Ever wondered what a masked maniac in the vein of Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees does in his downtime—or what it might be like if Terrence Malick made a slasher movie? In a Violent Nature, which just debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and will stream on Shudder, sets out to answer both questions.
As you can tell from that description, writer-director Chris Nash’s film has an intriguing premise. It’s full of familiar elements: it takes place in the woods and around a lake; its primary victims are a group of young adults out for a good time; and its villain has a tragic backstory that explains what’s motivating his kill-crazy ways, with some super-powered enhancements that allow him to revive after grievous injuries. But its tale unfolds in a most unconventional way. Its main focus is the hulking Johnny, who digs himself out of a grave in the first scene after a hiker steals the sentimental talisman that’s been keeping his spirit at rest.
Immediately, Johnny’s back in slaughter mode, methodically stomping through the forest in the direction of any human with the bad fortune to be on his turf. A hefty portion of In a Violent Nature is the camera following behind Johnny as he walks, and walks, and walks. The film also favours long-take static shots that show Johnny in his environment, stalking his prey like a Planet Earth documentary. There’s no discernible score, but the soundscape is carefully calibrated: forest ambience, like bird chirps and crunching leaves, is blended with rude human noise. This includes car horns and music, but also voices we start to overhear as Johnny creeps closer. Often, the audience can only catch scattered parts of conversations, though things become clearer when it’s something important—like exposition explaining the local lore Johnny has inspired, shared around a campfire in a scene that pays homage to what’s perhaps In a Violent Nature’s most obvious slasher influence, Friday the 13th Part 2.
You can’t put “violent” in your movie title and not follow through, and In a Violent Nature delivers; Johnny is commendably resourceful and detail-oriented in his murder methods. But while gory death scenes are the slasher genre’s raison d’être, the visceral executions we get here are presented with the same cold detachment as the rest of the film. And even operatic bloodshed’s not quite enough to make up for In a Violent Nature’s pacing, which trudges along just like Johnny does.
The idea behind this film is admirable. It fully commits to its poetic, Malick-like style, and it’s wonderful to see a filmmaker taking such a surprising, creative approach to one of cinema’s most trope-laden and often under-appreciated genres. But In a Violent Nature’s nifty gimmick is also, unfortunately, something of a drawback. Positioning the film from Johnny’s point of view—without delving into his mindset beyond “who can I kill next?”—also means there’s precious little tension throughout. We know where he is, or where he’s likely lurking, nearly every step of the way, and we know what he’s going to do. This saps any surprise or excitement out of the story—and the fact that we don’t get to know any of his nearly indistinguishable victims, clearly a deliberate choice meant to mirror Johnny’s own absence of emotions or interest, means their deaths have zero impact.
You have never seen a slasher like this before, and probably never will again. It’s a fascinating artistic experiment and genre fans should definitely give it a look. But it may also make you wish you were watching a traditional slasher—for something more fun and entertaining, may we suggest Friday the 13th Part 2?—instead.
In a Violent Nature will stream on Shudder, though a release date is TBD.