Overlook Film Festival 2025 – The Traveler and the Troll, written and directed by Adam Murray, contains some impressive puppetry and practical effects. Considering that the film was funded, in part, via a Kickstarter campaign, that’s impressive. It’s also a rather funny horror-fantasy film.

The movie stars Erika Ishii as an unnamed traveler who discovers a troll, voiced by Dave Child, in the woods one day. Though the film doesn’t make clear the time period or exact setting, it doesn’t really need to. Audience members will likely be familiar with the general rules surrounding trolls. They ask riddles. In this case, the troll asks three, and the traveler answers them all fairly easily, to the troll’s dismay and annoyance.

A lot of this film operates on the banter between the only two characters, and to that end, the dialogue here is well-scripted, clever, and funny for the most part, especially Child’s troll, which is a cool-looking puppet that creeps across the screen after taking the traveler’s sword so she can’t just leave easily. Meanwhile. Ishii makes for a confident protagonist, who not only doesn’t back down from the troll, but grows rather tired of the usual games that trolls play. In fact, the troll is really no match for her wits.

If the practical effects and the puppetry didn’t work, then this film would certainly falter. Thankfully, the film excels at bringing the troll to life. The puppet simply looks great, and that’s a real credit to the special effects team and the Kickstarter campaign that made this all happen. The DIY spirit of indie filmmaking pulsates throughout this film.

Assisted by some cool practical effects and awesome puppetry, The Traveler and the Troll  makes for a fantastic and comedic encounter in the woods. This film is entertaining, and I’ve love to explore this world more. Give us more of the traveler and more of the troll.