Kevin Lewis made a cult splash with Willy’s Wonderland, the gonzo horror-comedy that let Nicolas Cage loose on demonic animatronics. His new film, Pig Hill, takes him in an entirely different direction. Premiering at FrightFest 2025, the adaptation of Nancy Williams’s novel trades outrageous comedy for something far darker and more sinister, rooting itself in the eerie urban legend of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
“I really like the whole themes of what it was trying to say,” Lewis explained when asked what drew him to the project. “It’s a horror movie, right? It’s like a psychological horror movie, but there’s also a lot of drama going on with these characters and themes of what’s going on now with gaslighting and grooming. That really attracted me. The twist in the third act was one that I was like, I got to do this movie”.
The film follows Carrie (Rainey Qualley), who becomes consumed by the legend of the “pig people” after a series of disappearances in town. Alongside her brother Chris (Shiloh Fernandez) and friend Andy (Shane West), she ventures into folklore that might not be myth at all. Shot on location in Meadville, Lewis felt strongly about using the real backdrop of the legend. “It was very important,” he said. “Going out there to that town, it’s like the pig people… we had pig people beer in the movie, and there’s signs of missing girls at the bars. That legend is real. Even going to these places you can feel it”.
Fans of Willy’s Wonderland might be surprised by the shift in tone, but Lewis sees continuity in how he approaches genre. “Horror is a great genre, right? You could do a lot of stuff with it. To me, horror is great drama with the characters. With Willy’s I built that world, and with Pig Hill, we’re building that world too. I want to do different films, not keep repeating the same thing. Visually, you might see a little bit of Willy’s in Pig Hill, but the tone drifts into more sinister horror. It’s very different, and that’s what’s exciting about it”.
Lewis, who studied film at USC and has directed a wide range of independent features, is clear that his visual stamp matters. Coming from a photography background, he aims to craft frames that stand on their own. “Even though these are indie films with crunch time and shoestring budgets, I really want to put up an image you could just hang and frame. But always serving the story and character. Cinema is a visual medium, and you really need to show what you’re doing”.
The director is candid about the toll of making films but insists that it is all about putting in everything he has. “Life’s too short. When you make these movies, it takes a bit of your soul. So I want to do something that’s artistically pleasing for me, that I’m going to put everything I have into”.
Ultimately, Lewis hopes Pig Hill will leave a lasting impression. “I would love it to resonate with people. I think it’s a movie that love it or hate it, you’re not going to forget it. It could be very polarizing, and I knew that going in. But that’s what’s great art. It evokes emotion. Whether negative or positive, it stays with you”.
If Willy’s Wonderland established Lewis as a bold voice unafraid of the bizarre, Pig Hill shows he is just as willing to dive headfirst into the shadows of folklore and psychological horror. As it premieres at FrightFest, audiences will discover whether his feverish vision of Meadville’s darkest legend leaves an imprint that’s hard to shake.
Jessie Hobson