Best Worst Movie

Troll 2, made in 1990, is regularly named one of the worst films ever made. It was shot in Utah by an Italian crew, cast from local residents, directed by a man who did not speak English, and contains no trolls. Twenty years later it became a cult and its screenings started selling out. This documentary tells that story. Michael Stephenson directs; he was the child actor in Troll 2. At its centre is George Hardy, who played the father and is now a dentist in Alabama. The film follows him to the cult screenings, where he is applauded, and then follows how long that lasts. The tone is affection rather than mockery, and there is something painful in it. Some of the cast enjoy the attention, some spent years ashamed, and some still believe the film is good. The director Claudio Fragasso maintains it is a serious work and treats the laughter as a misunderstanding. The real question is what it is like to own a piece of work that is loved for being bad. Who it is for: viewers who like cult film culture and the marginal histories of filmmaking. Who it is not for: many of the references land only if you have seen Troll 2, and the last section falls apart.