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{{about|the 1986 film|the 2022 film|Troll (2022 film)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Troll
| image          = TROLL.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Carl Buechler]]
| producer       = [[Albert Band]]
| writer         = [[Ed Naha]] and Oliver Gonzalez
| story          = Joanna Granillo (uncredited)
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Noah Hathaway]]
* [[Michael Moriarty]]
* [[Shelley Hack]]
* [[Jenny Beck]]
* [[Sonny Bono]]
* [[Phil Fondacaro]]
* [[Anne Lockhart (actress)|Anne Lockhart]]
* [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]]
* [[Gary Sandy]]
* [[June Lockhart]]
}}
| music          = [[Richard Band]]
| cinematography = [[Romano Albani]]
| editing        = [[Lee Percy]]
| distributor    = [[Empire Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1986|01|17}}
| runtime        = 82 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 82:25--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/troll-1970-2 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20151212190817/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/troll-1970-2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 12, 2015 | title=''TROLL'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=April 23, 1986 | access-date=June 22, 2015}}</ref>
| country        = United States<ref name="afi">{{AFI film|57502}}</ref>
| language       = English
| budget         = $2.5 million<ref name="afi" />
| gross          = $5.5&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=troll.htm |title=Troll (1986) |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |access-date=May 16, 2011 }}</ref>
}}

'''''Troll''''' is a 1986 American [[dark fantasy]] [[comedy]] film directed by [[John Carl Buechler]] and produced by [[Charles Band]] of [[Empire Pictures]], starring [[Noah Hathaway]], [[Michael Moriarty]], [[Shelley Hack]], [[Jenny Beck]], and [[Sonny Bono]]. It is the first installment of the ''Troll'' film series.

==Plot==
The Potter family – Harry Potter Sr. and Anne Potter with 14-year-old son Harry Jr. and 10-year-old daughter Wendy Potter– move into a new apartment complex in San Francisco. While unpacking, Wendy is attacked by a grotesque little creature wielding a [[magic ring]]. The troll captures Wendy and takes on her appearance. After meeting the other eccentric tenants, the family notices Wendy's unusual and aggressive behavior, but they attribute her behavior to the stress of the move. The troll goes from apartment to apartment transforming the tenants into lush forests and spawning fairy tale creatures (such as [[goblin]]s, [[nymph]]s and [[elf|elves]]).

Concerned by his sister's behavior, Harry Jr. seeks solace in the company of a mysterious older woman named Eunice St. Clair, who reveals herself to be a [[witch]]. Long ago, she and a powerful wizard named Torok were in love. At that time, the world was divided between fairies and humans. The realms were equal and independent of each other; however, Torok and some of the fairies challenged this balance, resulting in a great war in which the humans prevailed. Torok was mutated into a troll as punishment.

Torok seeks to regain his power, destroy humanity and recreate the fairy tale world in which he had once lived. As Torok requires a princess, he is keeping Wendy alive. Eunice and Harry Jr. discover that all the apartments have been transformed into a part of the magical world. Eunice gives Harry Jr. a magic spear capable of killing the largest and most vicious creature in this world. Eunice is attacked by Torok and mutated into a tree stump, and Harry finds his sister trapped in a coffin of glass. Harry Jr. saves Wendy, but loses the magic spear when Torok's great batlike monster attacks.

Before the monster can kill Harry Jr. and Wendy, Torok kills it himself to spare Wendy, destroying his carefully constructed fairy realm. As the magic world collapses around them, Harry Jr. and his family are given a chance to escape, leaving just as the police arrive. Eunice is restored to normal as well as she bids Harry farewell and departs. As the police investigate the house, one of them is drawn into a remaining fragment of the alternate fairy world. Torok's arm rises into view, preparing to use his ring on the police officer.

==Cast==
{{redirect|Harry Potter Jr.|Albus Severus Potter, the son of fictional wizard Harry Potter|Harry Potter (character)}}
* [[Noah Hathaway]] as Harry Potter Jr.
* [[Michael Moriarty]] as Harry Potter Sr.
* [[Shelley Hack]] as Anne Potter
* [[Jenny Beck]] as Wendy Anne Potter
* [[Sonny Bono]] as Peter Dickinson
* [[Phil Fondacaro]] as Malcolm Malory and Torok the Troll
* [[Brad Hall]] as William Daniels
* [[June Lockhart]] as Eunice St. Clair
** [[Anne Lockhart (actress)|Anne Lockhart]] as Young Eunice St. Clair
* [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] as Jeanette Cooper
* [[Gary Sandy]] as Barry Tabor
* [[Frank Welker]] as the voice of Torok the Troll and various Troll voices

