Running Time: 100 Minutes
Starring: Rainey Qualley, Shane West, Shiloh Fernandez, Tammy Pescatelli, Olivia Allen, R.A. Mihailoff
Back in 2021, director Kevin Lewis delivered Willy's Wonderland, a fun film that better utilised its Five Nights at Freddy's premise than 2023's Five Nights at Freddy's. Lewis' latest feature, Pig Hill, takes on a more moody and serious approach as it adapts Nancy Williams' 2019 novel, Pig: A Supernatural Thriller. The story opens with a car arriving in the dark at Pig Hill, a location rooted in a legend involving pig people and missing women. The planned meet-up does not end well for the driver or his date, as they are attacked by what appears to be a pig person.
In the small town of Crawford County, bookstore clerk Carrie (Rainey Qualley) is writing a book about the numerous women that have disappeared from the town. While Carrie does not believe in the urban legend about pig people breeding, she does believe there is more to the stories about kidnapped women while wondering why her missing husband will not answer her calls. As she investigates deeper into Pig Hill, danger comes knocking for Carrie.
At first glance, Crawford County appears to be an unassuming and quiet place, yet this small town is tarred with increasing numbers of missing women. What Lewis and writer Jarrod Buris have crafted is a downbeat work that bursts forth in gruesome ways, particularly as it revels in a nastiness and leans into a sexual assault angle. While this could be fertile ground for something unsettling, particularly with the female lead wondering if she could be next to disappear, there is no attempt to capitalise on such a sense of unease. Tension feels absent from the film, with the repetitive sight of pig people generating little intrigue.
The most interesting moments involve pretty wild imagery that feels taken from a more batshit film. Yet these moments feel at odds with the downbeat tone, and the film struggles to bring these two contrasts together for a satisfying whole. Outside of that, you have an uninteresting lead who is supported by her overprotective brother, Chris (Shiloh Fernandez), and new love interest Andy (Shane West), moving back to his hometown after his life fell apart. Not helping matters are some wooden acting choices, with Rainey Qualley particularly struggling to sell the terror of the situation. Just because the viewers cannot feel the building horror, that does not mean the lead cannot convey it.
Across the ensuing film, the biggest mystery regards who is responsible for this horrific situation, and it becomes plainly obvious when one character noticeable disappears for a significant amount of time. With the "who" out of the way, the question becomes "why", and that is revealed in increasingly expositional ways that causes the story to fall apart as it becomes needlessly complicated. It would be too harsh to call Pig Hill swill, but it's no prize pig either.
Pig Hill made its World Premiere at FrightFest 2025
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