Rape! Torture! Dismemberment! Welcome to the farm, cuz!
Based on the traumatizing true story of a pig farmer turned fiend to all females for almost two decades in Canada, Pig Killer arrives just in the nick of time to celebrate Thanksgiving! That’s right, Robert “Willy” Pickton and his big-ass pig, Balthazar, want a seat at your family table.
In theaters and available on blu-ray and digital, Breaking Glass Pictures gives us EXACTLY what we want with Pig Killer, a deliriously graphic and over-the-top depiction of Pickton’s terrorizing hold over Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside as his horrific crimes went on for two decades!
Directed by Chad Ferrin (Exorcism at 60,000 Feet, The Deep Ones) and starring Jake Busey as the killer at the center of the chaos, Pig Killer is an unflinching portrait of a serial killer’s rise as his psyche is examined and his unspeakable acts examined through a lens which doesn’t shy away from the grime beneath the fingernails of its lead character. The film is more than disturbing; it’s a thought-provoking journey into a heart of pure darkness.
And it begins with our killer feeding body parts to his pigs. Seriously. The blood spreads on the dirt and mud - and on the snouts of the pigs - as the country music digs in, taking us on a journey through one hell of a sick and twisted mind. And Busey delivers a performance that is both disturbing, over-the-top, and damned effective, mixing in with the deranged lunacy of the entire film.
Performances - from Busey to Bai Ling, Kate Patel, Lew Temple, and Michael Paré as Detective Oppal - run the gamut of extremes and all of it works to create an unfiltered lens of complete and utter chaos. Even porn queen Ginger Lynn Allen gets in on the fun as Willy’s mother. Nothing is sacred. Everything is seen through a cracked lens of distorted reality and it plays on the screen with a frenzied touch to the madness, matching the hog-headed antics of its main character as rapes, kills, and maims his way into the headlines.
To be fair, this movie will not be for everyone. Pig Killer is meant to offend. The explicit content is from beginning to end and there really is no break from the craziness. The film is definitely disturbing - bonus points are awarded to cinematographer Jeff Billings, production designer Matt Rumer, and special effects artists Joe Castro, Jake Porath, and Angie Shell - which seems the intent of Ferrin’s work here, but it remains a damned fine portrayal of a seriously disturbed person who does some fucked up shit to a whole lot of people, all while maintaining a pig farm.
The end result is exploitative and sleaze-filled, yet everyone involved in Pig Killer creates an effective atmosphere where mayhem as the main course seems absolutely appropriate.
Dig in! Pig Killer will be available for streaming on platforms starting Nov. 21, 2023. Viewers are advised to brace themselves for an unforgettable and haunting experience.
Home Video Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - December 26, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Beautiful sleaze. That's the best way to describe the hi-def experience of the blu-ray edition of Chad Ferrin's Pig Killer. Note: This is the standard edition blu-ray from Darkstar Pictures, not the limited slipcover edition.
This is a single disc edition which features a single-hub eco-case with a two-sided sleeve insert revealing a full width still from the film visible through the clear case. There is no slipcover.
Video
Gorgeous. What better way to welcome you to the pig farm than with the 1080p 2.39:1 transfer which is very well done, particularly considering the budget involved with the entire production. Most of the film features night shots or dimly-lit scenes which raises the degree of difficulty significantly in getting the visuals right. But have no fear. You'll be hard pressed to find any faults anywhere.
If ever a film begged for some added film grain to match its grungy subject matter, this is it. But the grit and grime of the film's subject matter will have to be enough, as there is no noticeable added grain.
Audio
On the audio front, we get an English language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers a fully-immersive experience. Pig squeals, victim's screams, and the constant hum of violence assault us from all angles, while the soundtrack – which features more than 20 numbers performed by G Tom Mac and a few others – takes precedence throughout and runs constantly behind the action. While the non-stop music soundtrack is almost an annoyance and even feels outs of place at times, it never obstructs the dialogue which is always clear and audible.
Supplements:
Here's where this thing kills it. While there is no audio commentary, we get more than an hour of bonus material covering nearly every aspect of the film's production from make-up/prosthetics, to audition reels, to deleted and alternate scenes. You'll even get to meet the pig actor who plays Balthazar in the film.
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes With Ginger Lynn Allen
- Behind the Scenes With Michael Paré
- Deleted/Alternate Scenes
- Q&A From Cine Excess
- Red Band Trailer
- Green Band Trailer
- Pig Mask Progress
- Canadian Bacon: The Making of "Pig Killer"
- Nickel Charm Jack Music Video
- Kate Patel Willy Screentest
- Auditions
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 122 mins
Director: Chad Ferrin
Writer: Chad Ferrin
Cast: Jake Busey; Lew Temple; Bai Ling
Genre: Crime | Horror
Tagline: Human... The Other White Meat.
Memorable Movie Quote: "The chicks come in, and then they don't come out."
Distributor: Breaking Glass Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: November 21, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: December 26, 2023
Synopsis: Based on the terrifying true story of Robert 'Willy' Pickton, the pig farmer cum prolific lady killer whose horrific crimes shocked the world.