It feels like a lot of horror movies these past few years have been begging a particular question, and In A Violent Nature might be the one that begs it the most: How many more slashers until we feel like we’re back in a slasher film golden age?
Can In a Violent Nature Birth the Next Horror Icon?
How many more iconic designs do you have to render, how many more insane kills that defy biology and physics and human decency before we feel we have a new crop of killers as iconic as Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and (most importantly to this film) Jason Voorhees? Because, outside of Art the Clown, the simple elegance of In A Violent Nature’s killer Johnny, is the closest I’ve felt to seeing an iconic new killer in theatres. He’s got the design, the backstory, the cool weapon, and the mask. And he is, if nothing else, more brutal than brutal. But those aren’t the only reasons why he and this movie work so well.
For those who haven’t been keeping up with the hype train surrounding this film, In A Violent Nature is your typical slasher, but with one big caveat: it is shot almost entirely from the killer’s perspective. This means eschewing non-diegetic sound, and not going too hard on the killer teleporting around in the woods or being too supernaturally skilled. It’s kept grounded, with the camera continuously following Johnny rather than only giving brief glimpses, granting the audience some intimacy in understanding him. Johnny is an ever-present force, and the unique nature of how he’s shown will be enough to hook many people (no pun intended).
Stunning Visuals and Cinematography in In A Violent Nature
The movie achieves its goal in terms of visuals, with naturalistic lighting and great directing to capture Johnny’s domain and the way he moves through it. Writer-Director Chris Nash and DP Pierce Derks are a natural team, and I should have expected the film to be this good-looking since they were carrying experience over from working on one of my favorite horror films of all time: The Void. On the audio side of things, I still wish the foley work had been a little louder and more pronounced given how gruesome the film gets, with some kills feeling weirdly muted and quiet given what he’s doing to these people. Otherwise, the cinematography passes with flying colors.
Can Johnny Take the Place of Jason Voorhees?
Despite the visual distinction and its fun kills, many will be crying out that In A Violent Nature is just another pastiche of Jason Voorhees traipsing through the trees with an axe, as a few of the disgruntled people leaving my theatre audibly felt. And the cast of mostly stock characters that are annoying by design doesn’t help the allegations. But Johnny is an iteration of the archetype that is explicitly sympathetic, and the film goes to lengths to make you like him and even feel bad for him in the same way many Jason fans feel about their favorite villain.
The movie takes something that would be delegated to a brief scene or to subtext in another slasher and makes it the driving force of the movie: the humanity of the monster gleaming through is at center stage here, with a personality underlying his titular behavior. The monster is equal parts unstoppable death machine and complex human, which I know sounds silly, but is a compelling spin when you’re telling an all too familiar tale.
Visually, this is communicated in some really fun ways. The juxtaposition of a monster man trudging through a field of daisies is a kind of funny if not endearing presentation. All of the nature documentary shots of our killer slipping through the underbrush and tall grass feel like we’re taking a journey with him rather than witnessing something sinister. That journey just happens to be broken up by a lot of scenes of him mutilating the people who get in his way.
Viewers Looking for Over the Top Kills Will Be Satisfied
In terms of his kills, plenty of moviegoers have been and will be talking about the movie’s most over-the-top fatality. It is nasty, unexpectedly brutal, and the effects for it and every other kill in the movie are unrelentingly good. This is most likely thanks to visual effects supervisor Jeff Bruneel, who worked on Jason X, one of the best in the franchise SFX-wise. In the right light, they even render some pretty disturbing shots.
But I do suspect there is one major issue people will have with the film, and one I’ve been wrestling with since I left the theatre: the ending. Not the ending ending, but the last 5 minutes or so before the ending. Because (LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD) after a very suspenseful and well-shot sequence, a character hits the brakes on the film and tells a lengthy anecdote that is, as I interpret it, a metaphor for how we as audiences see slasher villains compared to the reality of the villain in universe.
While I like the concept, the way it’s delivered will probably end up distracting you from the great suspense the film was building at that moment. Your body is wracked with tension, waiting for a painful ending, but you’re too focused on the story being told to appreciate that tension. The final moments of the film do manage to restore the anxiety somewhat, but the finale’s ability to gut-punch you with genuine fear falters. This is especially a problem when it’s slow enough to drag the film out beyond its ideal pace, as the film’s final half does feel a bit drawn out compared to the brisk pace it begins with.
Why In A Violent Nature Is a Must-Watch Slasher
Coming in hot before we reach the halfway point of the year, In A Violent Nature is first and foremost, a fantastic slasher with a fun little twist. Its ending will certainly divide audiences, but I suspect many like myself will be able to forgive it and enjoy its simple but effective execution (and executions). It might benefit from watching in a packed theatre thanks to the reactions its grotesque kills can elicit, but its streaming release on Shudder will surely make it a staple for the streaming service. Hopefully, as it builds its audience, Johnny will find a place as a staple horror film icon.
