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Troll Hunter poster

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren)

2010 · 103 min · movie
⭐ 6.9 (83,495 votes)

A group of students from Volda University College, Thomas, Johanna, and their cameraman Kalle, set out to make a documentary about a suspected bear poacher, Hans. At the site of an illegally slain bear they interview local hunters, who comment that the bear tracks look odd. Finn Haugen, head of the Norwegian Wildlife Board, dismisses the idea that the bear tracks could have been faked.

The students follow Hans in an attempt to secure an interview but he continually rebuffs them. Following him into a forest at night time, they see flashing lights and hear roars. Hans comes running back, screaming "Troll!" Thomas is bitten by something as they run away. After finding their own vehicle destroyed, they escape in Hans's Land Rover. Hans reveals he is not hunting bears, but trolls. The students ask for permission to interview him and film his hunt, to which he consents on the condition that they do exactly as he instructs.

The next day, Hans asks if any of them believe in God or Jesus, because a troll can smell a Christian man's blood. Hans wields a "flash-gun", a weapon that emits powerful UV-rays to simulate sunlight and turns trolls to stone, or makes them "just explode" depending on how old they are. Hans flushes out a giant three-headed troll and manages to turn the troll to stone. He explains that he only allowed them to come along because he's tired of working for little compensation and wants them to divulge the truth.

Finn's team, who actually works for the Troll Security Service (TSS), arrives to deposit a bear carcass and plant fake tracks. Finn tells the students their tapes will be confiscated. During interviews, Hans reveals that his job is to kill trolls that come near populated areas, while Finn's is to keep trolls a secret. He reveals that the trolls have been acting aggressively lately and have begun to leave their territories more often. He plans to get a troll blood sample to determine why. Using live goats on a bridge as bait, Hans obtains a blood sample from a bridge troll. He takes it to a TSS veterinarian, who informs him it will take several days for results.

Investigating a farm, Hans and the students find tracks leading into an abandoned mine, which turns out to be the lair of cave trolls. The cave trolls return unexpectedly and the group is trapped inside. The trolls pick up the scent of Kalle, who turns out to be a Christian, and discover the group. Everyone runs for the cave entrance into daylight, but Kalle is caught and killed.

The students get a replacement camerawoman, Malica. Finn demands that Hans head north to troll territory to get the problem under control. The group finds signs of a Jötunn, a giant mountain troll 50–100 metres tall. Thomas, who was bitten a few days ago, falls ill, and they learn that the troll blood sample came back positive for rabies.

After several attempts, Hans manages to kill the Jötunn by launching a rocket-like projectile that transforms the troll into stone. Before doing so, he directs the others to find the highway. Finn and his TSS-agents arrive to confiscate the students' tapes. Thomas flees with the camera and ends up at the side of a road, with a truck oncoming, when the footage ends. An epilogue tells the audience that none of the students were heard from again. The film ends with a news-clip of the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg appearing to admit to the existence of trolls, though the press fails to take notice.

Directed by

André Øvredal

Starring

Otto Jespersen
Hans Morten Hansen
Knut Nærum
Robert Stoltenberg
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