Synopsis: The owner of a roadside diner and his new helper, kill people and feed them to pigs.
Lynn Hart (Toni Lawrence) is a troubled girl. After surviving abuse by the hand of her father at a young age she is committed to a mental asylum. One day she seizes the opportunity to escape and make her way to a small town in an attempt to start a new life. Lynn ends up renting a room from the local deli owner Zambrini (Marc Lawrence). He’s a retired circus performer with an affinity for pigs. The local legend is that he feeds the pigs dead bodies from the local cemetery to fatten them up enough for him to eat.
In a fit of rage after a date gets a little too handsy, Lynn snaps and kills her date with a rather large knife. Zambrini walks in and discovers what she’s done. Feeling sympathy for her, he helps her dispose of the body by feeding it to his pigs and covering their tracks. This kicks off a series of killings (and pig feedings) by the duo. With the town growing suspicious and the law closing in, Lynn’s sanity begins to slip and we discover exactly why she was in the asylum to begin with.
This is pure 70’s exploitation. It’s the type of flick you would catch at the drive-in as a second film of a doubleheader. It’s grainy, it’s dark, the plot is pretty basic and it’s essentially a vehicle for sex appeal, nudity and gore backed by a creepy nursery rhyme that will get stuck in your head. It’s exploitation at its finest and it was fantastic!
If you’re anything like me, then you can probably call the ending before the first act is complete but that’s not the point. This isn’t the type of flick that is considered great cinema but it accomplishes what it sets out to do and that’s entertain you for 80-90 minutes. These are the types of film I was exposed to at a young age (probably too young for it to be appropriate) and because of that I have a love for this genre buried deep in the recesses of my mind. Genre fans should seek this one out, it won’t disappoint.
Daddy’s Deadly Darling is currently streaming on Tubi under the title Pigs so be sure to add this one to your viewing list while you can. It’s not the Vinegar Syndrome digital remaster but the shittiness of this cut adds to the charm.
