Pig Killer appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a solid image.
Sharpness largely worked fine. Occasionally interiors came across as a bit soft, but the majority of the movie appeared pretty accurate and well-defined.
No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to manifest.
Colors opted for a heavy sense of orange and amber, so other hues popped up only sporadically. Within this limited palette, the tones felt well-rendered.
Blacks seemed deep and dense, while shadows offered good delineation. I found little about which to complain here.
On the other hand, the film came with an oddly unbalanced DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. In particular, the mix featured music in the back channels far too actively.
The movie came with pop songs nearly non-stop, and they used the rear speakers to a dominant degree. While the music didn’t quite overwhelm the rest of the material, it nonetheless turned into a distraction.
It didn’t help that the rest of the mix tended to feel borderline monaural. Speech and effects concentrated on the forward domain, but they didn’t show much breadth or movement.
Audio quality worked fine, at least, as dialogue appeared natural and concise. Effects boasted good accuracy as well.
Music felt fairly vivid and full. Despite these positives, the awkward and off-kilter soundfield made this a “C-“ mix.
When we head to extras, we get two featurettes under Behind the Scenes. The first concentrates on actor Ginger Lynn Allen (6:04), while the second features actor Michael Paré (3:07) along with director Chad Ferrin.
Allen looks at aspects of her career and her work on Killer, while Paré mostly goofs around on the set. The Paré reel seems fairly useless, but Allen appears surprisingly blunt, especially as she discusses her time in adult films.
30 Deleted/Alternate Scenes occupy a total of 34 minutes, 57 seconds. Take that number of sequences as approximate because the disc presents them as a montage that can make it tough to tell when one segment ends and another begins.
However many we find, expect them to offer next to nothing of interest. These tend to ramble and feel more like outtakes, so they become tedious.
Next comes a 24-minute, 57-second Q&A. Along with moderator Xavier Mendik, it brings a chat among Allen, Ferrin and actor Jake Busey.
Conducted online, we learn about the project’s origins, research and development, cast and performances, and related topics. This turns into a moderately informative program but it leans a little fluffy.
Pig Mask Progress lasts a mere 27 seconds and shows the movie’s mask in its early stage. It lacks much value.
With Canadian Bacon, we get an 11-minute, 40-second “making of” program. It involves Ferrin, Busey, Allen, director of photography Jeff Billings, sound man Steve Hitselberger, makeup effects Joe Castro and actors Robert Miano, Susan Priver, Kristi McHugh, Bai Ling, Kurt Bonzell, and Jennifer Drake.
Essentially a production diary, “Bacon” brings a mix of soundbites and shots from the set. Though not especially coherent, “Bacon” manages some decent notes.
Spunky the Pig spans four minutes, 34 seconds and focuses on the movie’s lead porcine actor. It delivers another competent reel.
In an odd addition, we get a 51-second Screentest in which Kate Patel plays Willy. I have no idea whether they actually considered this gender-bending casting.
Auditions goes for 11 minutes, seven seconds and brings try-out videos for Brian Burke, Burt Culver, Craig, and Eli Rahn. None of these people can act, which makes the compilation perversely compelling.
Along with both “green band” and “red band” trailers, the disc finishes with a music video for “Nickel Charm Jack” by G Tom Mac. We get a bad 80s-style song and a clumsy mix of lip-synch and movie scenes for the video.
Despite a subject that seemed likely to create a dark thriller, Pig Killer instead becomes an erratic, often campy disaster. With no consistency or drama on display, the movie sputters from start to finish. The Blu-ray offers very good audio along with oddly unbalanced audio and a mix of bonus features. Expect a terrible film.