In a Violent Nature (2024) Review

The highly anticipated, In a Violent Nature was featured as a secret screener last weekend at Tampa, Florida’s own Gasparilla International Film Festival. The IFC and Shudder flick will officially hit theaters on May 31st and is sure to be one of the most memorable releases of the year.

The story follows Johnny (Ry Barrett), a vengeful, undead, brute akin to Friday the 13th’s Jason, as he sets out to retrieve a locket that was stolen from his resting place. As he works through the cast of victims, the more we see that he is truly a force of nature. Backed by a lush forest, the origin story is told around Johnny as we hear bits of conversation before he goes in for a kill. In fact, the backstory and relationship dynamics don’t feel as important because the anticipation to see Johnny’s next move overtakes everything.

Johnny as a character is given depth through the film’s perspective, his subtle mannerisms, and the reactions of those around him. At times, he comes off as a child sent to do his chores. There is no joy or pain he experiences, he is just dutifully hacking through flesh to meet his goal. He is not a character to cheer for or even be afraid of, he just is and we are there to observe. Like a documentary, he is the predator and we learn about nature by watching him hunt.

The supporting cast made up of Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Timothy Paul McCarthy, and Lauren-Marie Taylor (Friday the 13th Part 2), play the cliche camping teens and backwoods locals perfectly. Their interactions with Johnny are what you would expect from this genre, but because of the switch in perspective and dynamic, they become almost comical.

After the build-up of Johnny tracking down another victim, some of the actual attacks felt like endurance tests. Two scenes in particular had the theater audience audibly shocked and awed. The special effects are phenomenal and hold up even with lengthy, unobstructed shots that put every drop of blood on display. The sounds of every rip and tear are amplified by the stark lack of a score. There are no buffers between the audience and the gore. Another trait that sets In a Violent Nature apart from traditional slashers is this uncomfortable closeness to the “set-up” of these deaths that we usually only see the final act of.

Despite being mainly background characters, final girl Andrea Pavlovic and Lauren-Marie Taylor’s last scene makes a great epilogue to the tale of Johnny. One of the more reflective endings to a horror movie that answers the question of what happens when you get away from the monster. This moment solidified the main theme of the film; the terrific brutality of nature and how humanity can rarely interrupt its course.

Director, Chris Nash, has turned the slasher film completely inside out with this film. He strips back the dramatic tropes to focus on what happens “behind the scenes.” Instead of finding mangled corpses in the woods, we know exactly what happened in excruciating detail because we were following Johnny the entire time. Another great way Nash made this a reverse image of a classic slasher is not including a major score or artificial creepy sounds throughout Johnny’s journey, all we hear is the whisper of wind and crunch of footsteps.

The toned-down atmosphere of this “ambient slasher” makes every kill feel like a great violation of the beauty surrounding it. The perspective, long shots, pacing, and overall tone of this are such a stark change from the hallmarks of a slasher. This minimalistic style paired with a familiar story along with stomach-churning effects and a thoughtful theme makes In a Violent Nature a must-see this spring.

Movie Rating:

In a Violent Nature trailer