Pig hunt (2008)

I always like a really nice try when it comes to movies, when the filmmakers at least try to do something special. Even though it turns out to be somewhat of a failure, you can sense that there is some talent behind the camera and movies like are usually entertaining. Pig hunt is a perfect example of a nice try.

A group of friends leave San Francisco and head out into the woods to hunt for some legendary giant boar that is supposed to roam the forest. They hook up with some fairly unfriendly rednecks who are also looking for the critter and soon it turns into a Jawsclone on land. Well, actually, I lied. It actually takes of into another direction, more Deliverance than Jaws actually. But then there's that really weird cult of hippies, consisting of a huge black guy and a dozen naked women that will sure that the plot will take of into another direction. Confusing? Not really once you watch the movie.

The plot plays out like a Jerry Gross produced remake of Deliverance with a couple of nasty creatures thrown into the mix and works just fine. The problem is that with such a sleazy story, there should be a hell of a lot of grue, and there isnt really that much. It actually feels pretty tame at times. There are a few violent deaths but with material like this you feel a bit ripped off. It doesnt really help that script never creates any decent characters to root for, so when the Deliverance parts come crawling you dont really care about the main characters, you just want to see more of the naked chicks. Well, there is actually one character that's not a major asshole and he gets a pretty brutal and undignified death so I guess that is some sort of compensation.

And that is why Pig hunt is a nice try. The filmmakers try hard but fail. The script has lots of fun ideas but never goes to the excesses the movie needs to be the grindhouse experience it wants to be. It is still a fun movie, well worth watching, but had potential for greatness. Maybe there is an unrated version out there?