Pig Hill – Movie Review (2/5)

PIG HILL is a new horror movie with a very gory visual style that became a lot more violent than I ever expected. The visuals are one thing, but the storyline ultimately hits even harder. Even folklore and urban legends are based on something. Read our full Pig Hill movie review here!

PIG HILL is a horror movie that hits hard. It’s based on the novel by Nancy Williams, which I’m not sure I could handle reading after watching this movie. And yes, I do actually mean that as a compliment, because this movie is intense.

The cast is full of familiar faces in key roles, but it’s the story that really packs a punch. Unfortunately, the storytelling is very choppy and fragmented in a way I did not like at all. The flow of the story only really works in parts of the final act.

Continue reading our Pig Hill movie review below. The movie will have its World Premiere at FrightFest.

Based on a real urban legend

Pig Hill was shot on location in Meadville, Pennsylvania, which is the origin of the real urban legend. I have to give it props for that. I mean, sure, the notion of a “real urban legend” might be a bit strange, but it’s also just another word for lore.

And I am a sucker for both folklore and urban legends, so it works for me.

In Pig Hill, we follow the young woman, Carrie (Rainey Qualley), who is looking into the urban legend of Pig Hill. Not so much an investigation of this urban legend, but more because it seems to overlap with a series of unexplained disappearances.

When women go missing in the same area as the local lore of “pig people”, it’s hard not to become fascinated by this wild myth. A story of people kidnapping and breeding to create pig-human hybrids.

Yes, it does sound like a particular sinister episode of the X-Files, which isn’t too far off. Not from the actual story of this movie, but the urban legend.

Heroes, villains, and victims?

The question of heroes and villains is one that becomes a little muddled in Pig Hill. Mostly one can be both to different people. And also, whether you’re ultimately a hero or a villain, you can also be a victim.

All these things can intersect as the victim can later become a hero battling what happened to them, or become a villain and repeat the offences they were subjected to.

This may all sound a bit too much like foreshadowing, but believe me when I tell you that Pig Hill isn’t as simple as it might appear. As much as I disliked the fragmented style and extreme use of blue and red lighting, I really liked the third act.

A very strong core cast

Alongside Rainey Qualley (yes, sister of Margaret Qualley) as Carrie, we have Shiloh Fernandez (Torn Hearts) as her brother, Chris, who desperately wants to protect his little sister. The siblings are each other’s only remaining family.

Of course, when Shane West (Walden) arrives as a newcomer, and Carrie quickly befriends him, Chris hates him for intruding on their union.

Who can you trust, and why are Carrie’s nightmares becoming increasingly linked with the urban legend of the pig people? Is it all a coincidence, or is something in Carrie’s past that is finally surfacing?!

Pig Hill screened at FrightFest – watch it on digital later

Pig Hill comes from director Kevin Lewis, who you probably know best for Willy’s Wonderland starring Nicolas Cage. I was very entertained by that movie and actually liked it better than Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Maybe because it came first, but that also just made it seem more innovative. Even though I obviously recognize that this is neither true nor fair, as the story of Five Nights at Freddy’s is an older original story from a video game.

Regardless of his previous movie, I wish Kevin Lewis had done a few things differently with Pig Hill. I can still recognize his style, but the choppy storytelling of moving from one scene to the next with no flow just ruined a lot of the horror vibe for me.

The screenplay comes from Jarrod Burris, and the story is fascinating, so once I got to the third act, I was completely mesmerized by the storytelling. This is the first feature film from Jarrod Burris as a writer, so I look forward to the next.

I have no doubt Kevin Lewis intentionally told the story as he did – maybe even to get this final act impact – but that means two-thirds of the movie felt subpar. And yet, I do ultimately recognize this movie due to the practical effects, cast, and the overall plot.

Pig Hill will have its World Premiere at FrightFest on August 23, 2025. It will be out on digital on December 9, 2025.

Details

Director: Kevin Lewis
Writer: Jarrod Burris
Cast: Rainey Qualley, Shane West & Shiloh Fernandez