Troll Hunter, a fantasy horror movie might have been released in 2010, but its cult status in the horror community lives on. Found footage is an often regaled filmmaking technique however true fans of this style know there is so much more to it than just shaky camera work and weak aesthetics. Directed by André Øvredal, he went on to make The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and quite frankly, he knows how to get his scare on. I’m not suggesting Troll Hunter will cause you to leave the lights on tonight, but it will give you a memorable movie to recommend.

In this story, the Troll Hunter movie follows a group of students looking into some surprisingly awful bear incidents. The three young go-getters are on the hunt to find the persons responsible for killing bears in the local area, and they think there is a poacher in their midst. They take the usual route of talking to people in the Norwegian town but are more intent on getting closer to their main subject, Hans.

It doesn’t take much sleuthing before Hans gives up the information that stops the students from pursuing their original goal. Forget the bears, this guy believes in monsters. Hans, it seems, is a Troll hunter. Usually monster movies of this type, generally, they are light on the monsters and heavy on the kills. This horror movie is not an example of that instead, we see lots of monsters. Mountain trolls, bridge trolls three-headed trolls, and exploding trolls are among the line-up.

The Devil is Always in the Details

This found-footage scary horror movie delight comes with subtitles unless you speak Norwegian. Alongside some of the best monsters you’ll ever see in a film comprising such a small budget, there are specific references to cultural folktales. Micro doses of humor, plenty of action, tension, and a heaping spoon of snow-covered landscapes are thrown in for good measure.

Øvredal’s writing is what makes Troll Hunter such a treat and the storyline is full of small details. Trolls can smell one’s religious connotations and Hans has weaponry included in his arsenal that should turn a troll to stone. This is a movie that will wipe the mundane quality off so many of the monster movies that disappoint us. Especially when it comes to Troll movies.

If you still haven’t made time for this spectacular example of mythical creatures and monster movies did well, Christmas is as good a time as any to break it out. Cross it off that watch list and feel better that you did.

I give Troll Hunter

4 Norwegians are pro-electricity out of 5