1985 - Troll - Réalisation John Carl Buechler

Fiche technique : Filmed in Italy, not San Francisco (to save money !) -Scénario / Written by Ed Naha - Musique : Richard H. Band - Costume : Jill M. Ohanneson - Directeur photo / Cinematographer : Romano Albani - Montage : Lee Percy - Production : Albert Band - Effets spéciaux : John Carl Buechler, Mechanical & Makup Imageries - Décors : Giovanni Natalucci - Production exécutive : Charles Band - Production associée : Debra Dion - PG-13. Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy - 86 or 94'

Starring : Noah Hathaway (Harry Potter, Jr.), Shelley Hack (Anne Potter), Gary Sandy (Barry Tabor), Anne Lockhart (Eunice St. Clair), Brad Hall (William Daniels), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Jeannette Cooper), June Lockhart (young Eunice St. Clair), Michael Moriarty (Harry Potter, Sr.), Sonny Bono (Peter Dickinson), Albert Band (older couple on TV), Barbara Sciorilli (Fairy), Charles Band (young couple on TV), Dale Wyatt (Dickinson's Girlfriend), Debra Dion (young couple on T.V.), Jacquelyn Band (older couple on T.V.), James Beck (2d policeman), Jenny = Jennifer Beck (Wendy Potter), Jessie Carfora (Fairy), Phil Fondacaro (Malcolm Malory / Torok the Trol), Robert Hathaway (1er flic à San Francisco / first policeman in San Francisco), Viviana Giusti (Fairy), John Carl Buechler (Sorceror)

Synopsis : A young girl's body becomes possessed by a troll bent on turning all residents of the apartment building into his breed. This nasty old troll, named Torok, transforms the denizens of a San Francisco apartment house into mystical creatures.
And more… : Those folks at Empire Pictures don't waste anything, so they took the title "ghoulies" from 1985's horror epic and made them trolls and goblins in 1986.

Harry Potter (Michael Moriarty) and wife, Anne (Shelley Hack), move their family to a new apartment in San Francisco, where youngster Wendy (Jenny Beck)becomes possessed by an ugly little troll. When Wendy behaves strangely by gobbling her food and basically acting like a wild animal, Mom and Dad attribute their daughter's bizarre behavior to the "big move," but Wendy's big brother, Harry Potter, Jr. (Noah Hathaway), become concerned when little Sis throws him across the room. As the Wendy-troll transforms other apartment residents into goblins and their apartments into fairy kingdoms, Harry, Jr., turns to neighbor Eunice (June Lockhart), a strange old lady who happens to be a witch who's been doing battle with this troll for centuries. Incredibly dull, TROLL is bit easier to take than an Amtrak ride through Oklahoma, but not by much. Except for another quirk performance from Moriarty--whose solo dance number to Blue Cheer'sheavy-metal rendition of Eddie Cochran's classic "Summertime Blues" is almost worth the price of admission--and two likable performances from the children, the acting borders on the pathetic. The special effects, supervised by director John Buechler, who was the effects man on GHOULIES, are pretty poor, essentially slimy rubber creatures with a limited amount of movement and the seams from their molds clearly visible

Remarques : An enchanting fantasy featuring a delightful cast of story book charcters. Buechler's impish trolls and Faeries are cute, yet horribly dangerous little creatures hell bent on world domination. First, the apartment complex, then the world... The Fairy tale like characters include the beautiful and talented June Lockhart as Eunice Sinclair, a matron full of wit and charm, and wonderful Michael Moriarity who gives the genre performance of the year as Harry Potter Sr., a one time hippy, now older and settled into a Norman Rockwellian existence. If you like the fantasy and fun, you'll love "Troll."

Stories from the director / Le mot du réalisateur : "Once upon a time, I wanted to direct a movie. Producer Rupert Harvey, ("The Blob", "Nightmare on Elm Street 5", and the "Critters" series) took interest in a screenplay which I conceived and wrote called "Troll." Together we began to develop the project for Roger Corman, -- But it wasn't until my association with EMPIRE PICTURES' Charles Band did I end up making the film. By the time Harvey was no longer involved, Ed Naha was brought in to turn my original treatment into a kinder gentler fantasy. For me the film is a fun little romp filled with some fine performances. It proves the old adage -- you can a lot with a little! I created a ton of creature effects for next to nothing, and shot for a total of five and a half weeks (this includes all second unit, special and creature effect sequences which I directed myself !) in Rome with a mixed language crew".