About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

An out-of-the-box tale that fulfills only a fraction of its fun promise.

Pros

• Good special effects
• Energetic plot

Cons

• Unlikable characters
• Poor acting
• Too serious

Description

• Starring Travis Aaron Wade, Tina Huang, Howard Johnson Jr., Trevor Bullock, Rajiv Shah, Jason Foster, Cimi Ahluwalia
• Directed by Jim Isaac
• Rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence and gore, drug content, sexuality, nudity and language.

• DVD release date: September 28, 2010 (at Blockbuster August 6)

Guide Review - 'Pig Hunt' Movie Review

The Fangoria FrightFest showcases eight independent horror movies that individually might not get the exposure that the Fangoria name brings. One of the films receives a theatrical release (based on a fan vote), and the rest go straight to DVD and video-on-demand.

The Plot

John Hickman (Travis Aaron Wade) is a reluctant soldier who's recently returned to San Francisco from a tour in Iraq. He and his trigger-happy buddies plan a weekend hunting trip tho his backwoods childhood home, where his uncle (and surrogate father) died some time earlier. Much to his friends' dismay, John brings along his opinionated girlfriend, Brooks (Tina Huang).

They arrive in the boonies to find the woods teeming with wildlife -- not only game, but also rednecks giving them the stink eye and mysterious hippies who operate a nearby commune. Also reportedly running around is the legendary Ripper, a supposedly 3,000-pound wild boar that has been hunted for years but never caught.

A couple of "good ol' boy" acquaitances of John show up with promises of leading the hunting party to the Ripper, but they have ulterior motives -- namely, the hippies' marijuana stash.

Caught between rednecks, surprisingly violent hippies and a maneating giant boar, John has to rely on his military training to save his friends and himself from a hunting trip in which they've become the prey.

The End Result

Pig Hunt has the potential to be a really fun movie. Its madcap plot stretches in all directions, pulling in all sorts of oddball characters, from gun-toting hillbilly preachers to topless hippy seductresses to machete-wielding cultists to, well, a giant pig. However, it takes itself too seriously and fails to pick up on the comedic elements inhereint in the ridiculous story. Hurting the story's impact are the annoying characters (or rather, caricatures) who do little than deliver juvenile, sniping dialogue, making it difficult to root for anyone. The cast's high school drama class-level delivery doesn't help matters.

With all of the character vying against one another, the potential for manic action in Pig Hunt is never fully realized, as promising action sequences fizzle. Part of the blame for the aaction is the budget, with is noticeably lower than director Jim Isaac's previous horror endeavors Jason X and Skinwalkers. Still, Isaac has a cinematic eye and delivers a surehanded, if underwhelming, product. The special effects are particularly refreshing, without a hint of CGI in the Ripper's design. The gore is solid, although if it were as over-the-top as the plot, Pig Hunt could've been a lot more fun.

The Skinny

• Acting: D+ (Amateurish.)
• Direction: C+ (Solid, though it doesn't take advantage of the potential of the action and humor.)
• Script: D+ (Good plot but has too little humor and too much annoying dialogue.)
• Gore/Effects: B- (Thankfully, no CGI.)
• Overall: C

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the distributor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.