Piglet Review
Monumental films often spawn great imitators. Following the success of The Blair Witch Project, a slew of found-footage, micro-budget releases emerged. The Godfather and its operatic storytelling inspired more artistic gangster films, such as Scarface. Sometimes, they work. Often, they’re shameless echoes. When independent films achieve this lead-by-example status, audiences are more likely to commend. 2016’s Terrifier attained just this. Not only did it warrant an equally gruesome trilogy, but it influenced an array of indie filmmakers to follow suit.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield was such a filmmaker. Taking A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, the director converted a beloved children’s character into a bloodthirsty killer in Blood and Honey. Although panned by critics, the slasher received a sequel and a bounty of copycats. Piglet is one of those copycats.
Although the titular villain dons the same mask from Frake-Waterfield’s film, this is not a shared universe. Piglet stands alone, and it’s probably a good job. The British horror follows Kate (Alina Desmond), celebrating her 21st birthday in a remote cabin in the woods with a group of friends. What they’re unaware of is the monstrous pig-human hybrid stalking them in the woods, hunting them down one by one. As the (somewhat) menacing Piglet pursues each of the girls, it becomes quickly apparent that this film is no more than a medley of virtually every slasher film before it.
From dumb blondes to raunchy acts in the most questionable environments, Piglet coughs up every lamentable stereotype from a decade ago. There’s no real depth beyond that; the storyline instead opts to ride them out as long as possible to set up its kills. Those kills are gory enough, but they don’t pack a punch when viewers couldn’t care less for these unpalatable victims. Further ruined by blatant CGI blood, Piglet’s entire selling point feels viciously undercut.
Although very much in the vein of the Terrifier franchise, Piglet himself steals a lot more from Leatherface (meat hook, stained apron and all). 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a distinguished slasher classic, is clearly the muse here. But rather than imaginatively reinvent the wheel, Piglet just flagrantly loots from the wagon – a derivative third act cements all surfacing disappointment.
Most actors here are unknown, but astute fans may recognise Desmond, who also starred in Blood and Honey II. The actress isn’t a stranger to the genre and spares no effort despite such a fumbling script. What holds her back is the cringeworthy dialogue she was forced to recite. The same can be said for the rest of the cast, to the point where it becomes hard to differentiate bad delivery from bad writing. It may be safest to assume Piglet is simply bad all over.
It can be nice to see films influenced by others, genre boundaries being pushed and legacies lasting. But all impact is squashed when films like this exist in such a space. It’s an unashamed photocopy. Full of lazy cliches, inspired by the most regrettable set pieces from films prior, audiences will find that this cannibalistic pig delivers very little to chew on.
★
On digital from June 2nd / Lauren Staerck, Alina Desmond, Valery Danko, Shayli Reagan, Alexander Butler / Andrea M. Catinella / The Movie Partnership, Strike Media / 18
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