Produced & directed by legendary character actor Marc Lawrence - known for his many gangster roles - the somewhat obscure curiosity "Daddy's Deadly Darling" (a.k.a. "Pigs" and "The 13th Pig") is nothing if not interesting. It's actually kind of appealing in its warped way, largely because it's just so sincere. The dialogue (screenplay by Mr. Lawrence, billed as "F.A. Foss") isn't always the greatest, but it's delivered with as much gravitas as the cast can muster. It's well shot by Glenn Roland and features a haunting refrain and score by the consistently reliable Charles Bernstein ("A Nightmare on Elm Street" '84, "Cujo").

This is largely a vehicle for Marcs' daughter Toni, a pretty and leggy young woman who stars as Lynn, a mystery lady running from something who arrives in a small California community. She takes a job as a waitress in a local cafe, working for a man named Zambrini (Mr. Lawrence),an elderly man who lived through a devastating accident when he worked for a circus. On Zambrinis' property are a dozen pigs, and it is rumored by the locals that these pigs got used to the taste of human flesh long ago, and that Zambrini will resort to murder of drifters in order to keep these pigs fed.

Ultimately, the developments in Lawrences' story aren't all that surprising, but the presentation is just offbeat and atmospheric enough to make this an intriguing viewing. Ms. Lawrence does a decent job as the disturbed Lynn, and her dad is likable (for a change) as Zambrini takes a paternalistic care towards his new employee. '70s drive-in favorite Jesse Vint is fine as the local sheriff, and there are other solid contributions by Jim Antonio, Catherine Ross, Paul Hickey, Walter Barnes, and Erik Holland.

It's commendable that boutique labels such as Vinegar Syndrome, which released this one on DVD & Blu-ray this year, are doing such a fine job of resurrecting little known cult / exploitation titles like this and giving them such impressive presentations.

Eight out of 10.

Disturbed young lass Lynn (a solid and credible performance by Toni Lawrence) escapes from an asylum where she was committed after killing her abusive father. Lynn winds up in a small rustic California town and seeks refuge at a farm owned by cranky old loner Zambini (a spot-on lively and creepy portrayal by veteran character actor Marc Lawrence, who also produced and directed). Pretty soon Lynn starts bumping off anyone who asks too many questions about her tragic past. Zambini helps Lynn cover up the murders by feeding the bodies to his flesh-eating pigs.

Marc Lawrence keeps the arrestingly warped story moving at a steady pace, makes good use of the remote rural locations, and does an ace job of crafting and maintaining a supremely grim and sordid atmosphere. The quirky script offers two unbalanced and equally dangerous psychos for the price of one who form a codependent relationship that proves to be genuinely unnerving and even strangely touching (the fact that said psychos are portrayed by a real-life father and daughter gives the whole twisted affair an extra jarring conviction and intimacy). The amplified pig grunts and squeals are likewise quite unsettling.

Moreover, there are fine supporting contributions from Jesse Vint as the amiable, but pesky Sheriff Dan Cole, Paul Hickey as pushy jerk Ben Sharp, Catherine Ross as antsy neighbor Miss Macy, Jim Antonio as the easygoing Jess Winter, and Erik Holland as hotheaded troublemaker Hoagy. Glenn Roland's stark cinematography supplies an appropriately plain look. Charles Bernstein's shivery score boasts a wonderfully haunting children's lullaby as well as a great groovy rock'n'roll theme song. Best of all, the modest budget and basic rawness of the filmmaking further enhances the overall freaky'n'spooky mood. Recommended viewing for fans of outré fright fare.

Allegedly, one of the best ways to get rid of a human body is to feed it to pigs: they eat everything, including the bones. In Daddy's Deadly Darling, a dozen porkers have been raised with a taste for human flesh by their owner, ex-circus performer Zambrini (Marc Lawrence). When Zambrini hires a mysterious young woman, Lynn (played by Lawrence's daughter Toni),as a waitress in his cafe, he finds an unlikely source of dead bodies for his piggies, for his new employee is actually an escaped patient from an asylum who kills men that remind her of her abusive father.

Written and directed by Zambrini himself, actor Marc Lawrence, Daddy's Deadly Darling (AKA Pigs) was intended as a vehicle for his daughter Toni, but failed to launch a successful film career for the actress, who languished in TV land thereafter. Perhaps Marc should have chosen something a little less tawdry for his daughter's debut, since this cheap drive-in horror has all the visual appeal of a grimy exploitation flick and, like a hog, wallows in the unsavoury - mental illness, abusive sex, murder and mutilation.

Of course, for fans of tawdry 70s horror, these elements only make the film all the more desirable. Pigs might not be a grindhouse classic, being a little light on the gore and nudity (Toni has a cracking body, but with dad calling the shots, she doesn't go any further than her underwear),but its macabre themes and offbeat execution still make it a treat for those who enjoy quirky 70s oddities. The murders are quite vicious in tone, Lynn slicing off one man's todger (not too graphic... we see blood seeping through bedsheets) and repeatedly stabbing a couple more, although my favourite scene has to be the deranged girl on the phone talking to her imaginary father, a tear rolling down her cheek, Toni Lawrence proving that she's not as bad an actress as her subsequent career path suggests.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for the final 'WTF?' twist in the tale, in which it appears as though Lynn has turned into a pig.