Carrie (Rainey Qualley) has been obsessed with the local urban legend of the Pig People of Pig Hill since childhood. She’s writing a book to uncover the truth behind the stories when another local woman goes missing. The tenth one so far. There may be rumors and old stories about people kidnapping local women to breed with them. But there really are women disappearing. Carrie is willing to do anything to find the facts and help solve the kidnappings.
I do want to say that Pig Hill may be a movie I would have skipped due to some of its content. For that reason, I think some people might need a content warning. Expect talk of suicide, rape, and bestiality.
Siblings in Movies
Carrie has an overbearing older brother, which is always a choice in movies. In this case, it made perfect sense. Chris (Shiloh Fernandez) keeps an eye on his sister, more so lately, after her husband ran off without a word. Carrie still wears her wedding ring. More importantly, she is obsessed with uncovering the real story behind the disappearances of local women. I could have used a scene with a big board of faces and extensive research. We don’t get much of anything, as far as facts or investigation. We get mostly rumors and stories handed down. But perhaps that’s because there’s more truth in the rumors than anything from the local cops.
Hallmark Horror
Carrie meets a man at the bookstore where she works, and guess what? It’s Shane West. Andy (West) has an instant liking for Carrie and asks her out for drinks. Don’t forget she has a husband, but it’s alright, we have all the details. Husband has been gone for a year, and Carrie is more than happy to get to know Andy. Meanwhile, Chris, her brother, has a massive problem with Andy and tells Carrie’s estranged husband what’s going on.
Carrie easily persuades Andy to join her in her search for more information about the women who have been taken. They hope to find a local man named Red, whose daughter completed suicide and supposedly gave birth to a pig baby. They head to Pig Hill and talk to a pig rancher who is more than thrilled to let her know the legends are all false. That night, Carrie is drugged and abducted. This is the most graphic part of the movie and the strangest.
Dream Sequences
Throughout the movie, Carrie sees images of a man wearing a pig mask and dreams of the Pig People and her youth. Her brother did a real number on her as a child, always scaring her with stories surrounding Pig Hill. However, I found this confusing. I couldn’t exactly tell when she was dreaming, awake, or maybe even daydreaming. I do know that it was purposeful; therefore, I can forgive it.
The Third Act
Pig Hill had many stories, but it lacked depth. Our leads (West and Qualley) gave a couple of lackluster performances, leaving key moments lacking. The story is disturbing and contains plenty of shocking visuals. However, the third act dragged. There was too much exposition that felt overdone. The truth is actually more disturbing, and there’s a monologue that just persisted. I think it could have been wrapped up more quickly and left a stronger punch.
Pig Hill was not for me, and I probably would have skipped it if I had read more about the content. Having said that, the story is intriguing, and I enjoyed the unique imagery. Despite some shocking moments, I never turned away. Strangely, I found the dialogue more disturbing than the actions at times. By the end of the movie, the final reveal wasn’t a big surprise, but it’s a great WTF moment. Pig Hill is currently available on VOD.
