In a Violent Nature offers a grisly new perspective on slasher movies
This review of In a Violent Nature was initially published to coincide with the movie’s premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It has been updated for the film’s theatrical release.
In a Violent Nature follows Johnny, a hulking creature who has been dead for years, as he seeks vengeance on the most recent group of teens to bring him back to life.
The wayIn a Violent Nature reveals its plot is a huge part of the fun of the movie, so no spoilers here. Instead, it’s worth talking a little bit about the vibe of the movie, which is mostly pastoral, rather than bombastic and quick. Writer-director Chris Nash seems to take inspiration from Michael Myers’ slow but deliberate stalking in the Halloween movie series. Long stretches of In a Violent Nature are still, quiet, gorgeous shots of nature — sometimes with a killer lumbering through them, sometimes not.
This beautiful photography is a huge bonus to the movie, considering that most of the run time is devoted to Johnny walking from one place to another, in determined pursuit of his victims. Following a slasher-movie villain — part Jason Voorhees, part Michael Myers — mostly means watching him walking around, which seems perfectly intuitive when you see it on screen. In a Violent Nature makes these traveling scenes feel vibrant, purposeful, and intense, rather than like the drag they could have easily been.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a slasher if there wasn’t some slashing, andIn a Violent Nature has plenty of that, too. The movie is full of gruesome kills, but Nash mixes the specifics up enough (from beheading to drowning to axe-throwing) that you never quite know what’s coming next, so the action never gets stale.
It’s hard to describe this movie better than its press release does: It’s been labeled as an “ambient slasher.” It’s a slow, methodical movie, with sparse dialogue and not much character development. But that still doesn’t really describe what In a Violent Nature is going for. It feels more like a
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