Director Kevin Lewis’ Pig Hill is a drastic shift in tone and style from his last movie, Willy’s Wonderland. Drawing on an urban legend that stems from Meadville, Pennsylvania, the film is a brutal feature that draws inspiration from exploitation movies and horror staples like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. It’s also an incredibly tough watch, featuring several scenes of sexual abuse, rape, and even incest.
Adapted from the novel Pig: A Supernatural Thriller by Nancy Williams, the movie stars Rainey Qualley as Carrie. She feels stuck in her small town of Meadville and is also obsessed with the legend of Pig Hill where half-human, half-pig creatures roam and terrify residents. There’s a lot of theories about the source of such monsters, though nothing has ever been proven. In the opening scene, we see one of these beasts slaughter a resident. It’s gruesome and excessive, complete with squealing sounds that are strangely eerie and effective.
Carrie decides to write a book about the urban legend and sees it as her potential ticket out of town. She dreams of something bigger and better for herself. Meanwhile, her brother Chris (Shiloh Fernandez) also deals with his own personal struggles. Though Chris and Carrie are bit of one-note characters, Fernandez and Qualley do the best with what they’re given. Their acting certainly isn’t bad, but that can’t be said for the rest of the cast. In fact, this movie has one too many lines that land with a thud. It wouldn’t surprise me if this movie grows a cult following because some of the poor acting, dialogue, and lots and lots of gore. There’s a B movie fanbase out there for this.
The fact this film was actually shot in Meadville is one of its strengths. The town, including its bars and small shops, feels like another character. The feature depicts small town America quite well, along with the way that locals respond to and sometimes amplify urban legends.
The film’s last act and reveal were a bit too predictable. It’s telegraphed well before it happens for those who play close attention. During that point and just prior to it, the movie features a lot of gratuitous sexual abuse. It’s an extremely difficult watch at times. Viewers need to be aware of what they’re getting into before hitting play on this movie. This film rarely cuts away from its most violent moments, including more than one rape scene.
Pig Hill shows that Lewis is a versatile director, able to shift tone and style from one film to the next. This is a stylish looking feature that draws on Meadville, PA’s urban legend. There’s a lot of carnage here and lots of sexual violence, so viewers be warned. I suspect in the near future, though, Pig Hill will earn a cult following.
