“We have the opportunity to do something outside the Hollywood system,” producer/director Jim Isaac tells Fango of his next horror feature, PIG FARM. “Something new and fresh, [and we have the] creative freedom to make something that is completely balls-to-the-wall!”
Currently prepping the project for a Northern California shoot later this month, Isaac, who also previously helmed JASON X, THE HORROR SHOW and the upcoming SKINWALKERS (pictured), will direct from a script by Robert Mailer Anderson (who also co-produces) and Zach Anderson. “It’s darkly comic and combines the best of DELIVERANCE, JAWS and DINER,” he says, “but remains uniquely Nor-Cal in its tone and scope. It’s cinematic ‘punkabilly’: fresh, shocking and not for the faint of heart.”
Slated for a six-week shoot in San Francisco and the rural enclave of Boonville, PIG FARM revolves around John, a Bay Area resident who journeys with some pals (and hottie girlfriend Brooks) to his deceased uncle’s remote ranch in order to do some pig hunting. As these things always go, however, what was intended as a enjoyable expedition quickly devolves into terror, as the group learns the truth regarding the demise of John’s uncle, as well as that behind the legend of “The Ripper,” a murderous, 3,000-pound black boar which roams the forest. Throw in high-powered weaponry, fields of marijuana, the unpredictable antics of a violent local redneck population, massacred emus, a machete-toting hippie stranger and “throat-slitting cult girls who grow dope by days and worship the killer pig by night,” and Issac promises, “By the time the pig hunt is done, no one is innocent or unscathed.
“Our goal is to make this movie our way,” he continues, “without the influence of the Hollywood machine that unfortunately has created a system that chips away at the creative process with little respect for the filmmakers. I simply want to do something my way for once.” Joining him in this prospect are “a very colorful group of interesting actors,” reveals the director, “who are all consistent with the tone and vibe of the film.”
He isn’t lying; the production has already tapped prog-rock outfit Primus frontman Les Claypool, blues/jazz harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite and New York activist-poet Byronn Bain (playing the hippie stranger) for roles in the film. “The rest of the cast are unknown but talented Nor-Cal actors,” says Isaac. The crew he’s assembled for PIG FARM is anything but green, however; it includes Academy Award-winning production designer Geoffrey (CHILDREN OF MEN) Kirkland, Oscar recipient and costumer designer Aggie Guerard (RETURN OF THE JEDI) Rodgers, SKINWALKERS director of photography Adam Kane and Kerner Optical (“formerly Industrial Light & Magic model shop,” says the director), who’ll be bringing the humongous hog to life.
“PIG FARM is the most exciting project I’ve done to date,” Isaac concludes. “It’s sexy, gory, outrageous, scary, dark, twisted, funny…you name it, we’ve got it! And since I’ve decided to go completely independent, I have no adult supervision!” Stay tuned to Fango for further developments.
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