Long Pigs

Odd Canadian film has two obviously first time documentary filmmakers following around a cannibalistic serial killer as he first stalks and kills his victims, then prepares them in stews and barbecues for consumption.

The way this is all show in nonchalantly and in such an off-hand manner adds to the dramatic effect as he literally hangs his prizes upside down, decapitates them and hacks them apart piece by piece, extracting "the best parts" for consumption along the way. The practical effects are absolutely amazing I must say. There is one incredible scene where they show him preparing an entire body in a very fast forward sequence that must have been a gruelling long shot.

The performances are all pretty credible here, and the movie is well shot. The winter Canadian scenery is nice to look at with one scene in particular showing New Years at the Toronto City Hall.

Fun fare for fans of the genre.

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.

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

In LONG PIGS, two fledgling filmmakers make a documentary chronicling the exploits of Anthony McAlistar (Anthony Alviano), a serial-killing cannibal. This is intercut with interviews with a police detective, and an expert on psychopathic serial-murderers.

What is truly jarring about this film is Anthony's nonchalance as he goes about his gruesome business, explaining things, and answering various questions. The documentarians are also pretty laid-back about it all, in spite of the bloody horrors unfolding in front of them. They go along with Anthony for his liesure activities as well. This helps with the realism aspect.

The deadpan approach of LONG PIGS is quite effective, as it was in other such films, like MAN BITES DOG. As in that movie, this could be about any mundane subject, and it would feel the same. Of course, what makes this different from regular docs is the splatter and cannibalism. There are other similarities between the two movies, as in the increasing complicity of the filmmakers.

Make no mistake. There's some pretty shocking stuff here! Those who are easily disturbed might want to avoid this, or at least keep plenty of barf bags handy!

That said, this is still a superior "found footage / mockumentary" film. It's certainly humorous in a very dark, macabre, sometimes -extremely- cynical way. One time-lapse sequence is particularly well-done, gory, and bizarre, accompanied by Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

A classic of its subgenre, with a fantastic finale, and a satisfying epilogue...

A truly great indie horror flick that flew way under the radar. Think Man Bites Dog + Behind the Mask + Street Thief, but with a charismatic cannibal as your murderous main character, and some gloriously morbid practical FX. Track this one down, it deserves a bigger fanbase.

It's the rare indie genre film that transcends its low budget with a balance of character work, witty humor, gore, and being engaging start to finish. Without spoiling much, an amateur film crew follows around a serial killer and connoisseur of human delights, Anthony McAlistar, documenting his murderous day-to-day routine, and eventually find themselves lending a hand in the ritual.

One thing that makes the film so enjoyable is the main character, played by Anthony Alviano. His performance as serial killer / human flesh connoisseur Anthony McAlistar elevates a micro-budget faux doc to an entertaining indie gem worthy of repeat viewings. He's calm, charismatic, menacing, and kinda likable (for a guy who kills and eats people).

Another asset worth mentioning are the practical FX. In one scene, after dispatching a prostitute with a club, we watch McAlistar completely dismember the body like an animal in a slaughterhouse. It's brutal, unforgettable, and won't disappoint gorehounds.

In a more "lighthearted" moment, the film crew documents McAlistar as he gleefully prepares a pot of human stew in his kitchen. As he slurps a spoonful for a taste-test, he waxes poetic about the decadence of eating human meat. It's a clever nod to Hannibal Lector, giving the archetypal cannibal a hilarious "foodie" touch. Brilliant stuff.

Long Pigs is screaming to be rediscovered. Easily one of my favorite indie horror / found footage / faux doc flicks, I hope to see it garner a sizable cult following someday. Whether or not that'll happen, I'm happy to have a copy in my collection.