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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
IFC Films and Shudder never miss with the big titles that they distribute to the public sphere. Following films like Late Night with the Devil and Stopmotion, AMC Networks’ latter streaming platform has another hit horror film en route with In A Violent Nature. The project takes inspiration from 1980s flicks, Gerald Kargl’s Angst and Alan Clarke’s 38-minute short, Elephant, as well as Paramount’s Friday the 13th film series. I had the chance to see this dramatic horror thriller twice over myself, and the payoff for the wait has been fine enough!
In A Violent Nature is written and directed by Chris Nash.
In this review, I will discuss Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
In A Violent Nature Synopsis
According to IFC Films Press, here is the logline for Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature.
When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back – along with anyone in his way.
IFC Films Press
Discussion
[A]nimals don’t get too hung up on reason.
The Woman (Lauren Taylor), ‘In A Violent Nature’
In A Violent Nature is one of several highly anticipated horror films to come out this year. So far, Nash’s project has produced satisfactory results. Yet, this does not completely live up to any standards horror fans may have. The film was reportedly met with nauseous feedback from audiences who caught an early screening. Unfortunately, the graphic personality that it takes on—with its kills, guts, and blood—does not match the level of intense visceral repugnance that Damien Leone’s Terrifier and, more recently, Terrifier 2 seared into the psyches of audience members.
What makes this IFC Films/ Shudder title work are the creative efforts of its crew members as they follow the reanimated silent murderer, Johnny (Ry Barrett). Cinematographers Pierce Derks and Andrew Appelle’s camera work paired with Alex Jacobs’s editing make for a solid combination, a sign that the production of this project was placed in the right palms. The opening scene alone, which showcases Johnny’s gravesite from different angles, is a nice indication of the film’s potential for brilliance.
The cinematic style of one-take shots doesn’t quite mesh well with the use of cuts, at least, when it comes to Johnny traversing the woods. Eventually, that turns out to be something of an eye-sore. Jacobs’s editing works best when the character reaches for his victims and then the scene jump-cuts to the next one. The inclusion of small time jumps is an intriguing means of transitioning but also leaving room for what isn’t seen on screen. Regarding the cinematography, some of the best shots are when the camera lingers on victims a tad longer than necessary. I cannot say how many times this has had to happen, but the narrative is just feasible in that manner.
In the Countenance of Craze and Creep
Nash’s screenwriting will not turn out to be everybody’s cup of tea, and that’s okay. The film’s goal is to focus more on the killer rather than its characters, so in terms of narrative beats worth identifying, there are few upon discovery. The script is clichéd for a reason and does not detriment the film as a whole. When it comes down to it, In A Violent Nature calls forth slasher flicks set “in the middle of nowhere”, such as Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and toys around with the more commonplace elements that make them clichéd in the first place.
Additionally, the aspect of urban legends in horror supplements the film’s layer of intrigue. Friday the 13th has Jason Voorhees, Halloween has Michael Myers, and Candyman has, well… Candyman. The “legend” of Johnny pokes fun at Voorhees’s backstory, both having been killed in the middle of the woods and whose murder had been covered up by locals. The film’s entirety, then, borrows bits and pieces from the Friday the 13th films and gives a creative spin on them. It’s lovely to see that Johnny allegedly has a history with the area, e.g. being unearthed by the living, his spiritual connection to family, and somehow, there had to be someone swimming in a lake.
The archetypal figures are those that viewers tend to see in slasher horror—the loser, the girl who has sexual tension with another character, the final girl and her boyfriend, and the man who will supposedly save the day, to name a few. Due to the shift in focus away from them, it is only fair that viewers should not have to care for them all that much. They do offer clever key details tied to Johnny, but nothing else.
The Kill Count
In A Violent Nature‘s body count is as creative as it needs to be. However, out of the several that we do get to see as an audience, prepare for some disappointment along the way. There is one that will surely drive viewers to the edge, not to mention one or two others—maybe three—that are more brutal than the rest. If anything, the kills in this film contribute to a satire of Friday the 13th‘s campy attitude toward violence and its ridiculous tendency to craft some of the most decent kills of its time.
