Cinema for Brunch IN A VIOLENT NATURE Review

Chris Nash delivers an imperfect, unique directorial debut in the “killer POV”-lead “In a Violent Nature”.

Synopsis

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.

Review
Part of the undeniable fun or thrill of watching a horror film (especially a slasher) is not knowing when the elusive monster (whether it be a Chucky, Jason or Freddy) is gonna come around the corner and claim another unsuspecting victim. Flipping the POV is the shrewd canvas from which director Chris Nash begins his debut “In a Violent Nature”. In this film, the POV is switched from the would-be unsuspecting teens to the monster himself Johnny (Ry Barrett), an undead brute spurned back to life after a pendant (to which he is emotionally tied to) is removed from his resting grounds. This removal sets off a chain of violent events as Johnny aims to hunt down and slaughter the vacationing teens that are responsible for the theft as well as anyone that may step in his way. “In A Violent Nature” is unique, not just because of its POV but because of its construction – though Chris Nash takes a meditative approach to the material, he doesn’t aim to break the wheel. All of the horror rules (and tropes) are present – the only difference is the unique, ambient way the material is presented.

While there may be some filler towards its climax, Chris Nash keeps the tension well-paced throughout. Even with a story where complete A and B plots play out in front of us, as our elusive killer hides in the shadows, there aren’t many dull moments in the first two-thirds of this slasher. We are given a solid mythology for our monster in a bonfire scene where the teens discuss the “White Pines Slaughter”, the tragic event that begot the rage of our antagonist. Dialogue between the teens and citizens of White Pines give us all the exposition we need to know where this monster came from and its motivation. The sound design here (brought to you by Tim Atkins and Michelle Hwu) is top notch – as we learn about the monster through external dialogue, the sound of nature almost having its own score as Johnny stalks through the woods is meditative and chilling. There’s also a chase scene towards the end where the design alarmingly hits home – the image of our “Final Girl” running while echoes of someone being violently hacked to bits drums on and on. As the monster walks, Nash spares us the “30-minute vlog hikes” and jump cuts as Johnny moves from space to space, never skimping on the sounds of mosquitos flying and lakes flowing. When he moves, we move – just like that. When he kills, we’re shocked and unsettled – just like that. Jokes aside, Nash shrewdly also plays out great horror tropes in the foreground as well – we have our douche friend, the outcast, the horny couple and, among all else, the “final girl”. As I stated before, without necessarily ruining anything, Chris Nash doesn’t aim to break the rules of horror, just present them through a different POV. Our “final girl” in question, Kris (played by Andrea Pavlovic), is the right fit in with this meditative horror-thriller. Her innocent presence matches well with Johnny’s monstrous presence and towards the tense-but-talky climax, she carries the right frantic energy for this type of role.

Now, with a title like “In A Violent Nature”, expecting little to no gore is out of the question. While the film meaningfully takes its time to get to the kills, when the blood starts the flow, it flows in abundance. Aside from one very unsettling, graphic scene, the gore here is solid and par for the course. The prosthetic effects (created by Steven Kostanski, who co-created the horror film “The Void”) are very good and when the bodies are chopped and screwed, you can feel it. That’s to make an understatement that this film is not for everyone – especially if you’re not one for gore. One long take of a kill towards the end– while it is chilling to witness in real time, is the only kill that feels unnecessary and dragged out for runtime purposes. For a film that is a cool 94 minutes, you wouldn’t expect much filler but unfortunately, the biggest weak spot in this film is its climax. We’re met with a talky sequence (with the involvement of a horror legend) that attempts to explain all the violence that preceded this point. While the monologue itself may have something poignant to say, it’s mostly useless and feels like filler tacked onto an otherwise unique slasher film. It’s a disappointing climax that feels created just because it’s the end of the film and Nash may have felt like he needed to leave his audience with something to chew on.

Closing Thoughts
“In a Violent Nature” is a short, unique slasher that wears its influences on its sleeves – ranging from “Friday the 13th” to “Jeepers Creepers” to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Chris Nash definitely has a bright future in filmmaking and while this debut may be imperfect, the talent and the skill is there. Well-executed kills, a believable monster, stupid teenagers and a great sound design elevate this film past being just another slasher film to something of artistic merit.

Trailer