Movies
“In A Violent Nature” Flips Horror Script
In A Violent Nature (2024) dropped its first trailer and immediately garnered lots of attention for a small independent horror movie.
“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 70-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it.”
Director: Chris Nash
Writer: Chris Nash
Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Colt, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebanstianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Timothy Paul McCarthy, Tom Jacobs, Casey Macdonald, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Hailey Imany
Release Date: June 28, 2024
IMDB
In A Violent Nature (2024) dropped its first trailer and immediately garnered lots of attention for a small independent horror movie. The traditional slasher genre was getting a twist. The viewing audience wouldn’t be hanging out with the gang of campers stranded in the woods. Rather, the majority of the time is spent with the killer stalking his victims and powering up with better weapons and a haunting mask.
For a movie that doesn’t dwell on the higher-class arts of filmmaking (that is a compliment), In A Violent Nature went through an ordeal to be made.
In various interviews, Nash mentions how he had to reshoot most of the movie. The film’s first portrayer of the killer had to leave production less than two weeks in because of physical health issues. They recast with Ry Barrett, but once they got into the editing process, the editors and Nash noticed too many differences to continue.
The two monsters had different walking gaits, and their footsteps hit the wooded surface differently. The movie’s most memorable shots show the unkillable beast sauntering with his back to us, and Nash couldn’t live with himself knowing the inconsistencies. This led to him going to his producers and asking for permission. I can’t imagine it was a pleasant conversation. However, Nash was granted his opportunity and got a change of venue to boot. Nash is from Northern Ontario, and all he ever wanted to do was to use his hometown wilderness in the movie. This was his chance. Nash called in all his favors, worked on a lower budget, and convinced enough of the crew to stay around. Somehow, it all worked out, and In a Violent Nature was made.
Sound mixing is one of the best aspects of In A Violent Nature. The music of the movie is the villain’s footsteps slowly progressing through the wilderness, and the background noise is the conversations of the poor campers who have no shot at surviving. Director and writer Chris Nash is a huge fan of the behind-the-back shot when framing up the killer. While he is walking through the woods, it’s always a full shot of his back and the green, beautiful scenery around him.
There is one kill in In A Violent Nature that is gnarly. I had to look away from the screen because it just kept going. If you are a fan of slasher films for how creative they get with the kills, then this one sequence may have you clamoring with rounds of applause.
Then there is the ending. There is a bit of oral storytelling, embodying the idea of a campfire tale being passed down from generation to generation. It brings In A Violent Nature full circle because the first time we meet the campers is around a smoldering flame amid an overeager storyteller. The final sequence is effective, though, if a tad bit on the nose. One can respect the idea that evil rolls on no matter what, and while there may be survivors, evil always lingers on..
STANKO RATING: C+
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