Troll 2
Troll 2 is a 1990 Italian-American horror comedy film directed by Claudio Fragasso and co-written by Fragasso and Rossella Drudi.[1] The plot follows 11-year-old Joshua Waits (Michael Stephenson), who receives warnings from the ghost of his deceased grandfather about goblins inhabiting the rural town of Nilbog, where his family has relocated; the goblins, who are vegetarian and despise all human food, disguise themselves as locals to lure victims and transform them into plants for consumption.[1][2] Although marketed as a sequel to the 1986 fantasy film Troll, Troll 2 has no narrative or thematic connection to its predecessor and substitutes goblins for trolls.[2] Produced by the Italian company Filmirage International on a modest budget, the movie was primarily shot over three weeks in Park City, Utah, and surrounding areas, using a mostly non-professional American cast including firefighter George Hardy as Joshua's father and English teacher Margo Prey as his mother, alongside Italian crew members.[1][2] Fragasso, who used the pseudonym "Drake Floyd" for directing credits in the U.S. market, envisioned the story as an ecological horror tale warning against unhealthy eating habits, but language barriers and improvisational acting led to notoriously awkward dialogue and performances.[1][2] Released theatrically in Italy in 1990 and later in the United States on home video, Troll 2 bombed commercially and earned scathing reviews for its inept scripting, special effects, and acting, with a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 13% based on 24 critic reviews.[1] However, starting in the mid-2000s, it achieved unexpected cult status through ironic appreciation and midnight screenings at festivals like the New York Underground Film Festival, where audiences began reciting lines and mocking its flaws in a celebratory manner.[3] This resurgence was amplified by the 2009 documentary Best Worst Movie, directed by child star Michael Stephenson, which chronicles the film's troubled production and examines how its "so-bad-it's-good" appeal transformed it into a phenomenon, drawing crowds to Q&A sessions with the cast and even inspiring fan events.[3][4] Today, Troll 2 is frequently ranked among the worst films ever made while being embraced as a midnight movie staple, with its green-faced goblins and infamous lines like "They're eating her! And then? They're gonna eat me... raw!" emblematic of unintentional comedy in B-horror cinema.[1][3]Synopsis
Plot
The film opens with young Joshua Waits being visited by the ghost of his deceased grandfather, Seth, who warns him about the dangers of goblins—vegetarian creatures that transform humans into plants using a green potion so they can consume them without violating their dietary beliefs.[5] Despite Joshua's protests, his family—father Michael, mother Diana, and sister Holly—relocates from the city to the rural town of Nilbog for what they believe is a peaceful house-swap vacation, highlighting the urban family's initial skepticism toward Joshua's seemingly childish fears. Upon arrival, Joshua notices peculiar signs, such as the town's name spelled backward in a mirror revealing "Goblin," confirming Seth's warnings about the community's true nature.[6] As the family settles in, the goblins, disguised as friendly human residents, begin their scheme to lure and transform outsiders. Holly's boyfriend, Elliot, and his friend Arnold attend a welcoming party where the goblins, led by the witch-like Creedence Leonore Gielgud, offer poisoned food and drink; Arnold is tricked into consuming the green potion, turning him into a grotesque plant-hybrid that the goblins devour with relish, underscoring the ironic horror of their "ethical" cannibalism. Joshua attempts to alert his family, but they dismiss his visions of Seth, who continues to guide him psychically—appearing in mirrors and dreams to provide strategies against the goblins. Meanwhile, the goblins target more victims: one is force-fed toxic popcorn that causes fatal bloating and transformation, while Diana narrowly escapes a similar fate during a nighttime encounter in the fields.[5][6] The tension escalates as the goblins converge on the Waits home for a final feast, transforming the local sheriff into a tree-like figure. Joshua, empowered by Seth's spirit, uses a bologna sandwich to coat himself in meat, rendering him poisonous to the plant-dependent goblins, and confronts Creedence at the ancient Stonehenge-like Magic Stone. In the climax, Joshua destroys the stone, unleashing a purifying power that incinerates the goblins and saves his family, emphasizing the young protagonist's pivotal role in bridging supernatural warnings and real-world survival against rural deception. The family returns home relieved, but the goblins' influence lingers; they discover their pantry stocked with the same green potion, and Diana unwittingly consumes it, transforming and being eaten by lingering goblins, leaving Joshua to face ongoing terror.[5][6]Cast
The cast of Troll 2 was composed almost entirely of non-professional actors, a deliberate choice by the Italian director Claudio Fragasso to capture an authentic American feel on a low budget, recruiting locals and amateurs during filming in Utah.[7] This approach resulted in raw, improvisational performances, particularly as the Italian crew's limited command of English often led actors to ad-lib lines to clarify or improve the poorly translated script.[8] The principal roles were filled by the following performers:| Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Stephenson | Joshua Waits | 12-year-old lead portraying the family's young son; a novice child actor whose performance centered on wide-eyed reactions.[9] |
| George Hardy | Michael Waits | The family patriarch; Hardy, a practicing dentist from Alabama, brought an over-the-top enthusiastic energy to his scenes.[10] |
| Margo Prey | Diana Waits | The mother; a non-professional with no prior acting experience. |
| Connie McFarland | Holly Waits | The sister; another amateur cast member. |
| Darren Ewing | Arnold | Friend of Holly's boyfriend; amateur who undergoes transformation. |
| Gary F. Carlston | Sheriff Gene Freak | A menacing local authority figure; local resident. |
| Jason Wright | Elliot Cooper | Holly's boyfriend; non-professional. |
| Deborah Reed | Creedence Leonore Gielgud | The goblin leader; Reed had some prior experience but delivered an over-the-top performance. |