Long Pigs

When the trailer for "Long Pigs" first hit the scene people were already dismissing the movie as being another flick trying to cash in on movies like "Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity". There were even some who were calling it a rip-off of the "August Underground" series. Basic assumptions from the trailer are understandable, it is a faux-documentary after all, but really there is more to the movie than that. If I had to compare it to anything there is only one movie that comes to mind and that is "Man Bites Dog".

Yes, this movie could have gone the cheap and easy way and been nothing more than another faux-snuff movie to appeal to the gore fans and make a quick headline of being a shock title. But "Long Pigs" clearly wanted to be more than that and is more than that; it wants to shock the viewers with realism instead of gore gags. The movie is about two would-be filmmakers following around a cannibalistic serial killer while including interviews of investigators and psychiatrists. Play the interviews against the actions of our killer, Anthony McAlistar to demonstrate that what we believe a killer is, may not actually be true.

This is what makes "Long Pigs" stand out; it doesn't go for the cheap thrill-ride of being a shock flick. It wants to get under your skin by portraying what a killer could be and is. It isn't necessarily the eccentric schizo writing things on the wall with their own feces; it's the person next door. Or in this case, the guy next door. The one we don't suspect, the quite one who blends into the crowd which is what makes it so frightening. It's the person we don't see coming. "Long Pigs" gets to you with this idea of it being the common man and then shakes you up as you watch this Anthony McAlistar character act nonchalant about what he is doing. While not exactly blowing your mind with psycho-killer philosophy the things he does and the things he says kind of brings cannibalism into a different light. Maybe because the actor portraying Anthony is able to sell this cold and frightening killer so well, it makes what he says that much more thought provoking. By questioning how we as a society look at our food and treat what we believe to be inferior creatures. Would it be or is it so wrong that if a person is stronger than another to be able to kill them and eat them if we choose to? This is how we view the animal kingdom so why does it change for people? Naturally, our upbringing and understanding of laws and morality tells us this is wrong, but to watch a person who doesn't see it the same way keeps you glued to the movie.

Because the movie chooses to focus on the character Anthony it doesn't dwell on the killings and butchering of the people often. There are several people killed but it is done in a much more realistic manner in that Anthony uses what will get the job done, most of which was a pistol with a silencer. For the butchering, you only get to watch him prepare two people throughout the entire movie. While disappointing to those who want gore it goes back to the movie getting to the viewer simply by the character and not so much his actions. You watch and get to listen to him treat these people as nothing but meat to be served for food while having the charisma of a cooking show host.

"Long Pigs" works so well because it doesn't dwell on the violence but on the people. While it is able to show Anthony as this cold blooded killer is able to do some truly unthinkable acts without batting an eyelash at it. It also points a finger at the "filmmakers" of the movie, like how "Cannibal Holocaust" asked us who are the real savages. "Long Pigs" asks us who is the psychopath, Anthony or these two men who are looking to profit and gain notoriety by exploiting the killer and the victims. In one of movie's more effective moments, we find out Anthony at one point killed and ate a child (a young girl) to see if "the meat" can be different merely by age. Once the filmmakers learn about this they go and interview the young girl's father and shows the callous and cold hearted nature of these two. It goes to show this is what is done and what lengths people will go to for a story in the world of media.

Going back to what I said earlier, if I had to compare "Long Pigs" to any movie it would have to be"Man Bites Dog". The two movies are so much alike I would say "Long Pigs" is the low-budget equivalent of "Man Bites Dog". I don't mean that in a bad way at all, but that's the best way to describe it. The movie effectively shows the twisted world and views of a killer who truly believes that there isn't anything wrong with what he is doing. The movie also takes a look at the type of people that we believe are serial killers and the contradictions that come with those ideas of who and what these people are. As well as looking at the roles these killers play in our society, how we as a race view the natural order of where the strong survive and the weak are killed. Our order on the food chain and our obsession with the media. "Long Pigs" is definitely a must see for those who are looking to get more out of their horror movies. -FilmBizarro.com

Even though I'm not a big fan of mockumentaries, ( I prefer pure fiction or pure documentary, the mix is often neither fish nor fowl ), I had somewhat high hopes for this. But what can I say? I understand the reasoning behind the film; to give us a matter-of-factly view into the motives and actions of your next-door cannibal, contrast his unspeakable deeds and grotesque philosophical musings with his more mundane everyday-activities, and out of these contrasts horror shall grow. And often this recipe works very well, perhaps because this is so close to reality, many serial killers are often unassuming and tedious in their sheepish guise, the type nobody would suspect to be a killer. The film that comes closest to Long Pigs is of course Man Bites Dog, but in that film everything works and the end-product is a diamond.In Long Pigs on the other hand this approach doesn't work at all, and what you are left with is a boring man's life spiced up with a couple of scenes of slaughter for good measure. You know something is wrong when two thirds of the film is a yawn-fest of smalltalk, and one third is spent on the actual deeds. And even the sections of slaughter doesn't really convey any sense of menace and horror, fair enough the special effects are great ( hence the three stars ), but I could just as well have enjoyed an episode of Hell's Kitchen, at least there you get a certain sense of dread. Here, on the other hand, it is non- existing, and that, in a horror-film is a mortal sin. If you want a brilliant mockumentary, watch Man Bites Dog, if you want a proper cookery-class, watch Cannibal Holocaust or Cannibal. Avoid this snoozer.

