Troll (1986)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

John Carl Buechler

Writers:

John Carl Buechler (story)
Ed Naha (writer)

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Come closer...

Plot:

A wicked troll king in search of a mystical ring that will return him to his human form invades a San Francisco apartment complex where a powerful witch lives.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Ring | Troll | Witch | Little Girl

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Noah Hathaway	...	Harry Potter Jr.
Michael Moriarty	...	Harry Potter Sr.
Shelley Hack	...	Anne Potter
Jenny Beck	...	Wendy Anne Potter
Sonny Bono	...	Peter Dickinson
Phil Fondacaro	...	Malcolm Mallory / Torok the Troll
Brad Hall	...	William Daniels
Anne Lockhart	...	Young Eunice St. Clair
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Jeanette Cooper
Gary Sandy	...	Barry Tabor
June Lockhart	...	Eunice St. Clair
Robert Hathaway	...	First Policeman
James Beck	...	Policeman #2
Dale Wyatt	...	Dickinson's girlfriend
Barbara Sciorilli	...	Fairy
Viviana Giusti	...	Fairy
Jesse Carfora	...	Fairy
Debra Dion	...	Young couple on TV
Charles Band	...	Young couple on TV
Jacquelyn Band	...	Older couple on TV
Albert Band	...	Older couple on TV
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carl Buechler	...	Sorceror (uncredited)
Frank Welker	...	Torok the Troll / Gawain / Other Creatures (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
John Carl Buechler

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Carl Buechler		story
Ed Naha		writer

Produced by
Albert Band	....	producer
Charles Band	....	executive producer
Debra Dion	....	associate producer
Andy Heyward	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Band

Cinematography by
Romano Albani

Film Editing by
Lee Percy

Casting by
Anthony Barnao

Production Design by
Giovanni Natalucci

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	special makeup effects artist
Alessandro Jacoponi	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Stefano Spadoni	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marco Valerio Pugini	....	second assistant director
Mauro Sacripanti	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Vanessa Theme Ament	....	foley artist
Ed Callahan	....	adr editor
Troy Porter	....	sound recordist
Phillip Raves	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
John Carl Buechler	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jim Aupperle	....	stop-motion animation
James Belohovek	....	miniature supervisor

Stunts
Massimo Ciprari	....	stunts: stand-in

Camera and Electrical Department
Alberto Altibrandi	....	gaffer
Alfonso Avincola	....	still photographer
Aldo Bergamini	....	first assistant camera
Maurizio di Stefano	....	electrician
Sergio Dori	....	electrician
Mario Massaccesi	....	electrician
Agostino Pascarella	....	key grip
Stefano Ricciotti	....	camera operator
Alessandro Rinaldi	....	second assistant camera

Editorial Department
Juliet Avola	....	post-production

Music Department
Tom Villano	....	music editor

Other crew
Andrea Borella	....	production assistant
Giorgia Onofri	....	script supervisor
Giancarlo J. Sini	....	assistant production accountant

Production Companies

• Altar Productions
• Empire Pictures
• Lexyn Productions

Distributors

• Delta Vidéo Diffusion (1994) (France) (VHS)
• Empire Pictures
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Norstar Releasing (Canada)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Belgium) (video)
• Vestron Video (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Mechanical and Makeup Imageries
• Motion Opticals

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

Danish | English

Color:

Color | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2004) | UK:15 (original rating) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company:

Altar Productions

Trivia:

On Wendy's wall is a poster for John Carl Buechler's previous film, The Dungeonmaster (1985).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harry runs after Wendy to get the rat-burgers back, the alarm bell rings. Between shots the placement of most of the utensils, napkins, fast food wrappers, etc. changes between shots.

Quotes:

Peter Dickinson: [about Wendy] Is she rabid?
Anne Potter: She excitable... she's... Kids!

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Cantos Profane

Watch as a creature systematically takes over an apartment complex.

I rather liked this one a bit, though I can see from its score that I am in the minority in my opinion. Though at least most can agree this one is a lot better than the sequel. This movie has a family moving into a new apartment complex. Very quickly the little girl is taken by the title character and he takes her place. Throughout the movie the troll disguised as the little girl moves from one apartment to the next turning each room into a seemingly new dimension or something. The girl's brother has his suspicious and teams with this old woman to figure things out. The old woman seems to know a lot and she looks a lot better with her hair down. Soon the entire apartment becomes part of this world the troll is creating and the boy must finish it off because the old lady just is not in the position to help at the end. Rather fanciful and interesting...nothing to take to seriously, but I thought it was a rather good story and movie.