Not The Best, Not The Worst: Review of Best Worst Movie

Behind every unique subculture is a great story, but not each of these stories is deserving of their own feature length documentary. Best Worst Movie would no doubt have made a fun long form essay somewhere in the back pages of Harper’s, but as a movie it doesn’t cut it.

Best Worst Movie tells the story of how the abysmal badness of Troll 2, a direct-to-video 1990 low budget horror film, has lifted the property from discount bins to cross-country sell-out midnight screenings. At the center of the film is failed actor George Hardy, a friendly yet egotistical dentist who kinda looks like a puffier and more effeminate Jonathan Archer. Through his eyes we ride the wave of Troll 2’s resurgence on the rep theater circuit, smooching drunken, adoring fans from New York to Austin.

Best Worst Movie profiles Hardy with love, but casts a jaundiced eye on the freak parade of other Troll 2 alum, such as leading lady Margo Prey. Like a Z-grade Norma Desmond, Prey is a shut-in loaded with pancake make-up, leading a “complicated” life when not comparing Troll 2 to Casablanca.

The biggest derisive laughs, however, are saved for the truly delusional director Claudio Fragrasso. In fractured English worthy of Chico Marx, Fragrasso angrily heckles cast Q & As and dismisses those who applaud Troll 2 for being “so bad it is good.” I suppose it is important to be proud of your work.

This is all very amusing but, I’m sad to say, gets repetitive after thirty minutes. There are highlights (like the sunny Hardy at a low-rent extreme horror con) but I found myself asking a truly troubling question: “what’s the point?” Two recent docs with similar marketing, The King of Kong and Anvil! The Story of Anvil didn’t have this same problem, and I simply chalk this up to Best Worst Movie not having enough fire in its belly to evoke strong connection to its characters.

As a celebration of fandom, Best Worst Movie has some zip and isn’t completely without merit, but you are probably better served finding a midnight screening of Troll 2.