A quick glance at Anthony McAlistar and you would think that he is your average every day kind of guy. He doesn't talk funny. He doesn't have a limp or a feature that would make him stick out in a crowd. Nope. Anthony is your everybody kind of guy.

Oh wait. There is one thing. Anthony is a cannibal serial killer.

The film Long Pigs sets out to explore the everyday life of Anthony in a faux-documentary type style. A cameraman and a journalist will follow Anthony through various kills and dismemberments as the feature star of his own documentary.

Anthony (Anthony Alviano) couldn't be more convincing or terrifying in his simple and realistic approach as the murderer-next-door. He is calm and purposeful. And when he begins to chow down on random strangers, the documentary style as presented by directors Chris Power and Nathan Hynes is a perfect complement to explore the ferocious homicidal maniac living inside the man.

Currently on DVD and touring the festival circuits across North America, Long Pigs is an above average independent film with some of the most realistic make-up and effects that you will see in a film with the budget of a Michael Bay craft table.

The effects are balanced with intelligent dialogue and attentive detail to the production. Anthony's speeches about his cannibalism not being sexual – "It's culinary" - and his description of having to tie off the human anus to prevent contamination were brilliantly orchestrated with accompanying horror style visuals that make Long Pigs more fascinating than revolting.

If the notion that a serial killer is the 'quiet type that lives next door', then Long Pigs' Anthony embodies the idea to a tee. He plays hockey, he visits his ailing mother and even eats with strangers as if it were an everyday event (while a body lies in his car trunk no less).

Watching Anthony carefully slaughter and store a human body like a seasoned butcher was as real as any effect you will see in a big budgeted film of the same genre. Special FX make-up by Chris Bridges and Tony Labatt are the highlight of the film filled with fascinating winks back to the gullible audience.

Not trying to overpopulate the film with countless characters and subplots, Power and Hynes keep the film headed in a straight forward motion towards an ending that was unexpected yet not overly forced. We get cuts from interviews of a police detective, a behavioral analyst and scenes of a radio personality giving their take on the carnage left in Anthony's wake, but the movie centers and focuses on Anthony without a barrage of interference.

Long Pig is a 'Culinary term for the human corpse' and after experiencing a glimpse into the life of a madman, I am disappointed in myself when I report that I would buy the cookbook Anthony longs to scribe.

Long Pigs is available on DVD and should be searched out. It is a charming and absorbing feature that has put its production team on my 'To Watch' List.

www.killerreviews.com

The movie got some attention worldwide due the limited release of the DVD with a package of jerky. I got mine by contacting the director. Of course I had seen the trailer and immediately two films came into my mind, August Underground and C'est Arrivé Près De Chéz Vous (better known overseas as Man Bites Dog). After watching it I would rather compare it more to Man Bites Dog. August is more about brutality with a small storyline. Here we have the same story as Man Bites Dog. A director and his crew agrees to follow a killer. But not a normal one, a cannibal. Sometimes it's, just like MBD, a bit funny. Like making some stew from human parts. I won't go as far as other reviewers by asking who's worser, the killer or the crew. The difference between MBD and Long Pigs is the fact that Long Pigs goes more into the mind of the killer. It's all filmed docu style. It never becomes really gory but still, some scene's are really well done and are not for the faint hearted. See how he rips the flesh from one victim in an accelerated scene. Somehow you can see the end coming, but when it comes it's again not for the squeamish. Nice low budget which doesn't need the gore to keep you attracted.

I'm so sick of found footage horror I could scream, but I saw Long Pigs last night and it was fantastic. I'd say it has to be in the top five best films of the genre. The practical effects were outstanding. Definitely watch the Special Features on how they made the bodies. The acting was a little weak at first, but they found their groove before the halfway mark and it really started to click. I have to say I saw the ending coming, but I was not disappointed by that. The score was probably the weakest thing about the movie. I would have preferred silence to the urban remix of "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies". I get the point they were trying to make with that choice, but to me that particular piece is way overused. It's on my blacklist with "O Fortuna" and the chorus from Beethoven's 9th. Just don't. The script was better than average. The acting got better and better as the movie carried on. Cinematography is always my complaint with these kinds of movies. I said the same thing about REC: This is supposed to be a PROFESSIONAL cameraman. He should be able to hold a camera still sometimes. I wish they hadn't fast-forwarded through the butchery scene. That could have been really horrifying if they had been able to pull it off realistically and we had gotten to see it. Overall, great flick. Not a rip-off of August Underground by a mile. I hate found-footage horror, but I loved this.