Crime film shot in Savanna debuts in Hollywood

SAVANNA – A crime thriller with scenes shot in Carroll and Jo Daviess counties premiered Friday in Hollywood, with story roots running deep in Illinois

"High on the Hog" was filmed in August and September 2012 at locations in northwest Illinois, with the Iron Horse Social Club in Savanna among the sites, according to the High on the Hog website. The film premiered Friday at Arena Cinelounge Hollywood.

The R-rated grindhouse film stars Sid Haig as plays Big Daddy, the head of a family of hog farmers who raise marijuana illegally in the town of Council Hill. The family must face pressure from the "DTA" government agency cracking down on marijuana distributors.

Writer and executive producer Kevin Lockhart drew on his own experiences spending part of his childhood in Greenview, a small farm town in central Illinois.

"I grew up on a pig farm for about 12 years, and my grandpa lived on it. I grew up in the '70s, saw a lot of the corporate farming taking over the small farmers. In the '70s, where I grew up, some people grew weed on the side to make ends meet. The farmers I knew weren't necessarily from Greenview," Lockhart said.

Lockhart described himself as a "big" proponent of medical legalization of marijuana, having seen marijuana help friends of his parents with chemotherapy's side effects.

"I think Illinois will face this (legalization) in the next year or so, and a lot of other states have gone through it. I think we're seeing benefits. The stigma's gone, or starting to go," Lockhart said.

Lockhart returned to Illinois to look for filming locations. He had spent time in the Galena area, and met Bob Farster, a filmmaker in the Elizabeth area.

"He showed us his property and how beautiful it was. I knew we had our location," Lockhart said.

About 75 extras from Carroll and Jo Daviess counties took part, with many of them in a pig roast scene near the end of the film. The film's first edit was completed in 2014, but Lockhart didn't like it.

"The concern was, it wasn't a drama, a comedy or horror – it was a combination of everything. I kind of said let's hold off for a little bit. A director, cinematographer and I worked with a new editor, who had some new ideas," Lockhart said.

The filmmakers shot some new scenes in the summer of 2016, and post-production was completed last summer.

"High on the Hog" is already available for purchase and rental through the Vudu company.

"I believe it'll be out on iTunes. The DVD should be out by the end of the month. I believe the distributor has a relationship with Walmart. The Blu-Ray should be done by the end of May," Lockhart said.

Pre-order information will be posted at facebook.com/HighontheHogfilm and highonthehogmovie.com as it becomes available. Go to either page for more information.