Writer/director André Øvredal should have skipped the obsolete "found–footage" trope to couch this goofy monster movie. You know the drill, viewers of "Blair Witch;" hours of lost-and-found video footage reveal a doomed camera crew's dark fate. In this case, the killer antagonists are…well, you know from the title. Giant trolls. Three Norwegian amateur filmmakers follow rumored troll-hunter Hans (Otto Jespersen) in hope of catching a glimpse of one of the hundred-foot-high creatures Hans tracks in an understandably restricted region of Norway as part of the government's Troll Security Service. Hans's job is to clear away evidence of the trollian activity and make sure they don't step outside their natural preserve. A nasty battle between a troll and Hans spills with so much obviously fake blood that any suspension of disbelief is spoiled beyond redemption. More of a cult comedy than a genuine horror flick, "The Troll Hunter" is pure camp. For example: trolls can sense Christian believers, so only atheists need apply to battle one of Øvredal's gargantuan animated clay-like creatures.
Rated PG-13. 103 mins. (C) (Two Stars - out of five/no halves)
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