==Production==
[[John Carl Buechler]] first conceived of the initial concept for ''Troll'' while working at [[Roger Corman|Roger Corman's]] [[New World Pictures]] on ''[[Android (film)|Android]]''.<ref name="TrollCF">{{cite magazine |last=Fischer |first=Dermis K. |date=March 1986|title= Troll|url=https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2016%20No%201%20%28March%201986%29/page/n13/mode/1up|magazine=[[Cinefantastique]]|location= |publisher= Fourth Castle Micromedia|access-date=December 20, 2025}}</ref> After [[Empire International Pictures]] head [[Charles Band]] was impressed with Buechler's on ''[[Ghoulies]]'', Band offered Buechler the opportunity to direct Buechler showed Band his concept for ''Troll''.<ref name="TrollCF" /> Band approved the idea on the condition the film play to a more broad PG-13 audience rather than an R-rated one which meant Buechler had to rework the concept which was more aligned with a [[slasher film]] like ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' with the [[troll]] murdering the cast one-by-one. As a workaround, Buechler came up with the idea of the troll transforming the cast into plant-like creations through usage of its magic from which entire environments would emerge.<ref name="TrollCF" /> Initially Buechler had intended to write the film himself, but as he was splitting his time between directing ''Troll'' and assisting on prepping the make-up effects for other Empire productions like ''[[Zone Troopers]]'' and ''[[Eliminators (1986 film)|Eliminators]]'', Buechler enlisted [[Ed Naha]] to work on the script with him.<ref name="TrollCF" /> Buechler tailored the script specifically for [[Dwarfism|dwarf]] actor [[Phil Fondacaro]] referring to him as "the best performer I've ever worked with" with Fondacaro portraying a [[dual role]] as not only the titular troll, Turok, but also one of the lead characters.<ref name="TrollCF" />

The film was shot back-to-back with Empire Pictures' ''[[TerrorVision]]'' in Italy, at the Stabilimenti Cinematografici Pontini studios near [[Rome]]. Many of the same crew worked on both productions, including Buechler as creature effects designer, Romano Albani as cinematographer, and Richard Band as composer. The two films were released a month apart from each other in the United States.

==Release==
===Box office===
{{expand section|date=November 2014}}
The estimated budget for ''Troll'' was between $700,000 and $1.1&nbsp;million.<ref name=":0" /> ''Troll'' opened in the U.S. on January 17, 1986, on 959 screens, earning $2,595,054 that weekend, and placing ninth on the box office charts.

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 27% based on 11 reviews.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/troll/ |title=Troll (1986) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=January 1, 2026}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] the film has a [[weighted mean|weighted average score]] of 30 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/troll |title=Troll (1986) reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date= April 4, 2020}}</ref>

Janet Maslin of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote: "''Troll'' has a knowing tone that's more smart-alecky than clever. And it hovers uncomfortably between comedy and horror, without ever landing decisively in either camp."<ref>{{cite web |date=17 January 1986 |last=Maslin |first=Janet |title=The Screen: 'Troll'| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/17/movies/the-screen-troll.html |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Variety gave the film a mixed review and called it a "predictable, dim-witted premise executed for the most part with surprising style".<ref>{{cite web |author1=Variety Staff |title=Troll |url=https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/troll-1117795894/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=1 January 1986}}</ref> Patrick Goldstein of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described it as "a clunky, poorly executed shocker".<ref>{{cite web |date=17 January 1986 |author=Patrick Goldstein |title=Movie Review: 'Troll': Out from Under Monster Pile |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-17-ca-784-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

==Accolades==
In 1986, Beck was nominated in the [[8th Youth in Film Awards|8th]] [[Youth in Film Association]], for [[8th Youth in Film Awards#Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role in a Feature Film: Comedy, Fantasy, or Drama|Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress]].

==Legacy==
{{Main|Troll 2|The Crawlers (film){{!}}Troll 3}}
''Troll''{{'}}s plot has no relation to the film ''[[Troll 2]]'' or the two ''[[Troll 3 (disambiguation)|Troll 3]]'' films, which are intended to be more [[Horror fiction|horror]] than fantasy. Its first "sequel", ''Troll 2'', produced under the title ''Goblins'', is considered one of the [[List of films considered the worst|worst films of all time]],<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The 'Troll' trilogy: Is this really the 'Best Worst' movie franchise of all time?|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|author=Collis, Clark|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/05/08/troll-2-best-worst-movie/|date=May 8, 2010}}</ref> and was retitled ''Troll 2'' to cash in on the success of the original. Over time, it has developed a cult following.

