Lunaris Records has assembled a wonderful package for Carlo Maria Cordio’s score to the infamously bad Troll 2. Now, the film’s notoriously awful: bad acting, no actual trolls, costumes which consist of Halloween masks and literal burlap sacks, just to name a few of its notable flaws. Add in the fact that is was produced by schlockmeister Joe D’Amato, and the fact that it ended up spawning a documentary on it entitled Best Worst Movie is really no surprise. 

Happily, though, the score is an absolutely wonderful collection of music. It’s by turns synthy, folksy, and rocking, and you’ll spin this repeatedly, sans irony. The synthy bits are the best – a warbling, shaking track like “Green Nightmare” wouldn’t have been out of place in one of D’Amato’s nastier movies. 

It’s all synth music, actually – Cordio composed and performed the entire thing on a Korg M1 – although it doesn’t always sound that way. “Desperate Sprint in the Forest” manages to kick in some sounds which actually sound like a searing guitar solo is accompanying the pounding rhythms of the synthesized drums.

However, that’s not the craziest aspect of what the composer is able to do. “Na-Na Song” sounds like a banjo, and it’s a fully realized bit of country cornpone. It’s probably the most fun part of the album, even if it sticks out in the middle like a sore thumb, among the rest of the rather more Italianate swish and swirl, which comprise the rest of the tracks. However, it works so well at setting the scene that D’Amato would lift it for Troll 3 (also known as Creepers or Contamination .7) three years later.

Lunaris’ release marks the debut of Cordio’s score in any form. While it’s available on compact disc and cassette, our copy came on transparent neon green vinyl. It both looks and sounds fantastic, and the record itself is only outdone by its packaging. There’s a die-cut sleeve with a reversible insert featuring both Joshua and a goblin, depending on your whim, and the liner notes have an interview with the composer as well. It’s pretty fantastic, and we’ve been spinning it daily since it showed up in the mail. 

Regardless of whether or not one enjoys the movie, and whether that enjoyment is ironic or sincere, Carlo Maria Cordio’s Troll 2 score is quite fun. It also fits right in line with everything Lunaris has thus far released. Echoes of the Dellamorte Dellamore score can be found in Troll 2‘s more maudling moments, while the pure “so bad it’s good” aspect is reflected right back from Night of the Demons. Once more, the label has demonstrated that they’re one of the most underrated purveyors of film scores in the game.

TROLL 2 (1990) / COMPOSER: CARLO MARIO CORDIO / LABEL: LUNARIS RECORDS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW