Making it’s world premiere at FrightFest on August 23, 2025, is the dark and sinister horror movie from Empty Jug Productions and Concourse Media called Pig Hill.
Based on the novel by Nancy Williams, Pig Hill is directed by Kevin Lewis best known for the smash hit Willy’s Wonderland and stars Rainey Qualley (Shut In), Shane West (Salem) and Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead).
Commenting on the release, Pig Hill’s Director Kevin Lewis added;
I am so excited to premiere my film “Pig Hill” at FrighFest in August. The festival is of the best genre film festivals in the world and it is such an honor to have this punk-rock fever mind trip of a movie being shown to the most dedicated horror audiences that a filmmaker could possibly have. . It is adapted from Nancy Williams novel and is a poignant story of obsession, love, and the terrible consequences of what happens when reality and fantasy blur. It is a tale of the remarkable power of the mind and how it will do anything to protect itself.”
If you are not familiar with FearFest, it’s a horror-themed event, usually a convention or a film festival, that celebrates all things spooky and scary. The event usually features celebrity appearances, shopping opportunities, special events like movie screenings, and sometimes gaming areas.
As a fan of the horror genre, I think it would be cool to visit an event like this one day.
Pig Hill was shot on location in Meadville, Pennsylvania. There is an urban legend there about so called “pig people” who inhabit the area and engage in disturbing activities. These creatures, sometimes described as human-pig hybrids or cannibalistic, are believed to abduct and breed with women.
The movie Pig Hill is based on that urban legend.
The film follows Carrie (Qualley), a woman haunted by a series of unexplained disappearances. As she investigates, she becomes entangled in the local lore of the “pig people,” uncovering a terrifying truth hidden in generations of myth. Alongside her new friend Andy (West) and her brother Chris (Fernandez), Carrie’s search for answers becomes a desperate fight for survival.
If I had to sum this movie up in one word I’d say “disturbing.” The idea of “pig people” kidnapping women to impregnant them to create even more pig people is terrifying.
The film does touch upon how the legend of the pig people got started with one woman and a pig famous for having “something” extraordinary (think about it, it will come to you). Umm… ewww! Gross! Just the idea of THAT grosses me out. Barf!
This isn’t one of those “jump scare” kind of movies. I wouldn’t say there is a build up of something scary happening either. It just happens.
The horror comes from a pig man named “Swill” who kidnaps women and has his way with them (not willingly I might add). THAT to me is where the terror lies. Just the idea of being attacked by a pig/man hybrid and being forced to “mate” with it. It’s disturbing to say the least.
If you love blood and gore, this movie has a lot of it, including graphic kills. There is even a newborn pig-human baby if that sort of thing interests you.
I could have done without the sexual assault scenes (done to both men and women). I would have preferred it was alluded to that rather than graphically show it in the film. I have an imagination. I can use it. I don’t need to see it. Sigh…
The ending came as a surprise to me. Kudos to the film makers for that twist I didn’t see coming. The movie moved along in a somewhat predictable manner, but the ending came totally out of the blue.
Shane West has come a long way from his A Walk to Remember days. I looked over his IMDB page and it looks like he’s into doing horror movies these days.
The cinematography works with this film. Dark fields, heavy fog… you get the idea. It adds the creepiness factor to this film. Most of the film is done during the night which adds another element to it. After all, if you saw a pig-human hybrid coming at you during the daytime hours, you’re certainly going to run away as fast as you can.
Overall I thought the film was okay. I liked the idea of animal-human hybrids terrorizing a town. That idea alone makes for a great horror movie, no matter what creature you factor in.
This film has a run time of 100 minutes. I don’t see a rating for it, but I can definetly say it’s rated “R” due to the graphic nature and strong sexual situations.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener of the film in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
