PIGS (1972) from Vinegar Syndrome
Directed by: Marc Lawerence
Starring: Toni Lawrence, Marc Lawrence & Jesse Vint
I can recall going into Leisure Time Video as a kid with my father and always seeing the artwork of the Pigs VHS on the shelf and never being allowed to rent it. Twenty some years later and I have finally gotten the chance to see this flick thanks to the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome. I had always assumed that it was filled with Pigs eating people and I am sure my father did too which is probably why he never let me rent it, 
which turns out really isn’t what was going on in Marc Lawrence’s film.
Zambrini owns a pig farm and roadside café. He is an oddball that isn’t very liked by the people in the town. He is a former circus performer who died in an act and came back to life. He hasn’t been completely normal since then. His two neighbors are tormented by his pigs and claim that they have witnessed Zambrini feeding dead bodies to his pigs at night and are constantly calling the police on him. Lynn Hart stumbles into Zambrini’s looking for a job and a place to stay. Fleeing from her father, Zambrini takes her in. She is very much liked by all the male patrons of the café. She seems like a normal girl just trying to find her place in the world, but we so start to wonder which one of our characters is actually the crazy one.
So Pigs isn’t necessarily the film you are expecting, but what we get is more of a character study. We have one character we are certain is crazy and we witness another possibly going insane. Of course that’s up for you to decide. You do get to see some pigs eating people though, so if that’s what you are wanting, it’s there. For a film that has escaped me for over half my life, Pigs did not disappoint. While it’s not over violent or gory it does deliver in a big way. Some of the best scenes in my opinion are dream sequences or delusion’s, one of them made me think the film was going into another direction entirely. Which if I am being honest, I want to see that version of the film!
Now as I said I haven’t seen the original VHS and I have no idea if Troma ever released it on DVD, but this transfer looks great! That is one thing you always see in Vinegar Syndrome’s BD releases. The sound quality is pretty good as well. The pigs are overly loud for that scare factor, but the dialogue is sometimes a little lower than others or it could’ve just been my son being loud as per usual. I am not sure which, but overall it’s a stellar release. Bonus features include; a really great interview with actress Toni Lawrence, an interview with composer Charles Bernstein, alternate openings, an alternate ending and more!
I am very happy that Vinegar Syndrome released this 70’s gem. It’s been on my list for about as long as I can remember and like I said the film did not disappoint. As previously stated this is not a creature feature with killer pigs, we definitely get something more than that. With an outstanding cast and some man eating pigs, I believe this film will gain a whole new horde of fans thanks to Vinegar Syndrome.
Absolution.
exorcast.com 