Movies
Long Pigs
“It’s smart, it’s interesting, and has an amazing range of supporting actors. The special effects are nothing short of amazing, especially when you compare it to some of the more recent horror films with a significantly larger budget.”
The market for mockumentaries and first-person films has been overly saturated as of late. With films like “Cloverfield”, and “Paranormal Activity” rocking audiences all over the world, even studios like The Asylum are rushing to exploit this gimmick. Most of the time, the results are less than desirable. Films of this nature that are actually worth seeing, often slip through the cracks, and get dumped straight to disc. “Long Pigs” is a shining example of that sad fact. With a production date of 2007, the film took several years to find it’s way to the limited audience that has been lucky enough to experience it thus far. While it’s readily available through such outlets as Amazon.com, word of mouth still hasn’t spread much farther than hardcore members of the online horror community.
The story follows two filmmakers as they document the activities of a cannibalistic serial murderer as he kills, skins, cooks, and eats several victims. As the project progresses, the pair find themselves becoming more involved in the crimes than they had originally anticipated. Perhaps losing sight of the sheer fact that the subject they are following is a mass murderer, they find themselves identifying with him, and perhaps even consider him a friend. They watch as he interacts with people socially, and even attends a barbecue at his house as he feeds his unsuspecting friends human flesh, cooked to perfection. A family tragedy will shine a light on his mental instability, and the filmmakers have to play tug of war with their desire to finish the project, and keep their own lives.
Anthony Alviano is so mesmerizing as the flesh consuming Anthony McAlistar that it immediately puts this film ahead of the pack. Anthony straddles a fine line between being incredibly down-to-earth, and likable, and downright menacing. The fact that he’s so easy for the audience to relate to, makes the impact of his crimes hit much harder. There is something about the matter of fact way he goes about his business, humming as he carves the meat from the suspended corpses of his victims. The sense of joy that you can see in Anthony’s face as he’s preparing his meal is sinister. Even going as far as to joke that if he ever gets caught, the way he will capitalize on his crimes will be to publish a cannibalistic cookbook. When things start to unravel later in the film, you can sense the inner turmoil Anthony is experiencing, as it’s splashed across the screen in a very subtle, yet noticeable way. At the drop of the hat, my empathy for Anthony turned to terror.
This is not an effects driven film, by any stretch of the imagination. Though, the effects that are displayed are absolutely rock-solid. “Long Pigs” does a good job at illustrating the efficacy of practical effects. By that I mean, when practical effects are used properly, the impact will almost always be stronger than results that can be achieved through more digital resources. One scene in particular features Anthony “dressing” one of his corpses from head to toe, and preparing them for consumption. This is done in fast-motion, and to the tune of “The Nutcracker”. This is one of the most effective scenes in the film, and quite possibly any film in recent memory. It’s disgusting, yet utterly fascinating.
First time directors Chris Power, and Nathan Hynes have turned in a stellar first outing. Almost as intriguing as the main storyline is the interview footage with local law enforcement and specialists. The interviews are so competently implemented that it gives the film a genuine documentary feel. You may think to yourself, that this has been done recently with films like “Behind The Mask”, and while that might be a fair comparison, it is also fair to state that the two films couldn’t be more different. Where “Behind The Mask” was more of a comedy, “Long Pigs” is absolutely haunting, and eerie.
I was a tad apprehensive at first, to be completely honest. While the premise sounded extremely interesting, we’ve been beaten to death with these first person style mockumentaries for the past five years or so. In my opinion, “Long Pigs” is one of the best examples of how this style of filmmaking is done right. It’s smart, it’s interesting, and has an amazing range of supporting actors. The special effects are nothing short of amazing, especially when you compare it to some of the more recent horror films with a significantly larger budget.
Even if you feel like you can’t stomach your way through another film of this style, it would be a wise decision to perhaps push aside your preconceived notions for 90 minutes, and give this one a proper watch. I pressed the play button fully expecting to have a loathsome experience. What happened instead was what I considered to be one of my favorite films of the year.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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