The films ''[[The Crawlers (film)|Creepers]]'' (also known as ''[[Contamination .7]]'' or ''The Crawlers'') and ''[[Quest for the Mighty Sword]]'' (also known as ''Ator IV'', ''Ator III: The Hobgoblin'', or ''Hobgoblins'') both adopted the name ''Troll 3'' at some point as an alternate title, despite neither having a plot relation to the two previous ''Troll'' films, with the exception that the Hobgoblin in ''Quest'' does resemble the Goblins in ''Troll 2''.

In August 2011, rumors circulated of another sequel.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Faraci | first1=Devin | url=http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2011/08/23/new-harry-potter-movie-announced-but-its-a-remake-of-troll | title=New HARRY POTTER Movie Announced... But It's A Remake Of TROLL | work=Birth. Movies. Death. | date=August 23, 2011 | access-date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> In July 2015, plans for a prequel were reported, titled ''Troll: The Rise of Harry Potter Jr.'', along with an animated series. The film, starring [[Patricia Arquette]] and Baxter Bartlett, was supposed to be released in 2017, with the animated series broadcast in 2018.

==Proposed remake==
In the mid-2000s, plans were announced for a remake with Buechler again directing. Script samples were made available online, with actors encouraged to film auditions and submit them. In 2009, [[Uriah Shelton]] was attached to play Harry Potter Jr., and Noah Hathaway was set to make an appearance as a human Torok.  Trouble with financing, largely because of legal issues involving the use of the name "Harry Potter", led to long delays, and Buechler's cancer diagnosis ultimately led to the project being cancelled.

==Home media==
''Troll'' was released on a double feature DVD with ''Troll 2'' by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] on August 26, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Troll-Troll-2-DVD/27913/|title=Troll/Troll 2 DVD|work=Blu-ray.com}}</ref> [[Scream Factory]] released a double feature Blu-ray of ''Troll'' and ''Troll 2'' on November 17, 2015. The first 5,000 copies included a DVD of ''[[Best Worst Movie]]'', the documentary about the production and legacy of ''Troll 2''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/fantasy/troll-troll-2-with-best-worst-movie-on-dvd|title=Troll / Troll 2 [with Best Worst Movie on DVD]|date=November 17, 2015|work=Shout! Factory|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123220307/https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/fantasy/troll-troll-2-with-best-worst-movie-on-dvd|archive-date=November 23, 2015}}</ref>

==Similarity to ''Harry Potter''==
Since the release of the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books starting in 1997, some of those involved in the film have accused [[J. K. Rowling]] of "[[plagiarism|borrowing]]" elements from ''Troll''. Producer Charles Band stated in an interview that "there are certain scenes in ''Troll'', not to mention the name of the main character, which predate the ''Harry Potter'' books by many years."<ref>{{cite web|title=Charles Band interview with MJ Simpson (Part 2)|url=http://www.mjsimpson.co.uk/interviews/charlesbandb.html|access-date=2008-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510140134/http://www.mjsimpson.co.uk/interviews/charlesbanda.html|archive-date=2008-05-10}}</ref> In 2008, John Buechler's partner in the ''Troll'' remake, Peter Davy, said about ''Harry Potter'': "In John's opinion, he created the first ''Harry Potter''. J. K. Rowling says the idea just came to her. John doesn't think so."<ref>{{cite web|title=Helmer says he invented Harry Potter|author=Paul Heath|work=The Hollywood News|url=http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/artman2/publish/movie_news/Helmer_says_he_invented_Harry_Potter_21140408.php|year=2008|access-date=June 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501051319/http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/artman2/publish/movie_news/Helmer_says_he_invented_Harry_Potter_21140408.php|archive-date=May 1, 2008}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0092115|Troll}}
* {{TCMDb title|18215|Troll}}
* {{mojo title|troll|Troll}}

{{Troll series}}
{{John Carl Buechler}}


[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1986 comedy horror films]]
[[Category:1980s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:1986 independent films]]
[[Category:1980s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:1980s dark fantasy films]]
[[Category:American comedy horror films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American dark fantasy films]]
[[Category:Supernatural comedy films]]
[[Category:Supernatural fantasy films]]
[[Category:Films about fairies]]
[[Category:Films about trolls]]
[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Films about wizards]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Carl Buechler]]
[[Category:Puppet films]]
[[Category:Films set in apartment buildings]]
[[Category:Films set in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Films scored by Richard Band]]
[[Category:Films shot in Italy]]
[[Category:Empire International Pictures films]]
[[Category:1986 comedy films]]
[[Category:1986 English-language films]]
[[Category:1986 American films]]
[[Category:Films about magic rings]]
[[Category:English-language comedy horror films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Troll (1986 film)|access_date=2026-03-07}}