Chris Nash’s new slasher is a unique, thought-provoking exercise in horror storytelling. Here’s our In A Violent Nature review.
“Horror movies had maybe gotten a little soft,” Ti West told us in a recent interview about taking a break from the genre before making his acclaimed X trilogy.
It’s hard not to agree with West; horror films have somewhat lost their edge. Theme has overtaken spectacle, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, you rarely get a proper shocker anymore.
Enter Chris Nash and his ambient, shocking slasher, In A Violent Nature.
You’ve probably already heard about the film through enthusiastic word of mouth. It’s a horror mostly shot from the perspective of the killer and features some properly gnarly kills and a controversial ending. Even when it doesn’t quite work, it’s a film to get excited about.
It begins with a close-up shot of a necklace just as it’s taken by someone. This causes Johnny (a menacing Ry Barrett) to rise from his grave and search for the stolen item. He seemingly can’t rest if it’s not returned to him, and throughout the film, we get his backstory through campfire stories and an old enemy recounting the last time Johnny rose.
If it all sounds a little generic, that’s exactly the point. The easiest – some might say laziest – comparison is Friday The 13th, with its lakeside setting, and a hulking killer that finds a mask to cover his face with. Johnny and Jason Voorhees’ backstories are remarkably similar too; both are ultimately quite tragic figures who were failed by others.
Nash has already stated multiple times that the films of Gus Van Sant were an inspiration, and it’s clear to see. Many sequences simply follow Johnny as he walks from point A to point B. If anything, In A Violent Nature demonstrates just how tedious it is to be a homicidal, undead killer.
These scenes are juxtaposed with sudden, graphic bursts of violence. While all of the kills are spectacularly gory, there’s one in particular that might be the best one we’ll see all year. It’s inventive, cruel and the kind that will leave your jaw on the floor. If horror films did get soft, In A Violent Nature proves that there’s still plenty of edge left in the genre.
The ending does prove to be a challenge. We won’t spoil it, but after a phenomenal two thirds, Nash almost fumbles the bag. There’s a long scene that takes place in a car with a completely new character, played by scream queen Lauren Taylor, delivering a patience-testing monologue. The entire sequence disrupts the flow, though even this feels like it’s by design.
In A Violent Nature clearly has an experimental edge, so it feels like Nash keeps trying to mess with us, subverting expectations and almost daring us to abandon his film at that point. Even if the scene drags on too long and feels disconnected from everything else, it’s to deny Nash’s vision and determination to confound audience expectations on this level.
In A Violent Nature may well be the best horror film of 2024. It won’t work for everyone, but this writer found it extremely interesting and invigorating. Here’s hoping it will inspire more filmmakers to take such bold risks with their own work.
In A Violent Nature is in cinemas 12th July.
