'Troll Hunter' turns into a monster delight

Norway. A nation that's taken on a mystical quality within itself. A beautifully untouchable land that exists (literally and metaphorically) far north of American minds, shrouded in a veil of frigid environments and a language filled with words that appear incredibly hard to pronounce.

But, with Norwegian director Andre Ovredal's "Troll Hunter," the latest entry into the "shaky cam" subgenre (yes, it's officially become a classification now), the spirit of this often cinematically overlooked country clearly shows through in a unique and expertly crafted mixture of horror-camp perfection and culturally specific folklore.

"Troll Hunter" comes packed, shipped and delivered with its own seal of authenticity. You know, that little disclaimer found at the beginning of the likes of "Cloverfield" and "Paranormal Activity" informing us that what we're about to see is in fact an account of nonfiction.

Upon electing to see a film with the word "troll" in the title, it's playfully obvious that you're unlikely looking to the film the same way you would a National Geographic special. And that's the kind of smarty-pants irony the film sets for itself right from the get-go.

While following the verite presentational trend popularized for commercial audiences by "The Blair Witch Project" more than a decade ago, "The Troll Hunter" places us within the perspective of a trio of film students trekking deep into the Norwegian wilderness to document a supposed bear poacher. In short, the alleged poacher is not a poacher at all. And the furry creatures in question are, well, not exactly bears.

Instead, the film students ultimately find themselves deep within the forested mountains, toe-to-toe with trolls they were convinced existed only within their childhood nightmares.

Produced by Sveinung Golimo, John M. Jacobsen, written and directed by Andre Ovredal, distributed by Magnet Releasing.