In a Violent Nature, 2024.
Written and Directed by Chris Nash.
Starring Lauren-Marie Taylor, Andrea Pavlovic, Ry Barrett, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Cameron Love, Sam Roulston, Charlotte Creaghan, Timothy Paul McCarthy, Alexander Oliver, and Lea Rose Sebastianis.
SYNOPSIS:
The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness unleashes an iconic new killer after a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower that entombed its rotting corpse.
Accomplishing the rare feat of balancing genuine fright with gut-busting humor, writer/director Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature also flips the slasher genre upside down by primarily focusing on the deranged, unstoppable serial killer in the woods rather than whatever brainless teenagers have invaded the scenery for a weekend of camping. Starting with the age-old and often mocked trope of a slow and intimidating walk that leaves one questioning how these killers actually catch up to their victims, the film embraces an artsy style following the mythical, vengeful presence around, sometimes while stalking his prey and other times simply maneuvering through the forest.
Playing into the joke ensures In a Violent Nature doesn’t come across as tedious, even if there is an argument to be made that there isn’t always much happening at any given moment. Similarly, the kills occasionally play out at a similar speed, and that doesn’t just mean the sneaking and walking part. There is a darkly hilarious vibe in watching this masked man casually and methodically torture his victims, as the film often sticks with lengthy one-shot takes (strikingly captured by Pierce Derks) depicting him carrying around a body to a deadly device or lingers on a head being smashed to pieces over and over like it’s a piñata at a child’s birthday party.
Technically, there is a story here, but one of the few missteps is when Chris Nash decides to cheat this concept a bit, cutting away to a group of immature, horny and high teenagers sitting around a fire, with the camera circling them as one of them spends an excessive amount of time delivering some backstory on the mentally challenged, bullied Johnny (a silently terrifying Ry Barrett, making the most of his towering height and imposing body language), supposedly still out there killing people. To them, it’s a tall tale. However, during the prologue, when one comes across a family heirloom necklace and steals it, the camera pans over to Johnny rising from the dead. That’s all the story needed to explain the motive here, especially for a film with this concept; anything else is superfluous and detracts from the bold idea.
Even the occasional brief, artful flashback would suffice more than giving these people time to talk. Existing as walking clichés to be slaughtered is enough for this premise. And to the film’s credit, it does play into beloved tropes of the slasher genre (idiotic characters, a shot of nudity for the sake of it, familiar locales, and direct influence from Friday the 13th: Part V.) Again, the only wrong move is when the film betrays the concept, such as a baffling, overly long, pointless ending sequence trying to put a twist on the final girl concept.
Fortunately, the atmosphere, uniqueness, and kills overcome those execution shortcomings. Before the festival screening began, a colleague built up a truly insane kill. Generally, I write off that kind of introduction hype, but no, some twisted kills defy all sense of physics, leaving one cackling in sadistic glee. It has also been reported that Chris Nash had to shoot In a Violent Nature twice, as the first go around (save for one scene that still made it into this version) simply didn’t work. Round two hasn’t necessarily perfected the refreshing concept, but it is a delirious, brutal, gory “you sick fuck” good time. Perhaps the third time is the charm and would stick with the killer’s perspective fully.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
