Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Pigs Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 19, 2016

While marketing efforts are more interested in selling the most macabre elements of 1972’s “Pigs” (titled “The 13th Pig” on the print), the feature really isn’t about a pack of killer swine. Instead of barnyard chaos, writer/director/star Marc Lawrence goes a psychological route with his material, exploring multiple cases of trauma and psychosis while periodically returning to the grunting exploits of pigs that’ve developed a taste for human flesh. “Pigs” is interesting work, trying to bend expectations away from B-movie exploits to something more experimental and ghoulish, blending expected violence with a mystery of sorts that plays out in a most unusual way.

Speeding into the middle of nowhere, Lynn (Toni Lawrence) nervously ditches her nursing uniform and arrives in a small town, trying to find work and shelter at a local diner owned by Zambrini (Marc Lawrence), a former circus performer who suffered a horrible head injury while on the job. Trying to maintain a low profile in the sparsely populated community, Lynn quickly attracts the attention of a local creep, while Sherriff Dan (Jesse Vint) keeps a close eye on the new arrival, unsure of her history but drawn to her attractiveness. Fearing Zambrini are his neighbors, elderly women Macy (Katherine Ross) and Annette (Iris Korn), who swear the farmer is feeding dead bodies to his pigs, creating an awful noise every night, disturbing the town.

“Pigs” is more of a character study than a rampaging horror effort, endeavoring to crack Zambrini and Lynn open and study their particular mental problems. However, in the case of the new woman in town, it’s not immediately clear what exactly is wrong, with the screenplay exposing Lynn’s illness in small doses, with most flare-ups tied to interest from lecherous men, including the town Casanova, who’s forceful ways with seduction end up becoming sexual assault, with his eventual disappearance causing tremendous trouble for Zambrini. Lynn is plagued by nightmares, drawn to a straight razor found in her bathroom, setting up the picture’s interest in dreamscape visits and unreality, with Zambrini joining the insanity as Macy and Annette step up their efforts to get Sheriff Dan to arrest their weirdo neighbor, who manages a deafening collection of ravenous pigs right next door.

Who’s insane? Why is Lynn in town? Who does she actually talk to when she calls her “daddy” on a pay phone? What is it with movies from the 1970s and rape? “Pigs” spins a few plates as it works its way to the titular creatures and their feeding frenzy, making characterization important to Lawrence, who refuses to cheapen the dramatic experience by neatly assigning madness to all parties. “Pigs” isn’t a riveting feature, but it retains an appealing level of psychosis, aided by nursery rhyme-style scoring from Charles Bernstein, delivering plenty of la-la-las while Lawrence strives to generate some suspense. To help boost the film’s instability, there are a few Lynchian excursions into visual unrest, though there’s not nearly enough of these unnerving asides, hinting at a directorial vision Lawrence simply didn’t have the money to achieve. There are limitations to the screenplay, but escalation is handled with reasonable authority, keeping the picture on edge as behavioral questions are raised and, ultimately, a fresh round of dead bodies appears, gifting the movie a shock of face-slashing violence most viewers will be expecting.

Pigs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as a "director's cut," restoring Lawrence's original intent for "Pigs" with periodic help from a 35mm theatrical print to complete the job. There no need to worry about extreme gaps in quality, with Vinegar Syndrome successfully manufacturing a visually pleasing HD version of "Pigs," with dips in source material easily spotted but not distracting. Colors are pleasingly refreshed for this low-budget effort, bringing out powerful reds during violent encounters, and farmland greenery survives as intended. Skintones are accurate and secure. Grain is thick but filmic. Delineation goes as far as the original cinematography allows, rarely solidifying. Granted, this isn't the most strikingly shot feature, favoring dingy locations and limited hues, but the basics of B-moviedom are protected here, without excessive wear and tear.

Pigs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is surprisingly aggressive, favoring extremely loud pig noises to help boost scares. Clarity is missing, with inherent recording issues and age keeping the listening experience slightly muffled, but the basics of drama and horror are handled acceptably. Dialogue exchanges are adequate, preserving intelligibility as much as it can. Music offers bigness when necessary, while soundtrack selections maintain presence without precise instrumentation. Atmospherics are suitable to the picture, thick but alert. Again, it's all about the pigs in "Pigs," with squealing commanding the track, meant to overwhelm and horrify. Mission accomplished.

Pigs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Back on the Menu" (14:15, HD) is an interview with star Toni Lawrence, who discusses the family affair atmosphere of "Pigs," with her father, Marc Lawrence, also her director and co-star. Lawrence shares the physical drain of the 10-day shoot, which left her a wreck, and she highlights her dad's struggle to restore his career after being chewed up during the McCarthy era, forced to name names.

• "Somewhere Down the Road" (13:35, HD) meets up with composer Charles Bernstein, who charts his professional history and time with "Pigs," where he traded scoring duties for a large painting that was intended to be a gift for Fellini. Bernstein also discusses his influences and musical meaning.

• Audio Interview (80:42) is a conversation between Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin and cinematographer Glenn Roland, which is basically a commentary, presented while the film is playing.

• Promotional Artwork Gallery (4:29) strolls through the distribution history of "Pigs," exploring its multiple title changes and reshoots to help with marketing efforts, shaping the feature to meet different exploitation goals.

• Alternate Exorcism Opening (3:17, HD) attempts to cash in on hype surround the release of "The Exorcist" by adding an awkward explanation for Lynn's mental issues, making her an agent of Satan facing off against a concerned priest.

• Alternate "Daddy's Girl" Opening (5:49, HD) is another attempt to transform "Pigs" into something it was never meant to be, this time going the sexual exploitation route, using taboo to tease audiences.

• Alternate "Daddy's Girl" Ending (5:14, HD) keeps up the salacious tone, sending the story off with a promise for more violence to come. Additional fun is provided by the haphazard reshoot, which doesn't even bother to match items from the original "Pigs" footage.

• A Theatrical Trailer for "Love Exorcism" (2:13, HD) is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer for "Pigs" (1:41, HD) is included.

Pigs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pigs do feast on flesh in the movie, but "Pigs" isn't the animals-gone-wild adventure it might appear to be. Lawrence has something more macabre in mind with the material, exploring the destruction of sexual abuse, the pain of isolation, and crumbling of untreated minds. It's not especially elegant work, retaining its origin as a drive-in distraction, yet "Pigs" sustains a vision. What exactly that is isn't entirely clear, but the feature seems meaningful to Lawrence, who works through plenty of tough ideas on personal decay between bouts of traditional frights, trying to give his chiller some depth.