We all know the standard slasher formula by now. Stalking psycho killer, violent slayings, final girl. Rinse and repeat. In a Violent Nature is the first movie to come out in quite some time to significantly shake up the lens through which we view this formula. Writer/director Chris Nash decides to focus specifically on the killer’s point of view from front to back. Where we would normally follow our disposable roster of stereotypes as they try to survive, this creative flick instead spends the majority of time on the person stalking them instead. That extra bit of flavor specifically is both a major draw and major hindrance. While a unique concept, in execution, any character development occurs offscreen or from afar. The catharsis typically found in a slasher film has been dulled by the lack of score, and taken far too seriously to be fun. That leaves us with one hulking, intimidating killer with a whole lot of screen presence. In a Violent Nature features disturbing, hyper-violent kills and a relentless atmosphere of unnerving ick.
Legend has it, the “White Pine Massacre” occurred in these very woods a decade ago. Now, a group of young adults have done the unthinkable: accidentally awakened Johnny (Ry Barrett), a vengeful murderer who will stop at nothing to retrieve his stolen pendant. Johnny’s backstory purposefully comes ripped from the annals of horror history, courtesy of Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees. According to the stories, Johnny was pranked at the top of a fire tower, spooked by a bunch of thugs in firefighter’s masks, then fell to his doom. Johnny has returned from a pulsating hole of earth to unleash another round of carnage on a group of unsuspecting victims!
Aside from a brief retelling of Johnny’s legend, and little nuggets from his memory that are portrayed in an interesting way onscreen, this masked maniac remains primarily kept in the shadows. In Nash’s feature, that is honestly for the best—Johnny looks extra menacing after retrieving his signature mask. The very same firefighter mask that allegedly led to his death has been displayed at the ranger’s station deep in the reserve ready to be snatched. This provides a near-perfect setup for Johnny to emerge anew, adding an entire new layer to his character. Barrett plays the character with a lumbering physicality. However long we have to wait to see Jason Voorhees come back to our screens, at least we have some Johnny in the meantime.
Once donned in his mask, Johnny begins to pick off everyone that he comes across one by one, and in grisly fashion. The kills are undoubtedly the highlight of the entire movie. From brutal slashings, limbs sawed in half, axes to the head, and even a rock that explodes its target like a watermelon, there is no expense spared when it comes to the practical effects. Each feels more creative than the last. One in particular involving a hook through the body will go down in history as one of the best ever depicted. They may not rise to the same level as those found in Terrifier, but their visceral nature makes them perhaps equally disturbing. Some are offscreen, but the majority are eerie enough to leave their mark.
Cinematographer Pierce Derks maintains a grimy level of slickness over the material, peppering in plenty of overhead and wide shots to present the scope. All manner of captivating camera trickery prevails, including a clever shot where Johnny reaches out for a kill, and another where the people around the campfire speak to one another with the camera doing a continuous spin. Eventually, the appeal of the premise begins to lose a fair amount of its luster. Despite the killer point of view, the film practically abandons its general hook in the final twenty minutes or so. I tend to wish the lengthy epilogue would be structured differently. Sitting through a monotonous monologue that adds very little to what we have just witnessed would have been better left on the cutting room floor. Aside from Johnny, the acting from the rest of the ensemble seems shaky overall, threatening to shatter the established level of authenticity. As it stands, this cinematically shot indie horror has just enough nastiness to be worthy of a watch. Slow and methodical but very gory, In a Violent Nature presents an elevated, voyeuristic take on the classic slasher formula.
Sink your hooks into In a Violent Nature, tearing open bodies in theaters everywhere on Friday, May 31st.
