Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival 2009

In the summer of 1989, a non-English speaking, Italian director made a little film in Utah with a bunch of unknown American actors. That film was inappropriately titled Troll 2. Oddly, there are no trolls in this film, nor is it a sequel to the original Troll. As one might guess of a poorly named, not-very-scary horror film, filled with a group of inexperienced actors and directed by someone with a language barrier, Troll 2 was undeniably horrible. Despite such, it was released on VHS and DVD and managed to sneak itself onto some of the late night channels, but soon faded into complete obscurity.

Nearly two decades later something funny started to happen. Two of the lead actors, George Hardy and Michael Paul Stephenson (who played father and son, respectively), received phone calls inviting them to appear at a Troll 2 screening in Utah. There, they learned that it had been ranked as worst movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database, and that a ravenous fan base had been steadily growing all this time. People were celebrating the film’s horribleness: fan sites sprung up, theme parties celebrated the film, Troll 2 music videos hit YouTube.com, renegade screenings were held, and a reference even appeared in “Guitar Hero 2.” Suddenly, the Troll 2 actors were cult superstars.

This came as a big surprise to Hardy, as he hasn’t thought about that horrible movie in ages. Why? Because he has been living the quiet, lakeside life of a dentist with a heart of gold…in Alexander City, Alabama! In the meantime, Stephenson, with whom Hardy reunited with in Utah, had been a struggling actor that spent the past fifteen years completely hating the film. Like Hardy, his outlook changed as fans constantly hounded him for autographs and photographs. Seeing this as a great opportunity to have some fun, they embarked on a nation-wide tour of the movie. Stephenson brought along a film crew and thus, one of the year’s greatest documentaries was born.
Framed in a where-are-they-now structure, the film reaches across the country, interviewing its lost stars—everyone from the burlap-sack adorned “troll” extras to the film’s arrogant director himself. Cast members recall the complicated experience of making the movie. Not only was the script utterly confusing, but the production crew didn’t speak any English, creating a difficult environment for understanding direction.

Superficially, the title Best Worst Movie tells you exactly what the movie is about—the worst film ever made, Troll 2. Under the surface, however, it’s about much more than that. This documentary isn’t just a hysterical look at an underground pop culture phenomenon or an interesting examination of the making of a ridiculous genre film. At its core lies the bizarre and intriguing phenomenon of what happens when your past crashes headlong into your present, and the realization that, often times, hopes and dreams are sometimes realized in unexpected ways. Stephenson, who takes the helm as director, put his heart and soul into the film and it shows. The tender underbelly of Best Worst Movie reads like a love letter, penned by Hardy, to his home state of Alabama. As the focus of the film, Hardy takes us to his home in Alexander City, where folks are just getting wind of his involvement in Troll 2. In one great scene, he goes door to door trying to lure folks into seeing the movie at the local cinema. Through interviews with his family and coworkers, everyone agrees that Hardy is one of the most genuine and friendly people they’ve ever met.

Best Worst Movie is an intensely fun, non-stop laugh riot. While fans of Troll 2 will rejoice that Best Worst Movie answers the dozens of questions that come from viewing the film, newcomers can rest assured that Troll 2 is not required viewing (though a Troll 2 screening has been planned for the festival).

Michael Paul Stephenson (Director/Producer/Subject), Lindsay Stephenson (Producer), Brad Klopman (Producer) and Jim Klopman (Producer) will be in attendance, along with George Hardy (Subject) and Jason Steadman (Subject).