Kevin Lewis first made a name for himself in the horror community by helming the 2021 film “Willy’s Wonderland,” in which a mute Nicolas Cage plays a janitor fighting Chuck E. Cheese-esque animatronics that are possessed by the souls of cannibal serial killers. It’s quite the hook, but just as his biggest indie movie yet was taking off, his life nearly came to an end.

“I had COVID at the time and was very close to death,” Lewis says. “I was saying goodbye to my family, and that was pretty intense. So when I got through that, it was carpe diem, seize the day.”

Indeed, Lewis is all smiles while discussing his latest dark vision, “Pig Hill,” available Tuesday on VOD via Cineverse. Based off of a local legend out of Meadville, Pennsylvania, “Pig Hill” is about Carrie (Rainey Qualley), a woman investigating missing people in the area and is introduced to the legend of mutant inbred pig people. Things get seriously dark and surreal from there.

Lewis was inspired to helm this out-there vision after he read the book that Jarrod Burris’ script adapts, Nancy Williams’ novel “Pig: A Supernatural Thriller.”

“It’s based on true folklore for decades and decades that these people have grown up with about the pig people,” Lewis says. “I just thought it was such a fascinating story. It’s a horror movie, but it’s more like psychological horror, and there’s a lot of drama to it. To me, good horror is drama. So the idea of it being grounded in something … There’s a real Pig Hill, and what’s crazy is you go to these bars and restaurants, and they’ve got pictures of missing women, like milk carton pictures, like it’s true. It’s a small town, and you go in, and they have a Pig People Beer. So the legend is really big out there.”

Appropriately, “Pig Hill” was shot on location in Meadville, which helped Lewis achieve the spooky aesthetic he was aiming for with the material.

“I love horror and the fact that it’s good drama,” he says. “But you can build an interesting, creative world with colors and mood and still get the truth of Meadville, and the fact that these people would exist and live in this town. So that was the balancing act.”

When it comes to indie film shoots, directors are usually working against the clock with a shoestring budget. But Lewis says his brush with death changed his filmmaking philosophy, and he now embraces such challenges.

“Going forward and making these movies, it’s very freeing,” he says. “Hollywood will beat you down, man, it’s hardcore. And I’m a hardcore boss in my head as well. So coupled with that, it’s very difficult. But ain’t nothing hardcore as what I faced in the hospital with COVID. I don’t want to say it’s a breeze, but I’m just enjoying the moment. Even when it’s tough — sometimes money falls out, or schedules shift around, can’t get the talent or whatever. I just try to enjoy the moment.”

With that sunny disposition, Lewis has an ever-growing list of projects he’s working on: There’s “Oak,” an urban myth about an oak tree that comes to life; a noir thriller called “Misdirection”; and a Jeremy Piven-starring horror comedy called “Driver.” He has a voracious desire to create, to try new genres, take new risks. And he’s considering his legacy as an indie filmmaker.

“I’m just committing myself to a body of work,” Lewis says. “Some people get hung up on ‘This movie’s got to be perfect’ or ‘This, that and da, da, da.’ And I get that. I’m a little older now. I’m reflecting back on things. I just want to create and work with good people and make cool projects. Not every one is going to be A+. I’m working in the indie space, with budgets and time and all that. But I just like creating and committing to a body of work, and looking back at making a legacy, my little minuscule cinematic footprint in this world.”

And when one of his movies hits the right audience, Lewis says there’s nothing like it.

“A couple of months ago, I met a kid, and he loved ‘Willy’s Wonderland,’” he says. “It inspired him to start making movies with his iPhone. I thought, ‘That is the coolest thing.’ If someone saw my work and it inspires them, that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about paying it forward.”

Watch the trailer for “Pig Hill” below.