Looking at a film like In A Violent Nature from the surface, it’s easy to link Chris Nash‘s slasher to something like the Friday the 13th series. His creation here – the non-verbal, physically imposing Johnny – is akin to Jason Vorhees in his stature and seeming penchant for walking after his victims over a hurried pace.
Nash, who has worked on predominantly short films, as well as a segment in the horror anthology sequel ABCs of Death 2, isn’t above leaning into numerous slasher film tropes here, but just as much as he delights in the cast of potential victims falling as easy prey and the aforementioned killer figure making it to whichever destination in enough time in spite of his lack of speed, he subverts the narrative fabric of expectation by playing the film out from the perspective of said killer.
This is where In A Violent Nature is sure to divide audiences. Given that it’s from the perspective of Johnny (Ry Barrett), so much of the film’s 94 minute running time is tracking his frame from behind as he trapses through the Canadian forestry. Extended minutes are devoted to these images, with no score accompaniment to boot, leaving viewers expecting a more traditional, action-fused horror film to have their patience tested.
The film’s deliberate pacing is a justified criticism, but Nash’s effort has always been marketed as an ambient slasher, an indie-minded genre piece that went against the grain, and in such regard In A Violent Nature has been designed for audiences who care for more than just cheap thrills and general accessibility.
The narrative that is mostly pieced together through Johnny’s travels is pretty standard slasher fare, with a group of disposable teens recanting the tale of his vengeful spirit. We hear that as a young boy he was lured into climbing a fire tower, only to fall to his death following a prank scare at the top. The developmentally challenged Johnny’s death was deemed an accident, but a series of murders that took place in the decades after were linked to his haunting spirit, and how Johnny is physically back in this setting is tied to a mysterious locket.
As much exposition as Nash’s script provides through the campfire retelling of Johnny’s legend, there’s also a great deal at hand that viewers can piece together. And with the film following Johnny, after hearing about his tragic circumstances and getting just enough glimpses of the friend group, you’re very much on his side as he navigates the wilderness, violently disposing said friends along the way.
It’s this element that, unsurprisingly, is In A Violent Nature‘s strongest aspect, with a series of death set-pieces that delight in their practical effect nature and sheer creativity. Whilst some are more suggested than others, when Nash opts to showcase his twisted mind in all its glory, the film shines in graphic glee; the much-discussed “yoga death” is one for the books, with one poor soul being redesigned so that their body resembles the remnants of a pretzel.
Very much an experimental horror film – and evidently one that has paid off, with both a successful box office intake and freshly announced sequel on the way – In A Violent Nature is eerie and inventive, but won’t prove effective for everyone. In a more straightforwardly-presented film, the throwaway characters would’ve tested patience regardless, so it’s perhaps to everyone’s benefit that Johnny is who we get to spend time with.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
In A Violent Nature is screening in select Australian theatres from August 1st, 2024.
