Somebody needs to write director Marc Fratto a very large check. They need to write him a very large check, leave him to his devices, come back 6 months later, hold out their hand and see what kind of wickedness he was able to concoct. I loved Marc Fratto’s s Hellfire. Loved it to the point where I believe that if there’s an untapped voice of horror that could single handedly deliver where so many have failed, its Fratto. From dialogue to pacing, Fratto is not only capable of delivering hell-in-a-handbasket, but he’ll have Tarantino help you sign off on the delivery. Fratto’s new short “Don’t Feed the Troll” manages to tackle the socially awkward subject of race, sexism and the all sometimes too impenetrable armor that the anonymity of the internet has given to all the wrong people and give us something that is entertaining, thought provoking, and more than just a little terrifying.
Sitting in the confines of his house an internet troll (played brilliantly by Gaetano Iacono) blasts those who come into his line of sight with a ferocious prejudice, assaulting them with sexist remarks, racial slurs and his own brand of hate-fueled cynicism. Remarks that, vicious in their severity, drive one woman to suicide. Remarks that awaken something that wants justice, wants blood.
‘Don’t Feed the Troll’ could have come dangerously close to feeling preachy if the subject wasn’t handled with such deft necessity. Instead, it feels totally justified and that is largely in part not only to Fratto’s writing, but a lead that personifies what so many of us know lurks behind the keystrokes of message boards and comment sections everywhere. Fratto pulls no punches and delivers a wholly satisfying 17 minutes of horror that needs to make fans take notice of what talent the independent arena really has to offer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
