Best Worst Movie | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release cover | |
Directed by | Michael Stephenson |
Written by | Michael Stephenson |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Katie Graham Carl Indriago |
Edited by | Katie Graham Andrew Matthews |
Music by | Bobby Tahouri |
Production company | |
Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Best Worst Movie is a 2009 American documentary film about the making of the infamous 1990 horror film Troll 2 and its subsequent resurgence as a cult film. [1] Directed by Michael Stephenson, the child star of Troll 2, the film was distributed by Magic Stone Productions and New Video Group. It was also included in the first 5,000 copies of Scream Factory's Blu-ray double feature of Troll and Troll 2, released on November 17, 2015. [2]
Almost twenty years after critically-panned film Troll 2 was released, the cast and crew are followed in this documentary to see how they handle the new life that the movie has been given. Fans gather to celebrate the movie at screenings.
Director of the documentary Michael Stephenson, who played the young boy in Troll 2, interviews many of the former cast and crew. Although many consider Troll 2 to be one of the worst movies ever made, many fans have had parties, annual screenings, and found joy in watching the unintended humor of the movie.
The documentary follows lead actor of Troll 2 George Hardy, a dentist living in his hometown Alabama where he is well-liked by people around him and embraces the role he had in the movie. He is seen trying to convince his neighbors to attend a local screening of the film and also goes to conventions. He mentions that if he could have chosen to be an actor or a dentist, he would have been an actor as he did not mind the spotlight.
Claudio Fragasso, director of Troll 2, is also featured discussing what he intended this film to become. He is happy to see the cult following that his original film has achieved but fails to understand why fans of the movie laughed at scenes that were not intended to be funny. When asked why the film was called "Troll 2" when there were no trolls in the film, he initially does not understand the question and after being told that the creatures in the film are called goblins, he scoffs at the question. Although Fragasso is made aware that his film is considered to be a poorly-made one, he is glad the film has had an impression on its viewers.
Other actors of the cast and crew do Q&A sessions with fans of the film. Some joke that they had never read the entire script when their parts were filmed. Others say that they never knew what kind of movie they were filming. Margo Prey, who played the wife of Hardy's character in Troll 2, was interviewed but did not want to go to the local screening of the film because of how "complicated" it would have been. More former cast members were interviewed at their homes to discuss their thoughts on the film and what the film has become since the production.
In the end, Hardy stated that he would do Troll 3 if he were asked to do so. During the credits, it was noted that Fragasso was writing his next film Troll 2: Part 2.
After completing and watching Troll 2, Stephenson became embarrassed by the film; however, thanks to Myspace, he began to realize that the film had gained a cult following and was often listed alongside favorite movies of users on the site. [3] According to Stephenson, the turning point came in April 2006: "I woke up one morning with a really warm feeling and I was smiling ear to ear. I was next to my wife and I said, 'I am the child star of the worst movie ever made... there's a story here'". [3]
Not all participants in Troll 2 were eager to revisit the film. Stephenson noted that he had trouble convincing actors Don Packard and Connie Young to be included in the project, although he was eventually able to convince both to appear in it. [3]
The film premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March 2009, and was released on DVD in November 2010.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2012) |
Best Worst Movie received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 94% approval rating, based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The website's consensus reads: "Good-natured and mirthful, Best Worst Movie is a sweet deconstruction of how a cinematic folly can become a triumph". [4] On Metacritic, it has a score of 61 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [5] Roger Ebert awarded Best Worst Movie three out of four stars. [6] The A.V. Club gave the film a "B" rating. [7]
Award | Category | Subject | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Denver Film Critics Society Award | Best Documentary Film | Nominated | |
Fantasia International Film Festival | Best Documentary | Michael Stephenson | Won |
Sitges Film Festival | New Visions Award for Non Fiction Motion Picture Diploma | Won | |
Telly Award | Silver Telly — TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces - Sound/Sound Design | Woody Woodhall | Won |
Chris Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
Anaconda is a 1997 American adventure horror film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson. It focuses on a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest that is led by a snake hunter who is hunting down a giant, legendary green anaconda. The film received generally negative reviews, though it became a cult classic. It was followed by a series of films.
Richard Stuart Linklater is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the Before trilogy of romance films: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013); the music-themed comedy School of Rock (2003); the adult animated films Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022); the coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014); the comedy film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016); and the romantic comedy Hit Man (2023).
