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‘Troll 2’ will take over Manhattan, Nov. 29

Photo by John Soltes

Troll 2, dubbed the ‘Best Worst Movie’ of all time, will have an extra special screening in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The cult classic, directed by Italian maestro Claudio Fragasso, is that rare type of bad. Its plot, characterizations, acting and script are fairly atrocious. Heck, even the title makes no sense (there are no trolls, just goblins).

However, the wretchedness hasn’t turned away the crowds. In fact, some 21 years after its initial release, the movie is more popular than ever. Here’s one YouTube clip that has been seen by millions of viewers (click here).

B-Movie Mayhem, a new cult-classic film group headed by Adam Ramey and Rex Mauriello, will host the upcoming screening in New York City. For its inaugural event, these guys plan to pull out all the stops: Not only will Troll 2 be screened, but it will also feature a live appearance by George Hardy, who played the father in the film.

Expect many laughs. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. at The Grisly Pear at 107 MacDougal St. in New York City.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox traded e-mails with Ramey and Mauriello as they prepared for the show.

How did B-Movie Mayhem begin?

B-Movie Mayhem started with a few friends watching, well, bad movies. Through a combination of our own selections and the always fun Mystery Science Theater 3000, we discovered just how much we like these flicks. We especially enjoy to laugh at the countless errors that they typically contain.

After doing this informally at Adam’s apartment, he approached the owner of our favorite local pub, The Grisly Pear, to see if he would be willing to house the event in the expansive back room. Once he agreed, our dream became a reality.

Troll 2, arguably the ‘Best Worst Movie’ of all time, is a bold feature to have as your inaugural film. Why choose this one?

Ramey: Troll 2 has a very special place in my heart. It was my first truly awful movie. The first time I saw it, I was just utterly puzzled. The plot, the inconsistencies, and general lack of sensibility compelled me to watch it again. After all, maybe “it was just me.” Before I knew it, I began watching this film regularly, drawing countless friends (including Rex) into its vortex.

I think this film is great because it has the skeleton of something mainstream, yet the meat of something insane. You see, there are some bad movies that are poorly planned and poorly executed. Troll 2 is a film that intended to be a decent movie and just failed in every possible way.

All of these things together make it a great candidate for our series and, as the “mother of all bad movies,” it’s just perfect to kick off B-Movie Mayhem.

What can attendees expect from the event?

The event will begin with a brief introduction to our group, what we do, and our future plans. We will then provide just a little bit of background to Troll 2. Once the movie starts, we’re likely going to point out some of the truly awful moments. We just can’t resist commentary from time to time.

We’re also very excited to have George Hardy, the star of the film, in attendance. He will arrive some time after the middle of the film and will stick around for Q&A, autographs, and the like. Maybe he will even do some of his famous lines from the film…

How did you get George Hardy to attend?

Ramey: Well, it’s actually a funny story. As I was planning out our first screening, I had the idea to friend George on Facebook. Once he accepted my request, I told him we were planning a screening soon. He wrote back immediately and told me, by chance, that he was going to be in NYC next week and would like to come to the screening. The rest is history!

Can you give us an idea of future screenings/events for fans?

We are planning to make our B-Movie screenings regular. What that means is still being ironed out. If we get a good response from the Troll 2 crowd, this could end up being weekly or bi-weekly, which would be great. We will try to shake up the genres of the bad movies we watch, but horror has a disproportionate share of the DVD/Netflix library. Other films we are thinking about at present: Plan 9 from Outer Space, Jack Frost, Thankskilling, The Quest for the Mighty Sword (informally, Troll 3), and a host of others. We are also open to ideas from attendees.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
  • Troll 2 will screen at 6 p.m. at The Grisly Pear at 107 MacDougal St. in New York City. Ticket reservations can be arranged by clicking here.

John Soltes

John Soltes is an award-winning journalist. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Earth Island Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, New Jersey Monthly and at Time.com, among other publications. E-mail him at john@hollywoodsoapbox.com

One thought on “‘Troll 2’ will take over Manhattan, Nov. 29

  • We invite all Troll 2 to fans to come out and feel free to bring “gear” or come dressed up as your favorite character. My lovely wife, Joslyn, will be coming dressed as the corn-on-the-cob-bearing likeness of Creedence Leonore Gilgood. She will be passing out lots of “green” treats. Maybe there might even be some bologna involved…

    Cheers,

    Adam
    B-Movie Mayhem

    Reply

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