Best Worst Movie

Rankings are a dubious science. Especially when asking those with a limited knowledge to rank something that requires more than a Cliff Note education. We have all seen movies but seeing a movie does not make us an expert on the subject of Film. There are countless lists of top ten movies being made every year about films. These lists range all genre's and sub-genre's and of course, here in the U.S.A, the culmination of ranking and award, the Academy Awards. The debate over the top movies of all time certainly gets the most attention but the worst movie of all time. Well that's a completely different light all together.

If one were to scower the internet sights of bad movies, one would see a few titles constantly appearing on each different website. I'm sure you would come across the film Troll 2 (Claudio Fragasso, 1990). The film is a horror movie about a family who goes on vacation in a town that is inhabited by Goblins who want to eat them. My experience with Troll 2 came about at a young age when the film made its way to cable television and HBO. I understood that the film was supposed to be a horror film but this was not a horror film that I was familiar with. The quality of the film did not look like other horror movies nor did the film seem horrific. There was something very different about the film but being young I could not figure out what that was. I remember being grossed out by the actions of the monsters and even the monsters themselves were a bit creepy. Now years later Troll 2 comes to life in a different way through the documentary Best Worst Movie (Michael Stephenson, 2009). And now I understand fully what made Troll 2 so different.



With Best Worst Movie Michael Stephenson tries to figure out why exactly Troll 2 became one of the worst movies ever. The film primarily focuses on George Hardy. Hardy played the father in Troll 2 and his life after Troll 2 is one of success. George is a dentist in a small town in Alabama, he is well known for his dentistry and general joyous attitude towards people. Michael Stephenson, who himself was in Troll 2 as a young child actor, follows George as he discovers the cult following of Troll 2 and reconnects with other cast members.



Throughout the film George attends midnight screenings of Troll 2 and conducts Q and A sessions with audience members. George is not ashamed that Troll 2 is a terrible film. Of course those who like Troll 2 like the poor acting, strange dialogue and the films lack of production value. For those who love Troll 2 they equate the film to watching a train wreck. But the documentary shows that Troll 2 being labeled the worst movie is as much a compliment as being the best movie ever. The popularity of the film surprises George and other cast members who go to screenings and what is looked at as a stain by the actors of Troll 2 becomes more a less a badge of honor.

What is obvious about Best Worst Movie is that time has a way of giving perspective. Troll 2 is still a bad movie but with Best Worst Movie looking at the cult phenomena of Troll 2 there is regeneration even in poor efforts. We all have the potential of being the worst at something and that may never change but the way we attempt says something about our character. And that often makes us better and sometimes gives us a good story to tell.