In A Violent Nature is a slasher shot almost exclusively from the perspective of the undead killer Johnny. He was awoken from his rest when a group of friends removed a locket from the site of his death and became hellbent on retrieving it, massacring anyone in his way. This movie has some flaws, but it was one of the movies I was most excited about this year and it mostly lived up to those expectations.Â
The premise is really simple: it’s a slasher film where the killer will not rest until he has his locket and he will kill anyone in his way. Where the movie excels is in the execution.
A slasher from the point of view of the killer is a great idea. I’ve loved Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers for a long time, and this felt like a peek behind the curtains. The movie reverse engineers jump scares. It’s awesome to see what the killer is doing while a character is being set up to be killed.Â
For starters, the movie is shot incredibly well. A common critique of the film is just how much time is spent walking around the woods. I had no problem with this because the shots of Johnny walking were very cinematic. The movie to my knowledge didn’t use any lighting outside of the sun itself which creates beautiful scenic shots. It helps that most shots are kinetic, making it feel like we’re walking with him.
Even when Johnny is not the focus of the scene, he is always shot perfectly out of focus where your eyes want to watch the characters in focus but they keep darting back to him. This is especially done well at night where you can barely make him out in the woods but once you see him, you can’t take your eyes off him.Â
To go with this, there is no score to the movie. The only sounds we hear are produced naturally. Whether it is the birds chirping or the twigs snapping underneath someone’s feet, it feels a lot like we are actually there in the woods with the characters. The only music in the movie comes from the characters actively listening to music, making it feel organic.
Where this movie really excels is the kills. You can’t have a slasher without some bodies and Johnny delivers this in a big way. The practical effects are incredibly disturbing and there’s no shortage of blood. The kills are very creative and meticulous as well. Everything is done with intent and Johnny doesn’t make mistakes. Some of my favorite scenes are the lead-ups to attacks. He’s thoughtful of timing and making sure he gets his target. You’ll hear a lot about the yoga scene but there are some awesome kills to see.
The level of action is almost comical at times. I was lucky enough to see this in an empty theater with my partner and we were truly laughing at some unintentionally hilarious moments.Â
The acting isn’t the best with the non-Johnny characters but that didn’t matter to me. Slashers don’t need the most in-depth characters. They need to be distinguished enough to tell them apart. They all serve their purpose, so while they didn’t enhance the film, they didn’t detract from it.Â
My biggest critique of the film stems from this. The ending missed the mark for me. The movie is at its best when it’s doing what it sets out to being a slasher from the killer’s perspective. The ending switches to the final girl’s perspective, drawing out too long with no payoff. The best way I can describe it is it felt like when you have a sneeze that doesn’t come out. I thought they were setting up one last moment for Johnny but nope. We see the last of him with maybe 10 minutes left. There’s a compelling story told in those 10 minutes but I honestly missed Johnny a lot.
Johnny is the best part of this movie. He never says a word and we only see his face once, yet his motivations are plain and clear. Jason Ryland created a very sympathetic villain. there’s one scene in particular where we see him in a vulnerable state and it makes it clear who we’re supposed to root for.Â
FINAL THOUGHTSÂ
In a Violent Nature is a really understated movie that packs one hell of a punch. The more I think about the movie the more I appreciate what it accomplished. It is very gory and the pacing might annoy some people, but this is a movie that is worth your watch and it’s one I will probably go see again before it’s on Shudder.
