Pig Hill Movie Review
Pig Hill, the film I’m here to talk about this go ‘round, had its world premiere at Frightfest in the U.K on August 23, 2025. It’s based on the book PIG: A Supernatural Thriller (2019) by author Nancy Williams. Now, I don’t know how true to the novel the film is as I’ve not read the book, but after viewing the film, I may have to pick up a copy.
Pig Hill, directed by Kevin Lewis (Willy’s Wonderland) and written by Jarrod Burris is a dark tale about the horrifying “pig people” from a rural area called, well, Pig Hill. It’s a local legend of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
These pig folk have terrorized the community over a span of time, maybe the last 10 years or so, by kidnapping nine townswomen. The movie opens with a very violent scene depicting a man and a woman brutally attacked by a person wearing a pig mask. The man unfortunately doesn’t survive, and the woman’s (Emma Kotos) fate is left unknown. The snorting pig-person grabs her by the throat while the opening title card appears.
Moving on, we’re introduced to our main characters Carrie (Rainey Qualley), a bookstore owner who’s been overly interested in the disappearances of the women and decides to write a book about the urban legend. We also meet Carrie’s weirdly overprotective brother Chris (Shiloh Fernandez), and Carrie’s newfound friend/love interest Andy (Shane West).
We learn that these folks are all broken in one way or another. Carrie’s trying to put her life back together after becoming estranged from her husband. Andy has moved back to town after being gone for a long time. Chris has had issues with substances and, as mentioned before, has a weird possessiveness over his sister and seems to be jealous of Andy weakening his hold over her. Weird. But wait, it only gets weirder…
Going back to Carrie and Andy—and Carrie’s book. After witnessing a pregnant woman give birth to a mutant pig baby, Carrie is even more determined to investigate the goings on at Pig Hill. She and Andy decide to hunt down the maternal grandfather of the pig baby, who turns out to be a not-so-nice guy by the name of Red (R.A. Mihailoff).
Carrie and Andy wind up going out to Pig Hill and getting caught by a “resident” who wants to know what they’re up to. After making up a lame excuse, things seem okay…but soon enough they’re not. When Carrie’s and Andy’s true intentions are discovered, shit quickly goes sideways. And it’s here where Pig Hill goes off the rails.
Related Content:
Video Interview with R.A. Mihailoff: Face to Leatherface
Deadly Doctors Series Part 3: Vicious Veterinarians
First Slashes: THIRTEEN WOMEN and the Dark History of the First Slasher Film
Pig Hill will be a difficult watch for many as it portrays brutal violence, sexual abuse, animal abuse/bestiality, child abuse, self-harm and psychological abuse. It is not for sensitive or squeamish viewers, whatsoever.
Otherwise, Pig Hill morphs into a fever dream. What begins as a sick and vile depiction of violence featuring animal porn transforms into a David Lynchian cop drama with a slasher film ending. I don’t know how else to describe it. There’s a lot to take in and wrap your head around.
Did I like it? Well, I made it to the end and haven’t had to seek therapy…yet.
This film was shot on location in Meadville, PA, so I appreciate what that added to the movie’s authenticity and the cinematography is fantastic.
Rainey Qualley, whose sister Margaret is wonderful in The Substance, is great as Carrie. Shiloh Fernandez is believable as the creepy brother. And R.A. Mihailoff is scary as fuck. Not to mention, the makeup and practical effects are spot on.
However, hello? I don’t like to see animal abuse or abuse of any kind gratuitously portrayed. Those scenes were tough. I’m not really convinced that they were necessary.
As for the story itself, there are some holes here and there. There are also some pacing problems and some obvious predictability issues.
Should you see Pig Hill? If you’re a fan of the book and you want to see it on screen, then you already know what you’re in for. Otherwise, if you want to—after reading this—then, go for it. Let me know your thoughts.
