In a Violent Nature (2024) 

Jean Pablo Deliz

In a Violent Nature is a glorious throwback to low-budget 80s slasher flicks with an art-house edge. Expect subpar acting and brutal kill scenes, as is typical for the tropes of the slasher genre. However, director Chris Nash opts for an intriguing path by emphasizing the chaos of its undead killer. It cares not about building well-rounded characters or a meaningful storyline. This movie is clear about what it wants to do and mostly succeeds, even if it trips up at the end.

 

Directed by Chris Nash in his directorial debut, Ry Barrett stars as Johnny, an undead killer unwittingly resurrected from his grave by a group of college kids. One kid steals a locket that keeps the killer sealed in his resting ground. Once resurrected, Johnny arms himself with a hatchet and chained hooks to wreak havoc on the hapless college kids. The film also stars Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Charlotte Creaghan, Liam Leone, Sam Roulston, and Reece Presley. 

 

Characterized as an ambient slasher, director Chris Nash stated the inspiration for the narrative style came from slow cinema, particularly the films of Gus Van Sant and Terrence Malick. The movie displays this in spades with long, continuous takes and a notable lack of a music score. A slasher film without a music score is an unheard-of concept. In the place of music, we have the sound of nature, footsteps crunching leaves, the crushing of bones, ripping of flesh, and screams of horror. 

 

In a Violent Nature is a slow, casual film shot from Johnny's perspective in third-person, with the occasional shift in camera angle. It reminded me of the now-defunct Friday the 13th video game. It had players control Jason in online matches where they hunted down other players, who were camp counselors trying to evade or escape the camp. There is no plot to speak of; it's a loose narrative that plays out like a Friday the 13th movie, except the main story happens off-screen while the killer takes center stage instead. We follow Johnny throughout his lengthy walks in the forest to his hunt for his next victim. It creates a strange vibe, going from Johnny committing brutal violence to a calm walk in the woods as the sun goes down.

 

Every slasher film is defined by its killer, and In a Violent Nature gives us a memorable killer named Johnny. He is an undead killer similar to Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th. They both have near identical backstories, killer masks, and weapons to cut and crush their victims. With Johnny, director Chris Nash gives his undead nightmare a signature look. The undead killer wears a Vajen Bader smoke helmet, appropriate for his woodland origins. He wields an axe and a pair of chained hooks, and much like Jason, he uses other objects to brutally effective use.

Ry Barrett's portrayal of Johnny is essential to the movie, aside from all the walking in the woods and slaying of hapless victims. Johnny's actions speak louder than words, relying on body language throughout the film. He goes from moments of horrific violence, growling in hatred at his victims as he tears them apart, to a moment of childlike behavior in one scene. Ry Barrett makes Johnny memorable with these little nuances and mannerisms that set him apart from your typical silent killer. 

Much like its killer, a slasher movie lives or dies by its kills, and the movie delivers on those sweet kills. The film received significant hype for a kill sequence that rivaled the bed scene in Terrifier 2. It was dubbed the "Yoga kill scene" by the press, and it was a brutal kill scene, reminiscent of a Mortal Kombat fatality. And if you wonder what it is, that's tough luck, because I won't say what it's about. While I believe it was a little overhyped, it nevertheless delivered on its brutality. However, I feel it overshadowed other kills that, in my opinion, were more effective than the main attraction. Those kills involve a hefty boulder and a wood splitter, the latter scene being more impressive to me because it was shot in one continuous sequence. 

 

When the reviews came out, I was surprised at the low audience score compared to the relatively high critic score. They complained it was boring, slow, and scare-free. They were also unimpressed by the cheesy dialogue and okay acting. Sure, it's slow-paced, as the filmmaker's intention, and there's no tension or suspense, but I never found it boring. The acting and dialogue are typical of a Friday the 13th sequel, ranging from okay to terrible, but whether it was intentional is up in the air. But one's not watching a slasher film for complex characters or thrilling plots. You are here to watch an undead killer slay college kids in creative ways. Unless your attention span isn't that of a millennial high on 24/7 marathons of TikToks, you'll likely find this movie right up your alley. 

In a Violent Nature faithfully retains all the core elements of an 80s slasher film shelled out to the straight-to-video market. The 4:3 aspect ratio combined with the grainy film-like cinematography gives it the touch to emulate the VHS era. It feels like a Friday the 13th sequel, complete with okay acting and bloody kills, but with the killer walking through the Ontario wilderness in search of his next victim.

 

Given all this praise, In a Violent Nature is a near-perfect cheesy artsy slasher flick homage almost undone by an overlong ending. The film nearly accomplishes the feat of not overstaying its welcome, clocking in at a balanced 94 minutes. The ending includes a lengthy monologue from a character who arrives to rescue a survivor. I enjoyed the subversion of the final girl vs killer and one last scare trope. However, it spends too much time with a monologue that could've been shorter. It interrupts the movie's flow and grinds it to a halt. It could've been more effective if the ending had been cut by a few minutes to allow the subverted expectations to pay off. 

Overall, In a Violent Nature is a nearly well-balanced arthouse slasher movie homage with all the right ingredients put to the table. It's an artsy body pile slasher film that does what it needs to and doesn't aspire to be anything else. It keeps me interested as to what will director Chris Nash do for his next feature film. 

 

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