A cherished locket hangs from a caved in fire tower where Johnny (Ry Barrett) is resting peacefully in the ground. In a Violent Nature opens up by hearing a bunch of dummies on vacation talking and one of them nabbing the locket for himself. This results in Johnny’s resurrection to retrieve what his momma gave him while ripping through anyone who stands in his way. Obviously, the poor, pitiful victims have names but who really cares, right? Most, if not all, won’t make it out alive.
Sitting around a campfire, their main reason to exist in this is to share the horrific story of Johnny so we have the backstory. After that, they are free to go get brutally murdered. Kris (Andrea Pavlovic) is about the only one who outside of the merciless monster deserves our attention. She’s paralyzed by terror, yet has enough intelligence and ferocity not to make it easy for nasty ol’ Johnny to dismember her. Additionally, there’s a great scene at the end where a woman essentially lays out the themes of the movie, describing nature as uncertain, unrelenting, and uncontrollable. And the fact that the actress playing the role is Lauren-Marie Taylor, who was in Friday the 13th Part 2, is a cherry on top for fans of the genre.
With gorgeous cinematography, solid editing, and awesome make-up and special effects – In a Violent Nature offers up stuff that’s honestly unexpected for such a gross gorefest, but these surprises are why it stands out in a crowded field of forgettable violent thrillers. And when it comes to spilling blood, this one spares no expense. The kills are spectacularly sickening, particularly one early on that I can’t even begin to articulate. You truly have to see to believe. It’s one of those that would certainly cause a rowdy movie crowd to lose their shit.
In a Violent Nature is if we basically followed Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th sequels as he walks around butchering people. Except it’s all captured with sophistication from writer/director Chris Nash. An artsy Friday the 13th? Who knew such a thing could even exist. Though, In a Violent Nature does limit itself by mostly sticking with the killer, stripping away the suspense and scares that the audience gets when not knowing when or where he’ll strike next.
Still, when it comes to slasher flicks, Nash applies terrific techniques that we’re not accustomed to seeing. They are far more exciting than the routine story being told. The deliberate pacing can also work against it at times. With that said, there’s a true sense of eeriness that’s felt in a variety of scenes where the anticipation grows stronger and stronger by the second. But at the end of the day, these type of movies are defined by one thing and one thing only: The kills. In that area, In a Violent Nature is on an elite level.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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