Tales Of The Troll

Sometimes short films are the perfect medium in which to cut the bullshit and get straight to the action. Tales Of The Troll is a perfectly distilled miniture horror movie, like somehing the BBC would have made into a six episode series in the early Eighties. Its lean condition means we can see the bones but its straightforwardness and lack of pretension give it a certain charm.

Caroline Ottot is Sally, on her way to a party with boyfriend David (Chris St Omer). They're intending to meet up with other friends but have been waiting longer than expected. With little time spent on character development, Sally doesn't get the opportunity she needs to expand on a warning to David that something bad happened a few days ago. Consequently, he is ill prepared for the way things develop once dead bodies turn up and a strange creature is seen running through the trees.

Although the acting and technical work are competent, this film suffers from familiar micro-budget problems. Supposedly we are deep in the woods but this looks like the local park. Chase scenes are hampered by overly careful movement around minor obsacles, depleting the tension. Still, the troll make-up is good and what is essentially a simple morality tale is affectionately told. It's light, it's cheesy, but it knows its limitations and works well within them.