“That’s my job, kiddo.”
June Lockhart and Noah Hathaway team up to battle the evil Torok in 1986’s Troll. Opinions on the film range from it being one of the worst films ever made to being a cult classic. It’s a cult classic in my opinion, and there are plenty of reasons to watch it. For starters, it features an amazing cast of actors, many of whom were well established in other films and television shows and one particular actor who would go on to be a big sitcom star a few years after the film’s release. It also has some solid creature effects. Sonny Bono has a small role as a swinging bachelor. To top it all off, the actor who portrays Torok, Phil Fondacaro, also turns in one of the best performances in the film as Professor Malory.
The film’s plot is pretty simple. The Potter family moves into an apartment complex on the same day that an evil troll decides to restore his fairy world and overtake humanity. He takes on the appearance of the Potter’s daughter, Wendy, and systemically changes each apartment into a magical forest and the tenants into fairy world creatures. Realizing that his sister is acting strangely, Harry Potter, Jr. (no relation to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter) seeks out the help of Eunice St. Clair, an elderly tenant of the complex who is actually a witch in disguise waiting to fight Torok when needed. Can Harry and Eunice defeat Torok before he completes his transformation of the apartment complex? Watch Troll to find out!
As I already mentioned, many of the film’s stars were well established actors when they appeared in this film. Noah Hathaway was a veteran of Battlestar Galactica and The Neverending Story. His costar on Battlestar Galactica, Anne Lockhart, also has a role as the young version of Eunice St Clair whose elder version is portrayed by Lockhart’s real mother, June. June Lockhart was a veteran of television shows like Petticoat Junction, Lassie, and Lost In Space. She was also in a number of films including She-Wolf Of London before appearing in Troll. Harry Potter, Sr. is portrayed by Michael Moriarty. He appeared in a number of films and television series over the years including Bang The Drum Slowly, L.A. Law, Holocaust, and Shiloh. Shelley Hack portrayed Anne Potter, Harry’s wife, in the film. She appeared in Charlie’s Angels prior to being in Troll and went on to star in The Stepfather and multiple TV films and shows. Jenny Beck plays the Potter’s daughter, Wendy, and the Wendy version of Torok. She’s probably best known for starring as Elizabeth in V: The Final Battle and in the first episode of the series as well. She’s had multiple guest starring roles over the years including shows like Roseanne and Gimme A Break. Sonny Bono, half of Sonny & Cher and a future politician, plays Peter, the resident bachelor of the building. WKRP In Cincinnati alum Gary Sandy has a small role as the pumped up Marine, Barry. Phil Fondacaro stars as Torok and Malcolm Malory in what is arguably the best performance of the film. Fondacaro has steadily acted in a number of popular genre films such as Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Willow, The Dungeonmaster, Bordello Of Blood, and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie as well as having tons of guest appearances on television.
Two other actors make appearances in the film that are noteworthy for multiple reasons. Both Brad Hall and Julia Louis-Dreyfus appear in the film. It’s Louis-Dreyfus’ feature film debut. The duo met in college in Hall’s comedy troupe, The Practical Theater, at Northwestern University and would go on to appear to on Saturday Night Live together. They married in 1987 and have been together ever since. Hall would go on to be a writer on Brooklyn Bridge and both wrote and created the series The Single Guy. He also wrote and created the series Watching Ellie, which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Of course, Louis-Dreyfus has had an amazing career that has spanned decades. She’s best known for her work as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, but has also appeared in numerous films including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has remained successful on television as well with shows like Veep and The New Adventures Of Old Christine as well as brief appearances in the Disney+ MCU-related series, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Oddly enough, Hall and Louis-Dreyfus appear as a couple in Troll. Louis-Dreyfus plays Jeannette, a tenant of the building, and Hall plays her boyfriend, William. Louis-Dreyfus is transformed into a nymph by Torok because he is mesmerized by her beauty. She spends much of the film nude with strategically placed vines wrapped around her body. She has often stated that she is embarrassed by the role.
The film’s makeup effects were handled by John Carl Buechler, who also directed. While the sets were very lush with greenery, it was pretty obvious that most of it was fake. Torok uses a magic ring to transform the apartment tenants into creatures and it uses some pretty cheesy “Green Lantern” type effects to get the deed done. The makeup on Torok was very well done and the puppets used for the fairies, gnomes, goblins, and other creatures were very cool.
While many people hate this film, there’s something about it that I really enjoy. Yes, it’s lame. Yes, some of the acting is subpar. Sure, Harry Potter, Sr. dancing around was weird, but overall this film has a bizarre appeal to it. Check it out if you’d like to see some mid-1980s hokey weirdness…..or if you want a peek at Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a vine thong.
As always, thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 