In a Violent Nature (2024) IFC Films/Horror RT: 94 minutes No MPA rating (extreme bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, drug use, sexual dialogue) Director: Chris Nash Screenplay: Chris Nash Cinematography: Pierce Derks Release date: May 31, 2024 (US) Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Timothy Paul McCarthy, Lauren-Marie Taylor.
Rating: ****
In a Violent Nature is NOT your ordinary slasher flick. I knew going in that would be the case. It’s an IFC Films release. That’s the independent film outfit responsible for such titles as Hatching, Skinamarink and Late Night with the Devil. When they do a horror movie, you always have to expect the unexpected. In the case of In a Violent Nature, the makers throw the audience a real curve ball.
As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, In a Violent Nature is told from the POV of the slasher, a hulking freak named Johnny (Barrett, Cult Hero). The camera follows Johnny as he stalks and kills his prey, a group of young idiots who make the mistake of desecrating his burial place. One of the dopes pockets a locket he finds hanging near the remains of an old fire tower. It was the only thing keeping Johnny dead and buried. Minutes after the filcher and his friends leave, the reanimated fiend rises from his grave and begins his quest to retrieve the purloined necklace.
In a strange sort of way, In a Violent Nature resembles a Terrence Malick film with its long static takes of nature and periods of inaction. There are also the silences which are amplified by the complete absence of a score. It ratchets up the tension nicely. But here’s the thing about In a Violent Nature. Because we’re privy to the killer’s every move, there aren’t any “BOO!” scenes. Rather, we cringe in a mixture of fear and anticipation because we know the victims-to-be are about to die terrible deaths. Let me tell you, THAT THEY DO!
I’m always railing against CGI and how fake it looks. I especially hate it when filmmakers use it for the gory scenes in horror films. I am thrilled to report In a Violent Nature uses only practical effects. This is great news for gorehounds because it contains some of the most savage killings I’ve ever seen. We’ve talking buckets and buckets of blood, guts and brain matter. One kill in particular is especially creative. Johnny goes up to a girl doing yoga, cuts a hole through her middle, jams a logging hook into her skull and pulls her head through the hole in her middle. WOW! Color me impressed. Another great scene has Johnny decapitating a guy from behind a tree at his jawline. Another fellow has his arm and head slowly cut off by an automatic log splitter. In addition, two skulls get pulverized, one by a boulder and the other with an axe. All of it is extremely graphic. This is why In a Violent Nature is being released without an official MPA rating. In the 80s, it would have come with a “No One Under 17 Admitted” policy attached.
I can’t even say anything about the acting because the victims-to-be aren’t center stage. We mostly see them in long shots or hear them just off-camera. Writer-director Chris Nash (he did the Z segment [“Z is for Zygote”] of ABC of Death 2) does, however, include the obligatory scene of somebody telling Johnny’s horrific backstory around a campfire at night. Throughout it, you’re wondering if Johnny is watching them from the woods. In any event, we see and hear enough that we know the characters are dumb and douchey for the most part. And yes, there’s a final girl.
The one name you might recognize is Lauren-Marie Taylor who played Vickie in Friday the 13th Part 2. You might say In a Violent Nature is spiritual kin to the classic 1981 slasher sequel. I don’t want to say too much about her character; it’s better if you draw your own conclusions.
I love the inverted narrative structure of In a Violent Nature, but I don’t know how it’s going to play with mainstream audiences expecting a more traditional slasher flick. I’ve heard both rave reviews and criticisms. Some think it’s brilliant while others find it boring. I’ll grant that it moves at a relatively languid pace; it’s what some might call contemplative. However, there’s not a wasted minute. Every bit of it serves the narrative.
In a Violent Nature is one of the most original films I’ve seen in a long time. How original? Check this out. It leaves itself open for a sequel just like EVERY slasher from the 80s, but this is different. This is where Nash displays his wicked sense of humor. It’s not so much a promise of a second chapter as it is a joke about the conventions of the genre. In fact, one could even argue that In a Violent Nature is a dark comedy of sorts. Maybe it is. If so, it’s more brilliant than I thought. Either way, it’s a must-see for gorehounds, horror fans and psychos.
