Best Worst Movie is a documentary following the subsequent making and release of Troll 2. Written and directed by Michael Stephenson, the documentary catches up with the director, crew and cast, including one of the stars, George Hardy. Troll 2, is a B-movie made in 1990 by Italian director Claudio Fragasso and written by Rossella Drudi, Fragasso’s wife.
David Cornelius from efilmcritic describes Troll 2, “’Troll 2’ also features some of the worst acting you’ll ever have the pleasure of seeing, combined with a screenplay that gives new meaning to the word inept and special effects that skyrocketed the budget into the dozens of dollars” (Cornelius, 2011). Nevertheless, Best Worst Movie has uncovered a hidden gem within Troll 2 that defies critic’s conventional good or bad ratings. This documentary with George Hardy explores the undefined enjoyment it has brought to audiences across the United States. There are no immediate ingredients in a film that gives it cult infamy; it is usually a dedicated group of movie fans that usually has elevated a film to cult status. Whether good or bad acting, great or terrible special effects, those devoted and specific groups of fans usually bond over some obscure element of the film from which they derive pleasure. For Troll 2, fortunately all that usually makes a film bad made this one good. The actors of Troll 2, many of them amateurs, agreed that everything about the film was bad. Allowing them to participate openly and transparently in the documentary, the cast was given the opportunity to aid in the development of Troll 2’s cult status. Audiences though in small groups, travelled across the United States to see this film in selected cinemas, and they along with the cast openly mocked the film, laughing where there should have been no laughter. Laughter continued throughout the film's entirety, usually at the distress of Troll 2’s director, Claudio Fragasso. Fragasso was unable to grasp the concept of the film’s infamy, the fact that people loved it because it was so bad. He constantly berated the cast and audiences at special viewings whose views did not coincide with his opinion that he had made a good film, a film he claimed told the story of every day people. With the cast's views in constant opposition to his, the documentary itself played out an unforeseen drama between the director and practically everybody else. Best Worst Movie has allowed people to explore what makes a good movie, or a bad one. Although the ability to laugh out loud at the film is positive, a major 'yes', as an ingredient in a limited budget production, there is no certainty it will reach cult status. That 'accolade' is left usually to film fanatics who have seen it all and need something 'different' in their lives to somewhat break the monotony of traditionally made films.
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