Swept Away is a 2002 adventure romantic comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie; it is a remake of Lina Wertmüller's 1974 Italian film of the same name. The film stars Ritchie's then-wife Madonna and Adriano Giannini with a supporting cast featuring Bruce Greenwood, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Elizabeth Banks.
The Honeymooners is a 2005 American comedy film directed by John Schultz. An updated version of the original 1950s television series of the same name, this adaptation stars a predominantly-African American cast featuring Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Mike Epps, and Regina Hall. The film was both financially and critically unsuccessful, with Roger Ebert being one of the few to give it a positive review.
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.
Year of the Horse is a 1997 American documentary film directed by Jim Jarmusch, following Neil Young and Crazy Horse on their 1996 tour. An accompanying live album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse was released in 1997. It offers a different track listing than the film.
Thomas Lee Holland is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, penning the 1983 sequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, directing and co-writing the first entry in the long-running Child's Play franchise, and writing and directing the cult vampire film Fright Night. He also directed the Stephen King adaptations The Langoliers and Thinner. He is a two-time Saturn Award recipient. Holland made the jump into children’s literature in 2018 when he co-wrote How to Scare a Monster with fellow writer Dustin Warburton.
Color of Night is a 1994 American erotic mystery thriller film produced by Cinergi Pictures and released in the United States by Buena Vista Pictures. Directed by Richard Rush, the film stars Bruce Willis and Jane March.
Troll 2, or Goblins, is a 1990 independent dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Claudio Fragasso under the pseudonym Drake Floyd. It stars Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Connie McFarland and Jason Wright. The plot follows Joshua Waits as he tries to save his family after the spirit of his deceased grandfather warns him that the town of Nilbog, which the family are spending their vacation, is inhabited by goblins who turn people into plant matter to eat them. It is the second installment of the Troll film series.
Dirty Love is a 2005 American romantic comedy film written by and starring Jenny McCarthy and directed by John Mallory Asher. At the time of filming, McCarthy and Asher were married; they divorced the month the film was released. Playing heavily off McCarthy's reputation for toilet humor, the film received negative reviews from critics and received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture, as well as Worst Screenplay, Worst Director, and Worst Actress for McCarthy.
Michael Stephenson, known professionally as Michael Paul Stephenson, is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing the critically acclaimed documentaries Best Worst Movie and The American Scream. Michael made his narrative feature debut with Girlfriend’s Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. Michael's latest film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he directed and produced for Discovery+. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.
The Weather Underground is a 2002 documentary film based on the rise and fall of the American radical far-left Communist organization Weather Underground.
Grass: History of Marijuana is a 1999 Canadian documentary film directed by Ron Mann, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, about the history of the United States government's war on marijuana in the 20th century. The film was narrated by actor Woody Harrelson.
The Secret Lives of Dentists is a 2002 drama film directed by Alan Rudolph. The screenplay was written by Craig Lucas, based on the novella The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley. It had its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and was subsequently screened at several other festivals, including Sundance and Cannes. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 1, 2003.
Encounters at the End of the World is a 2007 American documentary film by Werner Herzog about Antarctica and the people who choose to spend time there. It was released in North America on June 11, 2008, and distributed by ThinkFilm. At the 81st Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
Life Itself is a 2014 American biographical documentary film about Chicago film critic Roger Ebert, directed by Steve James and produced by Zak Piper, James and Garrett Basch. The film is based on Ebert's 2011 memoir of the same name. It premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. The 41st Telluride Film Festival hosted a special screening of the film on August 28, 2014. Magnolia Pictures released the film theatrically in the United States and simultaneously via video on demand platforms on July 4, 2014.
George Hardy is an American dentist and actor who played the leading role in the cult horror film Troll 2 (1990), which is regarded as one of the worst films ever made. In 2021 he was in the horror movie CYST.
Death of a Nation: Can We Save America a Second Time? is a 2018 American political documentary film by Dinesh D'Souza, a US conservative provocateur. In the film D'Souza presents a revisionist history comparing the political climate surrounding the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump to that of the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The film argues that the Democratic Party from both eras was critical of the presidents of the time and that the Democrats have similarities to fascist regimes, including the Nazi Party. The film was written and directed by Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley, and produced by Gerald R. Molen. It was produced on a budget of $6 million.