This review from In a violent nature was initially published to coincide with the film’s premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was updated for the film’s theatrical release.
Logline
In a violent nature follows Johnny, a hulking creature who has been dead for years, as he seeks revenge on the latest group of teenagers to bring him back to life.
Longer line
The route In a violent nature reveals that the plot is a big part of the fun of the movie, so no spoilers here. Instead, it’s worth talking a bit about the mood of the film, which is mainly pastoral, rather than bombastic and fast-paced. Writer-director Chris Nash seems to take inspiration from Michael Myers’ slow but deliberate stalking in the Halloween film series. Long stretches of In a violent nature They are quiet, tranquil, beautiful nature photos – sometimes with a killer trudging through them, sometimes not.
This beautiful photography is a huge bonus to the film, as most of the running time is spent on Johnny walking from place to place in single-minded pursuit of his victims. Following a slasher movie villain – part Jason Voorhees, part Michael Myers – mostly means seeing him walking around, which seems completely intuitive when you see it on screen. In a violent nature makes these traveling scenes feel alive, purposeful, and intense, rather than how easy they could have been.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a slasher if it wasn’t a slasher, and In a violent nature has had enough of it too. The film is full of gruesome murders, but Nash mixes the details together (from beheading to drowning to ax throwing) so that you never quite know what’s going to happen next, so the action never gets boring.
Image: Shudder
What is In a Violent Nature trying to do?
It’s hard to describe this film better than the press release: it’s labeled as an ‘ambient slasher’. It’s a slow, methodical film, with sparse dialogue and little character development. But that still doesn’t really describe anything In a violent nature goes for. It feels more like a nature documentary approach to horror, with a slasher villain as an actual predator from the animal kingdom, stalking through a beautiful forest and watching his prey from the foliage.
Does In a Violent Nature live up to its premise?
Yes, but it may not quite transcend that premise. In a violent natureThe game’s endless movement and unflappable determination of our slasher monster keep things interesting, and the tight 94-minute running time keeps the story from getting boring. But without the visceral tension created by jump scares or surprising murders, the film feels like a constant build-up that never fully pays off. There is no grand ending to wrap up the story, which may be appropriate for seeing the monster side of the story, but isn’t really satisfying for an audience. Yet the craftsmanship and unique character of In a violent nature definitely make it worth checking out.
The quote that says it all
This isn’t exactly a single quote, but watching Johnny lurk just outside the light of his teenage victims’ campfire as one of them tells his friends (and the audience) Johnny’s creepy origin story is an excellent moment that’s casually almost every slasher ever reimagined. We all know that Jason lurked just beyond the treeline during several scenes in the Friday the 13th franchise, but what exactly did he hear while stalking his victims?
Most memorable moment
It’s hard to imagine finding a meme this slow somewhere in a movie, but Johnny’s cold, dead, monstrous hands clutching a chain that says “#1 Motherfucker” is at least pretty funny .
Is a violent nature good?
In a violent nature is good, it’s just good in a different way than you would expect based on the premise. It won’t exactly fill the messy slasher hole in your heart, and it’s certainly not for the “Friday Night at the Movies” crowd that most slashers are aimed at.
But for horror fans, it’s a rare treat and a fantastic exercise in taking a genre in the opposite direction that everyone else has been trying. In a violent nature may not spawn a franchise of Johnny resurrections, but chances are any slasher that comes after it will take little bits of influence from things In a violent nature does it well.
When can we see it?
In a violent nature is in theaters now and will stream on Shudder later this year.