Troll Hunter

Norwegian take on found footage horror isn’t especially scary, though Ovredal manages to build and sustain a feeling of unease with a screenplay that, like the best horror, takes the mythology of its premise deadly seriously, while allowing its characters a liberal dose of sceptical side-eye as they gradually become true believers as witnesses to events, and vicariously offering the same to the audience. What distinguishes this is its very droll (and often very funny) sensibilities it uses as a hook, and a skilful and economical use of a clear low-budget to make its monsters (in all their various shapes and sizes) believable and at times genuinely unsettling. It’s an old complaint, but this would have been even better without the found footage conceit necessitating some wonky camera angles and an absurd moment where the camera is violently broken, and apparently the team’s first thought is to make sure it is turned back on?