Is there still a market for a straight up Jason Voorhees style maniac lumbering around the woods dispatching teenagers out for a good time, telling stories around the campfire and increasingly gory deaths? When it comes to In A Violent Nature there absolutely is.
Thinking of effective scare tactics deployed by filmmakers in cinema there are a few golden rules that have treated the genre well over the years. Less is more, look at Jaws, Psycho, Paranormal Activity and Halloween. The audience will be reeling from the glympses of the foe as our heros scramble for survival. Keep the pace moving, look at Wrong Turn, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Ring and The Birds. Films that have a number of exciting moments, scares around most corners and an ever building sense of dread as the plot develops. Know your audience, look at Scream, Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead and The Omen. Films that appeal to the audience who are willing to watch, the 80’s saw a rise in kids watching movies in the cinema, youth graduated in the 90’s to embrace the cheap but steady supple on Video then DVD and now streaming.
In a Violent Nature turns all of this on it’s head and honestly, a more appropriate comparison than Friday the 13th or Halloween would be Tuck and Dale vs Evil. However, this is not a comedy yet genre fans will get a similar kick out of it!
Rising from a hole in the ground, Johnny slowly trudges around a forest violently and gruesomely murdering a series of unsuspecting victims to retrieve a necklace removed from his resting place. The twist being that, this relies on the audience being familiar with the approach of Friday the 13th or Sleepway Camp as this uses the stereotypical action as we see in those film, however, the events are played from behind Johnny’s hulking form as he slowly purses his victims. It’s possible the influence for the approach might have come from one of the 3rd person horror games released over the years, like Dead by Daylight.
The whole premise is utterly routine for those who are familiar with the genre, yet completely refreshing as it offers a point of view never explored. 90% of the film features Johnny and his legend is slowly relayed at a believable pace to keep the audience intrigued about the goings on.
The filmmakers have fun with the little things, beautifully orchestrating the films events. Going as far to explore the idea that Johnny can be in one location only for a teenager to turn around and shockingly find him inexplicably behind him. Despite long lingering shots the film keeps a riveting pace with well constructed dialogue and an easily accessible approach.
The background characters, who are normally the principal cast, are richly accurate to the films Violent Nature takes it’s inspiration from. There is the sweet, lonely jocular guy who tells stories. The jock who lacks personality, dates the prettiest girl and is ultimately a horrible person. The mid film introductory character who is able to fill in the backstory for the audience and keep things moving.
However, there is an inspired idea to stick with Johnny as he mutilates his victims. Ordinarily, we would see the final girl uncover her friends in grizzly scenes and react to the brutality, however, we stick with Johnny and are treated to a couple of over the top death scenes, including a slow moving Log Splitter scene that uses marvellously simple but effective trickery to depict the horrific scene realistically, whilst a blinking eye reminds us of the characters horror throughout.
For Director Chris Nash, in his feature debut, this is a triumph. An artistically classy piece that will please most who see it. The lightweight, stripped down approach makes for an easy watch with only a few plot details needed to process from one point to the next. Music is non-existent and whilst this sounds unappealing, it really adds to the films atmosphere and oddly the realism of events. So many horror films feature scores that crescendo to a scare moment and In A Violent Nature does not need that adding a layer of tension to the events.
If you are a slasher fan and know the genre inside out, you owe it to yourself to treat yourself to In A Violent Nature as it is the perfect tribute. The distinctly refreshing approach may be short lived as a sequel has been greenlit at the time of writing I fear that another outing of this type will destroy to unique approach, much like the sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Ordinarily I am always up for more of something wonderful, however, In A Violent Nature is perfectly satisfying as it is.
There are some nice posters for the film, however, given the nature of the film it would be difficult to fully depict what the audience is going to experience. Instead the art looks more like that of a Jason, Michael or My Bloody Valentine knock-off, meaning some might dismiss it and miss out.
There are no shortages of ways to watch In A Violent Nature. It’s on Shudder and Amazon Prime.
There is a cheap Blu Ray on Amazon here and a very tempting Collector’s Edition from
