VOD of the Dead - SQUEALER (2023)

Movies about serial killers, in particular the real-life ones, have to walk a fine line between fact and fiction. It’s a tightrope that requires a delicate balance of truth and just enough dramatization to draw audiences in. This may sound counterintuitive at first glance since so often the crimes committed by serial killers are quite heinous, but what this often accounts for is what happens when they aren’t killing. How do you make the pedestrian aspects of life surrounding a serial killer appealing in the context of a movie about real-life people who have died in (usually) gruesome ways? Considering that most serial killers commit crimes over a long stretch of time, how do you balance respect for authenticity with the need to keep butts in seats entertained? The problem compounds when you’re dealing with household names like Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy since there is so much information about these folks out there already that any liberties taken are quickly called into question. One solution could be to focus on the lesser-known serial killers, ones that aren’t likely to be common knowledge and will appeal to genre fans' sensibilities. That is what SQUEALER, the new horror-thriller from Lionsgate has set out to do, but the question remains; does it sink or squeal?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

When a local cop and an overzealous social worker follow clues on missing persons cases around town, stomach-turning discoveries are unearthed on a pig farm, where the town butcher has been slaughtering more than livestock.

HOW IS IT?

“Squealer” is the latest in a long line of films based on a true story, but the catch here is that this is a true story the average person may not know about. Like the best “based on” films out there, Squealer takes the depraved real-life crimes of Canada’s Robert Pickton and overlays just the right amount of drama and fictionalization to make things interesting while still keeping them authentic. While parts of the film may drag due to unnecessary character conflicts, overall Squealer is a solid mix of horror and action that harkens back to the horror-thrillers of the early 90s. It takes itself seriously enough to avoid parody while knowing when to fully embrace the exploitative elements just enough to keep you engaged.

Many in the US may not have heard of Robert Pickton, but his crimes are the kind of thing you’ve definitely seen in a horror movie before. Pickton was a pig farmer known for raping and killing his victims, possibly eating them, possibly feeding them to his pigs, and maybe even selling people and pork products to local butchers. Given these are the facts of the case, Squealer doesn’t have to do a lot of fictionalization to make this story stand out. Much like Farmer Vincent and his famous fritters, Pickton’s killings are the kind of thing horror movies are made of and the filmmakers know it. From the very jump, we are dropped into a cold open that looks like something out of the peak days of the French New Extremity wave back at the turn of the century. That kind of intensity is what drives the best parts of the film, and there is no holding back on the gore here either. In fact, the best parts of the film are consistently the scenes where we get to see Pickton, or as he is referred to in the film as “Squealer” executing just some of the things mentioned at the start of the paragraph. The filmmakers know that the details of the case are just too salacious not to go all in on, and to their credit, they seldom shy away from the brutality and depravity.

However, the challenge with a film like this isn’t making the violence entertaining, it’s making the stuff that happens around that interesting as well. This is where things are a bit more of a mixed bag, as on the one hand the scenes where we understand the inner workings of Squealer’s business and associates are engaging. Unfortunately, it is some of the auxiliary plots that aren’t as successful. In particular,  a subplot involving a drug dealer/hitman that really feels out of place and some interpersonal romantic conflict that falls a bit flat. Still, these are minor gripes for what is largely a really fun film. The performances are all high caliber, with special acknowledgments to Ronnie Gene Blevins who brings a lot of nuance to the character of Squealer. He brings a sense of humanity to a character that is hard to humanize given the quantity and viciousness of his crimes, not to mention having a strikingly close resemblance to the real Pickton himself.

LAST RITES

Squealer blends together true crime and exploitation in the best way possible. By focusing on a lesser-known killer with a heinous history and not shying away from the violence, Squealer stands out in the crowd of “based on a true story” films by balancing both fact and fantasy in equally entertaining measure.

THE GORY DETAILS

Directed By

ANDY ARMSTRONG

Written By

ANDY ARMSTRONG

DANIELLE BURGIO

Starring

WES CHATHAM

THEO ROSSI

TYRESE GIBSON

KATE MOENNIG

DANIELLE BURGIO

RONNIE GENE BLEVINS

SYDNEY CARVILL

TRAILER

Where can you watch it?

SQUEALER will be released in theaters and VOD platforms on Friday, November 3, 2023!

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