Director Kevin Lewis Talks ‘Pig Hill’ and the Urban Legend that Inspired It [Interview]

Inspired by a real-life urban legend, Willy’s Wonderland director Kevin Lewis’ Pig Hill follows one woman’s descent into the brutal nightmare world of the pig people of Pig Hill.

Following the disappearance of several local women, Carrie (Rainey Qualley) begins her own investigation into the mysterious disappearances. Carrie’s only ally is her brother Chris (Shiloh Fernandez), until she meets Andy (Shane West), who returns to his hometown of Meadsville after a long absence.

Written by Jarrod Burris (Street Pillow or, the Sidewalk Sleep) and directed by Lewis, Pig Hill is a chilling horror movie that incorporates actual local urban legends in Meadsville, Pennsylvania, with themes of trauma, addiction, and mental illness, and ultimately leads to a shocking conclusion.

Bloody Disgusting spoke with director Kevin Lewis about Pig Hill and the Pennsylvania urban legend that inspired it, Rainey Qualley’s bold performance, and why he loves the horror genre.

Bloody Disgusting: I read that Pig Hill is inspired by a Pennsylvania urban legend involving mysterious disappearances of local women. Can you tell me about the urban legend?

Kevin Lewis: It is true. The people of Meadville grew up with that legend; they’ve been hearing about it for decades. Everyone had different perspectives and opinions on the pig people and the origin of Pig Hill. What’s also interesting is that the part about the missing women is true. You go to the bars and restaurants, and they actually have Xerox flyers on the door of missing women in this little town. It’s kind of spooky [laughs]. So, it is all true.

BD: When did that happen?

KL: When I was talking to people, they were kids when it happened, and they’re in their 40s and 50s now, and they’re still talking about it. So, this has been going on for a long time. They would talk about Pig Hill and trying to camp out there, and there are just all these different stories and urban legend tales around it. So, I think Nancy Williams took that and wrote the novel Pig based on that.

Rainey Qualley and Shane West in Pig Hill

BD: Meadville is the town in the movie where the story takes place, and it was actually filmed in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Why did you decide to shoot the film there?

KL: The producers were from Meadville, and they wanted to make movies in Pennsylvania; they wanted to make independent films there. There was an article there about a year before I got involved, talking about the book Pig, and they were looking to make a movie there. It was great because the crew, and especially the producers, were in the school of George Romero. They worked with George on his movies; they interacted with him. There are links and ties to George Romero, and they wanted to bring movies, especially independent horror movies, back to Pennsylvania.

What was exciting about it was shooting in Meadville, the book takes place in Meadville, and Nancy Williams, who wrote the book, is from Meadville, and Ted Watts, Jr., the producer, is from Meadville. We got all the real locations that are in the book. So, that was kind of exciting. There was some creative license on some things, of course, but to be there and go to the police station and you’re walking across to the park, and you’re going to the bar; it’s just really centralized. It was great because I had free rein of the town and the bookstore. It was great.

BD: Pig Hill was written by Jarrod Burris and is based on the book Pig by Nancy Williams. What did you like most about the story when you read the script that made you want to make this movie?

KL: It was the third act, the twist, basically. I just went, “Wow! That’s something interesting.” And then trying to balance that and make it as real as possible, so for me it was the characters, the interactions of the characters, and what they go through, and Carrie’s journey. We kind of live in a gaslighting society. You think something is going on, but something else is happening, right? Everyone is kind of bending their own world to their narrative, so to speak. I like that whole idea of that. Then playing around kind of with the MacGuffin of the pig people and the pig creatures and what that would look like and be and feel. What the characters are going through, their trials and tribulations, the emotional journey of Carrie and Chris and Andy, just really sparked my attention. It was interesting to make something grounded and real with folklore and also phantasmic; build a world of genre with an otherworldly feel to it.

Rainey Qualley in in Pig Hill

BD: This film has a great cast with a really intriguing story, but it does deal with some disturbing subject matter. Rainey Qualley, who plays Carrie, is amazing. Without getting into spoilers, what was it like working with her, especially when it comes to filming the more difficult scenes?

KL: Rainey was fantastic, and she really brought her A game to this movie, and we hit it on all levels. She understood the character, and we really talked about the hurdles that Carrie has to go through, and kind of going in and out of the dream sequences and what’s real and what’s not. The whole pursuit of the truth; she wants to find out about the pig people because she’s writing this book. It’s got kind of a true crime vibe to it. With the twist and how things happen there, how would she feel about that? She has a transcendent quality about her. It’s kind of otherworldly when she goes into those dreams and hypnosis and things. It’s very bright, and she’s pulling the audience in, and then she’s trying to figure out, like we are, what’s going on. I just think she did a really great job.

BD: Pig Hill isn’t your first horror movie. What appeals to you about the horror genre the most, and do you plan to continue making horror movies in the future?

KL: Yes, absolutely. I love horror movies. What I love about horror is that, at the end of the day, it’s good drama. It’s always about the characters and about the heart and what’s going on with the story. What I love about horror is the aesthetics; you can build that world. You can do psychological horror, sci-fi horror, body horror, and slashers. There are just all sorts of horror that you can do and build worlds with it, and you can do it with limited budgets, with what your mind brings you. For me, it’s a fun playground because you can build this world and build this kind of vibe and build this tapestry of colors. It’s great aesthetics with the camera, so I love still photography and cinematography. I’m a huge fan of all that.

That’s what got me into making movies. Storytelling and using the visual art form of it and cinematography. So, I’m not always down for shooting everything on a green screen. I get it, those movies need that, and that’s what you’ve got to do. But I love practical effects, setting up the set, having the fog machine, and giving it that mood. You’re seeing it as we’re shooting it. It’s funny because I was thinking about James Cameron, and he’s been talking about Avatar, and it’s so different. He talks about how he works with the actors for a year, and he doesn’t even figure out cameras or moves or anything. He does that later when it’s all shot, and the performances are captured. I love the idea of a group of artists getting together and building worlds with costumes and wardrobe and vibe and mood and texture and tone and lenses and working with the actors. Horror is the best genre for that. You can really run wild, creatively building worlds.

Shiloh Fernandez in Pig Hill

BD: Are you working on anything new that you can tell me about?

KL: Yes, I’ve got a movie called Oak that’s coming out that’s really cool and has a Stranger Things vibe. It’s a teen horror movie. I’ve got a movie called Misdirection, that is kind of a crime noir home invasion thriller. And then I’ve got a movie called I Am Your Driver. Jeremy Piven plays a limousine driver, and it takes place in the nineties. He picks up a group of six kids, and they think they’re going to prom, but he takes them somewhere else [laughs]. Those are the ones I’m working on now, and hopefully a couple of others in the near future.

Pig Hill debuts on Digital and VOD on December 9, 2025 from Cineverse. A physical release will follow January 13, 2026, with streaming on SCREAMBOX beginning March 10, 2026.