In A Violent Nature – A Necessary And Tedious Experience

With the growing trend of newly ambitious directors trying to subvert subgenres, In A Violent Nature is writer/director Chris Nash’s attempt at flipping the typical slasher subgenre on its head. The film’s story follows a silent killer named Johnny (Barrett), who, after being resurrected, wanders the forest to cause chaos. An emphasis, of course, needs to be put on “follow” as Nash’s curveball is that audiences are presented the story as a “day in the life” of sorts of the killer as he tracks down those who disturbed his grave. In the end, sitting through yet another ambitious genre-defying film, one can’t help but wonder: Is this different for the sake of being different?

The film’s lack of score, heightened sound design of the wilderness, and long tracking shots of the killer creates the feel of a nature documentary, as if watching an animal in their natural habitat. Meanwhile, comparisons to the Friday the 13th franchise are inevitable based on similarities in plot, character designs, and scenic locations. However, Nash’s attempt takes on the slasher subgenre draws a more honorable comparison to the franchise’s recent video game adaptation. The camera, following closely behind Johnny at nearly every moment, parallels the gameplay of third-person horror video game, and hearing the dialogue fade in/out as he gets closer to his supposed victim(s) as the camera cut between different full action shots, leading up to his ultimate finishing move. At the end of the day, the film only works if audiences enjoy each of these niche gimmicks together. Alienating slasher film lovers with its slow-burn pace, having the edit of a nature documentary, and video game inspired action, the result is sure to polarize its intended target audience. While some will consider it to be a dull and uninspired waste of an interesting premise, others will be likely to remain unfazed.

With any great slasher film, much of their success comes from the not knowing where the killer is or when they are going to attack. Those familiar conventions are almost completely absent here, substituting shock factor with the brutality of its kills. However, after taking away all its theatrics and boiling the film down to its essence, it delivers a chilling portrayal of how killers of this ilk can march through the wilderness and spy on their victims through bushes undetected. The rare instances where Nash cuts to the killer’s presumptive victims while the killer, sometimes subtly or evidently, as he peeks in the background of the shot, showing how easily audiences can overlook things when they are not looking for them. The scenes where Johnny marched without hesitation towards and/or around other characters so fluidly, through excellent long tracking shots, highlights how oblivious and vulnerable some can be in similar situations, when shown from the perspective of those looking to hunt them down. These revelations, while necessary to experience as a viewer, are merely a tedious means to an end as the slasher part of the film is broken by the Johnny side of things.

It is somewhat refreshing that a film like In A Violent Nature can put a new spin on the slasher subgenre, while also restraining itself from using jump scares, fake outs, and other various horror clichés to get the job done. What is left is merely a main character just trying to get the job done. As a whole, it is an experience of understanding human behavior, whether it be within ourselves or those trying to hunt us, and less about satisfying the audience with a thrilling tale. As tedious as it all may sound, it is still worth a watch, if only for audiences to experience its different perspective for themselves, for better or worse.

still courtesy of IFC Films

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Costa Christoulas

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