Directed By Chris Nash

Starring – Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love

The Plot – When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny (Barrett), 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.

Rated R for gruesome violence, bloody imagery and adult language

In a Violent Nature – Official Trailer | HD | IFC Films (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Originality in horror films comes in small doses anymore, but the unique gimmick of following a film from the killer’s perspective helps to practically reinvent the slasher genre, bringing endearing aspects to Nash’s sophomoric effort that makes it succeed as memorable for plenty of opportunistic impulses that he unleashes to the experience. For starters, the film looks and feels like a byproduct of the ‘Friday the 13th’ franchise, which for a super fan like me who hasn’t gotten a new Jason Voorhees film in sixteen years, had me chomping at the bits to immerse myself once more in a world of similar design and construct. In doing such, Nash has certainly done his homework on the subgenre, eliciting a familiar but refreshing engagement, as a result of approaching matters from the opposite side of the fence for a change, and while the mostly faithful following of this unstoppable killing machine does result in patience-testing moments of pacing for an audience who likes things quick and digestible, the plodding actions here simply never bothered me, as I found myself appreciative of the only times in the film where Nash capably builds any kind of tension. More on that in a second. In addition, the world-building here, while nothing daring or original, is fleshed out to gain a greater sense of purpose and appreciation for the conflict, especially with a locket for device that carried a lot of sentimental meaning for Johnny. In the same ways I’ve always garnered sympathy for monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster or Jason, Johnny is wronged by this invasive group that have treaded on his territory, and as a result I found my single greatest fascination with the film in him casually picking each of them off one by one, with some of the most viscerally gruesome kills that I have ever truly experienced. On that aspect, the gore and brutality certainly aren’t for sensitive stomachs, with extensive depiction of top level prosthetics and make-up design eliciting these audaciously impressive effects of practicality that are edited so perfectly that I almost couldn’t even coherently interpret how they shot them without quite literally hurting someone. The biggest of these is easily one involving a chain hook and the twisting of the human anatomy that I didn’t even think was possible, with such an elaborately detailed pay-off that even made an experienced veteran of horror like me shriek with appreciation for what it’s able to continuously pull off. These kills would be nothing without the man orchestrating them, and as Johnny, Ry Barrett physically and psychologically conquers the part, conjuring an unforgiving storm of inevitability that can be felt in every moment he reaches across the aisle to silence his opposition. Barrett deviates between slowly methodical and ruthlessly persistent in his movements to the character, but it’s especially those moments of reflection for the tortured past of the character that affords some vital heart to shine through, providing ample opportunity for the humanity that still persists within this walking dead cadaver, and one that we can certainly feel with all of the rage and remorselessness that he feels in being rudely awakened by something so obviously out of his character’s control. This film also doesn’t rest on the laurels of its unique gimmick, as it’s actually a very impressively crafted piece of artistic merit that I could only dream about with so many Friday the 13th films that are unfortunately very by the numbers with its filmmaking. While there are many meaningful ingredients that stir a spellbinding appeal for the scenic intoxication, the cinematography and sound designs are most apparently influential, with each of them working cohesively and simultaneously to enact an immersive appeal to the limitless woods that feel inescapable in established home field advantage for Johnny. On the former, Pierce Derks constructs an almost mystical ambiance to a place where magic certainly feels atmospherically present, with affection in many over-the-shoulder sequences that intoxicates us with nature, and the latter cleverly exudes proximity in the out of sight audible characters, with their volume rising in the correspondence of Johnny’s heftily-defined steps cutting the distance with each passing second. If this isn’t enough, one transfixing sequence near the end of the film subscribes to elements of paranoia and vulnerability, with a chorus of chirps and humming from unforeseen creatures that radiates this home field advantage of sorts for the man who has spent the most time under its Douglas Fern pines. This is the moment where the production feels most expressive, with editing techniques equally disorienting, and though it’s unfortunately the red carpet leading to my single least favorite scene of the entire film, it does a spectacular job of assessing the overwhelming odds that one unfortunate soul has in overcoming for survival, proving that Johnny belongs in the woods of Ontario just as much as Jason Voorhees belongs in Crystal Lake.

NEGATIVES

As previously alluded to, the ending to the film leaves slightly more to be desired, but the even bigger problem between this and another noteworthy scene during the film is the movie’s inability to remain entirely faithful to the depths of the killer-driven device, creating many corresponding problems to the integrity of the engagement as a result. Aside from the fact that the film periodically leaves Johnny to depict these debaucherously obnoxious friends, sometimes far from his corresponding interpretation, the pacing feels most sacrificial during these instances, prolonging scenes with abrupt tonal clashes between respective sides, as well as intentionally dumbed down dialogue that forcefully paints a narrative while completely marring subtlety. I don’t exactly blame the actors, as they’re doing the best they can with the one-dimensional material, but their influence to the film feels like parody, especially with overtly exaggerated deliveries that wore thin on my patience, creating a noticeable dip in quality each time the film forcefully deviates away from the mystique of this maniacal madman. In addition to this, my appreciation for Nash’s direction isn’t always met with consistency, especially in the deliveries of these kills that are most noticeably missing the underlining emphasis of a meaningful pay-off. While the kills themselves are voraciously delivered, as previously alluded to with the movie’s overwhelming gore factors, they are completely dressed down with an absence of suspense that enhances the many devastating blows. This is already tough enough in a movie with no musical score to its appeal, but even tougher when the kills are executed so abruptly, with little to no conflict between them, which makes a few of them feel like afterthoughts to what essentially transpires. Finally, while the pacing didn’t affect me as much as it will some people, it feels irresponsible not to mention it here, especially with so much dominance in the focus of the film paid to Johnny walking in the woods. Like it or not, this is an aspect to faithfully following the character, but even in my positive opinion the film could’ve shortened the distance of his treks, or at least enhanced the effectiveness of the editing, especially since the film relies so heavily on repetition to fill in the gaps of what we’ve never been given access to. 89 minutes certainly isn’t a lot to ask out of an audience, but when it doesn’t always put those minutes to motion it results in alienating half of your audience, in which many of them will check out long before the film finds its rhythm with a far superior second half.

OVERALL
‘In a Violent Nature’ has enough gruesome brutality and tenacious world-building to cement its experimentally daring premise as a rousing artistic success, even if Chris Nash doesn’t always make the most of minutes, with drifting investment that wears on the patience of its audience. The saving grace is undoubtedly the technical merits, which not only shine an arthouse appeal rarely realized in the slasher subgenre, but also vividly bring this idea to life with an immersive layer of consciousness that walks so that other superior predecessors can run.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-