Even without a musical composition and only three song selections in the music supervision, Nash’s film ends up being somewhat serious. The final twenty minutes, more or less, is where the anxiety creeps in because there’s truly a shift in the narrative’s tone by that point. The build-up in the screenwriting culminates in one of the better endings to a slasher horror movie in some years, and I think that is something to appreciate. As a whole, the film does have issues here and there, but its meticulous attention to detail is what matters most.
The Crew Behind In A Violent Nature
Associate producer Pierce Derks (The Void, Mandy) serves as the cinematographer for this IFC Films/ Shudder film.
Alex Jacobs serves as the editor. Tyler Bogaert is the dialogue editor.
Christine Leslie serves as the music supervisor. Tim Atkins and Michelle Hwu serve as the sound designers/ editors.
Meagan Evans and Jon Rhoads serve as the set decorators.
Sumer Mellon does the hair and makeup. Paige Benoit serves as the body double for the character, Aurora.
Steven Kostanski serves as the prosthetic makeup effects lead artist. Audrey Barrett, Fletcher Barrett, Patrick Baxter, Tony Chappell, Kyle Glencross, Chris Nash, and Brenda Snguon (The Boys) are the prosthetic makeup effects artists.
Neil Cavalier is the logos & fire tower designer. Andrew Barr is the Milford Haven Rangers logo designer.
Jacob Ahee serves as the stunt coordinator.
The Peterborough Unit
Andrew Appelle is the cinematographer for the Peterborough unit.
Michael W. Hamilton serves as the special effects supervisor.
Natalia Andrea Pozo does the hair and makeup. Mikey Elliot is the mair and makeup assistant.
Katie McQueston is the leather firefighter mask fabricator for the character, Johnny.
Paul Stafford is the stunt coordinator for the Peterborough unit. Eugene Concepcion does the stunts for the Peterborough unit.
The Cast of In A Violent Nature
Ry Barrett portrays Johnny, the focal character of In A Violent Nature.
Andrea Pavlovic portrays Kris, a college student and Troy’s girlfriend.
Cameron Love plays Colt, a college student who is jealous of Troy dating Kris. Reece Presley plays the park ranger.
Liam Leone plays Troy, a college student who is dating Kris.
Charlotte Creaghan plays Aurora, a college student who exercises through yoga. Lea Rose Sebastianis plays Brodie, a college student who skinny dips in a lake.
Sam Roulston plays Ehren, an odd college student who listens to music on a cassette player.
Alexander Oliver plays Evan, a college student who attacks Johnny.
Timothy Paul McCarthy plays Chuck, a local farmer who sets up animal traps.
Tom Jacobs plays Johnny’s father. Casey MacDonald appears as the voice of a radio newscaster heard in Chuck’s home.
Lauren Taylor (Friday the 13th Part 2) is credited as “the woman”.
Performances and Character Developments
Out of all the teenage victims in the film, Aurora is a supporting character who has been written better than the others. Her traits include doing the right thing, such as holding acquaintances accountable when they do something distasteful and out of line. Charlotte Creaghan gets some time to shine in this role, perhaps more than Lea Rose Sebastianis’s Brodie, but they’re personally a stronger highlight for the film than the male college students.
As the final girl archetype, Pavlovic’s Kris performs to the best of her ability, especially when it involves emotional range. In the screen time that she has, Nash guides viewers through her young adult relationship and then drops her into a nerve-wracking situation without much warning. Her final scene is beautiful and encapsulates everything that turns out right in slasher horror predicaments. If the film does any justice to her character, then it’s providing reason to her change in mental state.
Johnny makes for an effective slasher character, even if his mask and choice of weapons are not yet as iconic as Jason Voorhees’s hockey mask and machete. His backstory is rich and lends more information than any Friday the 13th sequel or Crystal Lake prequel series would aim for, but Nash does seem to leave open space for more stories to be told.
Final Thoughts on Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature
In A Violent Nature is an exceptional character study on the slasher villain and succeeds in doing so by pushing prospective victims into the background. While it does implicate roots in the past, I can only see this film as a one-off project. It accomplishes what its title suggests by keeping Johnny in a violent nature and managing to reason with such a temperament by the end. The horror film has some surprises, but do not expect anything to be out-of-the-box.
4/5-stars
Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature comes to theaters this Friday, May 31st, and will stream via Shudder later this year!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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