Review: In a Violent Nature – Natural born killer 

Directed by Chris Nash
Starring: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love 

7/10

An ambient horror film certainly offers something different for the genre, and In a Violent Nature manages to deliver on that promise.

With the theft of his mother’s locket from his woodland grave, the wrathful spirit of Johnny (Ry Barrett) is unleashed once more upon the Canadian wilderness. We follow his huge, rotting corpse as he stalks a group of campers with murderous intent in his quest to retrieve the talisman.

Not so much a deconstruction of the slasher films, but rather a change of perspective that allows a re-examination of the genre. In terms of plot, dialogue, action, and characters, In a Violent Nature hits many of the expected tropes. However, the way in which it tells this tale is unique. We accompany the killer through the majority of the film, guided through the plot by his interactions. This is not in the traditional manner we are used to, such as a quick POV shot with an accompanying ominous score, but rather in an extended take from a third-person perspective as Johnny searches for his next victim.

The extent of this change is surprising. By focusing on the killer’s slow, relentless pace through the forest, it dissociates audiences from their usual way of consuming slasher films. Gone is the vicarious thrill of the kill or that moment of violent catharsis. Instead, the film can force us to sit uncomfortably in that moment, oddly complicit, as we are forced to follow the murderer rather than identify with the heroes. It’s a different way of viewing things, rather than the base thrills of sex and violence that popularised the genre back in its grindhouse and video store roots.

That’s not going to sit well with everyone, and some viewers may be put off by the slow, almost meditative, pace. The film is also not entirely successful in its exploration of themes of survival, the inherent violence in nature, and humanity’s attempt to distance themselves from this. It works, but it requires a long, heavy-handed monologue in the dénouement to bring it home.

Then there are the moments when the film comes up against its budget constraints. Occasionally the gore is noticeably fake, or the acting is somewhat wooden, which is a definite negative. However, it’s certainly mitigated by the fact that many of the original works it is riffing on suffer from similar flaws.

These are minor quibbles in what is a truly unique piece in the genre. In a Violent Nature might not be to everyone’s taste, but it certainly should be on every horror fan’s watchlist.

DAVID O’CONNELL