The Pig Farm (2011) User Reviews

My God. Absolutely Horrifically Bumbled/Fumbled

[helenahandbasket-93734 · 2/10 · 1 June 2021]

In listening to the witnesses/friends/cohorts, I'm certain I can certainly empathize with the investigators who had to try and process the information Dinah Taylor, Lynn Ellingsen, Lisa Yelds, and the stunningly stupid supposed 'girlfriend' who he apparently couldn't do without (according to some of the addicts, anyhow) are all so utterly ridiculous that I would have a hard time as an official investigator trying to follow their words, or rather incredible lack thereof. I can only imagine the frustration felt over constantly changing stories, gaping holes in said stories, lack of information, of cooperation, outright hostility, etc. And the complications are surely immeasurable.

But the insane lack of attention, much less even a fragment of slight research into the innumerable women going missing, people shouting from the rooftops, and yet, crickets could be heard chirping. The utter lack of care given to the victims is deafening, and utterly contemptuous. So many missed opportunities to halt the actions of this monster, even without the cooperation of some of these garbage people that could have helped immensely, these investigators dropped the ball on so many occasions it defies logic.

That being said, I am completely aghast at the countless people who were not only able to turn away from the astonishing horrors, but willfully do so in the name of self preservation, addiction, whatever the case may be, makes me physically ill. These are some of the most vile of society, and it's completely disgusting that they all seemed to befriend each other in some sadistic, disastrous blend.

I cannot for the life of me decide on how to rate this mess of a documentary; it's somewhat disjointed, oddly narrated, and leaves many holes in the telling. Aside from horrible people surrounding an atrocity that was largely dismissed until it could no longer remain unknown, there's little (if any) real pushback for the investigators who were interviewed, and zero accountability offered. The subjects who would talk are largely under the influence of something, that much is glaringly obvious. Listening to Yelds blathering on about 'eff the police!' even despite knowing what she was doing would likely lead to more women suffering unbelievable torture, pain and death, she and her cohorts are concerned with only one thing- themselves.

Watch if you must, but it's only slightly better than 'Good Night Sugar Babe', but only slightly.

Disturbing and inept. On many levels.

[scootmandu-662-305600 · 2/10 · 28 November 2022]

I had recently heard about this serial killing case on a recent podcast and had recalled seeing the title on Amazon Prime. So I checked it out.

This is how you know how awful the producers of this documentary were in putting this film together. From the beginning of this film they played clips, over and over again, from an audio diary this murderer had created in 1991, apparently before the killings (that we know of) were committed . I get it. They wanted us to hear a serial killer speaking, in his own voice, so we would understand how ordinary he sounded discussing his philosophy of life. Unfortunately, this useless plot device kept getting replayed. To what purpose? It would be like watching a documentary on Charles Manson, only to be subjected to having to hear all his music throughout the documentary.

On top of that, it is literally infuriating to see some of these 'farm employees' and friends fawn over what a good guy Pickton was, at times. Did we really need to see the stuffed animal (minus the voicebox) that Pickton gave to a friend's daughter? Or to see some of these women blatantly cover up what were obviously some of their own roles? One woman, in particular, who lied about a murder scene she had seen, led to 11 more victims dying over the next 2 years. And yet, she goes free, because she finally told the truth at the trial. And she behaves in this documentary as if she has absolutely no sense of shame.

It is also very apparent, from what we are being told, that Vancouver law enforcement totally bungled this, but the documentary makers present no resolution or sense of accountability for any of it. There were a couple of people that sincerely seemed like they were trying to get to the root of what was happening, but it was equally clear that many others were trying to blame other circumstances for the failure of their investigation.

Worst of all is that this documentary, instead of focusing on the victims and their plight, seem more intent on celebrating the killer. I did not want to hear his folksy philosophy of life, ad nauseum, or hear the accounts of how kind he was to others.

This is one of those films that does not enlighten, but just leaves you with a feeling of bleakness and sadness.

The stars are for the victims.

[catarinasuicide · 3/10 · 24 October 2023]

Could be a little bit more fast paced, no?

I'm rather desensitized to true crime, but even I thought this documentary was a bit insensitive. There was barely any talk about the victims and the people they interviewed basically vouched for the killer, praising him and at times almost. It's upsetting, honestly.

I think considering the amount of victims, witnesses, hearsay, personnel involved, the same place used and same people being targeted, everyone agrees that the police dropped the ball, maybe they should've focused more on that? If you're not gonna focus on the killers life, on any of the victims lives, then focus on what went wrong, right?

Underdeveloped and a waste of time

[lewisaryana · 1/10 · 4 April 2024]

I dont think there was a single thing in this documentary that I couldn't have learned reading the killers Wikipedia page. The narrator is so monotone and the format is sloppy. This is by far the most poorly made documentary I've ever watched, you can barely call it a documentary. There is no focus on any one thing, the victims are barely mentioned. All you learn from this documentary is that there are several accomplices who never said anything and were never charged for their part. Sadly, the way it looks like the attempt at entertainment comes from the exploitation of the drug addicts who narrowly escaped murder.