At some point in our lives, most of us have lived somewhere that had rumors and urban legends of that person. You know the kind. The one who lives as a recluse on the outskirts of town, avoiding interaction with anyone at all costs, and has a foreboding (or downright terrifying) look about them — a piglady, perhaps . Lore about who this person is, and what they’ve done, tends to grow like wildfire over the years, stoking the flames of intensity and fear amongst residents. Sometimes, it turns out that the rumors are unsubstantiated, and the claims of their wrongdoings are simply cruel inaccuracies. There are other times, however, that these allegations are indeed correct – a statement on how some people are just inherently bad.

Piglady, directed by Adam Fair, tells a twisted tale of one such recluse, and her grisly actions against an unknowing group of friends on a getaway in the woods.

When we first meet friends Brittany (Alicia Karami) and Adrianna (Karri Davis) and their boyfriends Randy (Jeffery Hunter) and Tyler (Lazarus Tate), they’re excitedly planning an upcoming Christmastime trip to a cabin in the woods in Oregon. At the same time, we’re given snippets of introductory scenes on the background of the notorious Piglady (Sandra Dee Tryon), a woman who lives as a hermit with dozens of pet pigs on the outskirts of town. Local gossip alleges she murders those who wander too close to her property and feeds their corpses to her pigs. We’re only ever shown glimpses of her from behind, but it’s clear she has a horrifying, disheveled look to her.

As it just so happens, Brittany and company have unfortunately chosen their retreat location practically in Piglady’s backyard, and as you may have already guessed, she’s none too happy they’re there. What starts out as a relaxing time filled with partying and bonding quickly becomes an all-out fight for survival for this group of friends as they’re gradually and deliberately stalked by her.

One of the biggest struggles Piglady has is that there are a lot of great ideas for the story that don’t get fully executed. We’re given enough of a backstory for Piglady herself so that her motives make sense, but in this case, it clouds the overall story. She’s built up to be portrayed as mentally unstable, and therefore doesn’t even need a deeper reason as to why she executes her kills. The fact that she does so just to provide food for her pigs is disturbing enough of a plot point to carry the film on its own. There’s also no real reason given as to why we are never shown her face, but such a big deal is made about it that the viewer is left waiting for a big reveal that never happens.

From a production standpoint, the editing and cinematography are rough, and at times even disorienting. There are jerky, abrupt scene transitions, and a few inexplicable instances of Star Wars– style side swipes that don’t make sense to be there. Though props must be given for creativity, the sound effects have a tendency to feel inauthentic for what they’re supposed to be matching on screen, particularly once the kills begin to happen.

There’s an obvious intent from the filmmakers to pay homage to slasher films of the ‘70’s like Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and that vibe is captured in engaging ways. This truly is Piglady’s strongest point, because it does provide a bit of nostalgia for those who grew up with those quintessential “crazed killer stalks a group of young people” movies. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to carry this film into memorable territory, as it ultimately gets slogged down by the points that miss the mark.