Long Pigs (2010)
Directed by Chris Power and Nathan Hynes
Cast: Anthony Alviano, Shane Harbinson, Roger King, Kelly McIntosh, Nathan Hynes, Chris Power,
Review by Marc Patterson

Long Pig is a Polynesian term for human flesh, specifically in reference towards cannibalism. Though on the surface Long Pigs is about a common all-American serial killing cannibal next door, there’s a lot more happening with this low budget indie film from writer/director duo Chris Power and Nathan Hynes. The story unfolds with a disclaimer: “The following documentary film contains scenes of extreme graphic violence, nudity, coarse language, and mature themes which may be offensive to some viewers. Parental discretion is strongly advised.” It’s obvious we are meant to watch this as a full blown documentary, and not an attempt at faux docu-drama. Let’s give the filmmakers the shadow of doubt and do as they wish.

The film opens with a young man, in his mid to late twenties, dressed in a white butchers coat, doused in dried blood, lifting the body of a woman by her ankles. He’s explaining to the filmmakers his philosophy on what makes good eating and the best way to keep and cure a body once you’ve killed them. Meet (or should that be “meat”?) Anthony McAlistar. McAlistar (portrayed by a convincing Anthony Alviano) simply isn’t your everyday psychopath. He’s a connoisseur of good taste, and he can whip up one tasty long pig chili that might even have a hardened vegetarian salivating. Meat matters.

The focus of the documentary piece is clearly McAlistar, and we follow him through his daily existence initially focusing on the who and how of his kills, and then on the preparation of his victims, and of course we spend plenty of time watching him enjoy the fruits of his labor. Except there’s nary a fruit in sight. The film initially starts as a dark comedy. We laugh with ease as the filmmakers and McAlistar cruise the town on the search for the perfect prostitute to abduct. “No way!” McAlistar exclaims at one point. “Way too stringy!” Guess that rules out the crack whores. What goes into the body makes a difference to taste. He finally settles on a hooker guaranteed to make for the perfect soup.

It doesn’t take long before the film begins to delve into deeper terrain and the sub-textual commentary pours off the screen, yet never in a way that detracts from the story, but only augmenting what is happening on screen. What do we do with serial killers? Do we really try to understand and help them or should we simply execute them all? But the filmmakers don’t stop there. They take a moment to turn the camera around and direct it at themselves. Long Pigs points an incriminating finger at the media that sensationalizes crime to break a story, or sell more book copies, or DVD’s, often at the expense of the victims and their families. It also asks the question of when does a documentary filmmaker, or reporter, draw the line on what is ethical vs. objective reporting? If the job of a documentary filmmaker is to understand and relate their chosen subject matter to the public, then when do they say “This is too much,” or “This crosses the line.” Or do they bother at all?

**Warning!! The paragraph below contains minor spoilers. Please skip if you don’t wish to get involved!**

Luckily, the film never gets overly introspective, though certainly takes a sobering turn with the inclusion of a particular child abduction story where McAlistar almost hesitantly speaks of how eating children is ultimately too much of a hassle. The inclusion of an interview with the distraught father breaking down while McAlistar stands in the background acting as one of the documentarians as he operates a boom mic. Suddenly this black comedy turns McAlistar from a comical killer to a truly evil villain, which only furthers the points that Hynes and Power are making. We say “a tragedy” almost dismissively when a neighbor goes missing. We don’t blink an eye at the loss of a prostitute, but we get ready to go vigilante when someone harms a kid.

The acting in the film is rather solid. Anthony Alvino lives and breathes his character to near-frightening perfection, showing us his eager excitement at getting to share his story with the world. When we get a chance to look into his eyes we see something believably dark. Alongside him is a cast of supporting actors that drive the effectiveness home. I wouldn’t have been able to stay with the film if the filmmakers were content to be pedestrian in their approach to the casting. Just as in making good long pig soup may reside in the meat, all the parts make up the whole.

It would be enough if the film managed to simply entertain, but Long Pigs is effective in making an end product that is far more than just simple entertainment. While not overly grisly, it does contain a few graphic moments of gory extremes that will satiate the blood lust of goremongers everywhere. My only criticism is that at times the film feels dragged out, and disjointed in how it presents the narrative, but I would have to say this is a rather modest criticism, and one I can live with all things considered.

The bottom line? I get a lot of shit indie horror films sent to me. Most aren’t even worth the time to watch through in fast forward. Long Pigs is a highly original and sickening horror film, and one of the better ones that are likely to come along. It obviously won’t be getting any major theatrical release, but you should make a point to look for it when it hits DVD later this year. Check out the trailer below.

Long Pigs Official Trailer HD 480p from www.jordan-entertainment.com on Vimeo.