’s infectious. By the end of the film and you’ll wish he were your local dentist. To see how proud his community, friends, co-workers and family are of him is quite moving. However George is different from some of the other subjects in the film because while revisiting “Troll II” excites him and gives him some welcomed attention for a while, he has no regrets about his life, which is so refreshing. Here is a guy who wouldn’t trade the last twenty-years for anything but at the same time is intrigued by the road not taken. He exudes such a likable quality and it fills up the whole movie. You feel pride for him when he begins to get the attention he deserves from the fans and you also feel for his defeats, like at a convention over seas that did not go as planned. In the end, Best Worst Movie is a fascinating look at the other side of filmmaking and the world of cult phenomenons. I personally have never seen “Troll II” but after watching this film, I’d really like to, however it’s not necessary to see in order enjoy this film. In fact, Best Worst Movie isn’t really even about some old horror film, it’s about real life human beings, their hopes and dreams and what happens when life doesn’t go as planned.
