Found footage came and went, and what were the standouts from this genre? Beyond Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, and Cloverfield I would argue that this was the only other big one.
I heard about this movie pretty soon after it had come out as a comedy documentary Norwegian found footage film about trolls and I was immediately interested. I believe I rented this on Netflix DVD and have watched it a few times, and it’s been a few years so I re-watched it now. Trollhunter is truly the perfect mix of Christopher Guest meets found footage horror doc.
Early on in the film, we meet the three filmmakers, main character Thomas boom mic operator Johanna and cameraman Finn. They are investigating the poaching of bear, and they stumble upon a man they think might’ve done it, only to discover he is in fact something far more interesting than a common poacher.
The real reason for the crossover success of this is that this movie moves. I paused it just now and I’m 15 minutes from the end and I thought I was maybe 15 minutes into the movie. It has a fantastic pace and it really grips you with compelling characters and well written dialogue. This is not laugh out funny but it does have a funny wit to it, and one that is not like very much else I’ve seen.
They clearly had a pretty low budget and were selective about when to use CGI and in what way, and it really lends itself to the filmmaking style. Lots of night shoots, nightvision cameras, darkness, and shadows. This is an expertise use of easy effect done cheaply that looks fantastic and has aged extremely well.
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