Movie Review // Holland Road Massacre: The Legend of Pigman (2020)

 

Following my watch of "Cracula", I have gone into this genre of horror films now which feature Kristina Santiago.   "Holland Road Massacre: The Legend of Pigman" is available for free to stream (along with some other films) on the official Fox Trot Productions YouTube Channel and it's interesting because of the way which it builds.

The film begins with a person who is out in the woods, filming some set up in the snow and then she happens upon Pigman.  She comments how she likes his mask and then asks if she can shoot video of him, never once thinking how he might be dangerous.  This very first scene sets the tone for this entire film and I feel like in the year 2026 it is perhaps even more important than it was in 2020, when this film was made.

Too many people who are content creators (or artists even) are so focused on the task in front of them, they don't think about the possibility of danger.  Though not exactly the same, it's the type of person who would see something coming like a tornado and think "This video will get so many views" and not "Time to pack up what I can and get out of the way".  I just think as a society we are too focused on the wrong things.

So, Pigman rather violently cuts off her hand as she tries to make a video of him and the killing begins.   There are several different characters in this film and though they all are seemingly doing their own thing, by the end they do all become intertwined and so when that comes up it just feels so fitting and so perfect.

Inside of their house, we begin with the characters of Kylie (played by Kristina Santiago) and her boyfriend.  It does feel somewhat like Kristina Santiago has the biggest role in here, perhaps tied for screen time with Heather Dunham, who we will get to in a minute, and Pigman himself.   So Kylie convinces her boyfriend that they should go into the haunted woods and search for Pigman.   We see footage of them starting off into the woods, even though throughout most of this film it is snowing.

Now we get to Lauren (Heather Dunham) who is out driving and stops because the roads are bad.  She's trying to get a signal on her phone and begins walking when she happens upon Kylie.  This whole thing is sort of chopped up and served to you in a way which might not make sense when I'm typing it out, but as you're watching it unfold on film, it makes complete sense by the end.   So Kylie's boyfriend is dead and she seems to have survived as Lauren tries to save her.

All this same time, we have a detective going around asking questions about missing people, which is related to the Pigman case.   By the end of the film it's revealed that Lauren is that detective's daughter, so when we saw her making phone calls to check in, that's who she was checking in with.   But no one survives this except for Pigman and a weird guy who eats roadkill.  

Some of the parts of this film that I like are when Kylie's boyfriend tries to run away from Pigman and Pigman just sort of shrugs him off.  Eventually, he does die, but it seems like- and this is later confirmed in the film- that Pigman's only problem with you is if you're in his woods.  He's like the old man saying "Get off my lawn" except it's more like "Get out of my woods".

I'm not sure why Pigman swings an axe as his weapon of choice, but seeing Kylie die by taking it to the crotch was one of the most unfortunate and brutal killings I've seen in recent memory.  If you're in a film where you're likely to do, at least go out in a memorable way, right?

The actors, plot and how this all moves along in pieces is so well done but it's also based on an urban legend which comes from the actual Holland Road where this was shot.  All of that aside (Though it does make this film stand out for all the right reasons) I also enjoy how director/co-writer Emir Skalonja uses sound in this film.  There are two very distinct ways this film will be: loud or silent.

With a lot of this just being out in the snow, as it continues to snow, such as when Lauren's out of her car walking around, it's just so quiet that it becomes eerie.  It's fitting though, because if you've ever been out in the snow like that there is this unsettling silence that you feel like even if you yell for help no one will be able to hear you.

But when Pigman is coming, the mood changes and so does the sound.  Big, metal riffs come in like the band Dead To Fall makes.  It's just so heavy and perfect for the idea of "Someone is about to get fucked up" because you can just tell by the music.   For me, those sounds play a large role in the film and they may not be necessary (Though I could also argue that they are) but I definitely feel like they enhance the experience.

If you happen to have the time and enjoy films where people go hunting for a mythical creature only to find it and not like that they did find him. then this is the type of adrenaline rush you should be watching.  With this also being free on YouTube, you really have no excuses not to make the time if you want to see Pigman go around swinging his axe- and realistically you should have every reason to want to see this.