“In a Violent Nature,” directed by Chris Nash, is a camp slasher horror flick that flips the perspective of the story on the audience. Instead of following the teens’ perspectives as a killer plucks them off one by one, audiences follow the killer while the teenagers are off in their own world. This genius concept stands out as the most unique in recent horror memory, executed to perfection — allowing it to stand out in the sea of horror features constantly released.
The cinematography from Pierce Derks carries the mostly dialogue-less film. The beautiful shots of nature as viewers follow the killer walking through the woods make for some breathtaking moments that feel as though Nash is praising slashers of the past for their choice of woodsy locations. This decision almost makes the woods feel like its own ominous character, assisting the lumbering killer on his quest for vengeance. The film also consists of plenty of moments directly paying homage to films like “Friday the 13th” alongside the aesthetic of Tony Maylam’s “The Burning.” The choice to linger on nature makes this feel like a nature documentary occurring during a slasher story. It’s a treat!
Nash’s writing stands out as incredibly smart. Each kill plays out expertly and will leave audiences gagging at their creativity, like the beheading of the stoner against the tree or the axe throw that kills the rude boyfriend as he tries to run away. Those two only scratch the surface of how disturbing this movie gets. On top of that, the script answers slasher questions from the killer’s perspective like “How do the protagonists not see the killer coming?” or “What is the killer doing when they are not tracking down teen victims?”
Following the perspective of the killer rather than the teens feels like such a no-brainer approach to a slasher film. It is amazing there has not been one done in this experimental way. “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” would be the only film close, but even that is more mockumentary than anything. It also should be noted that the killer’s motivation isn’t just bloodlust like one would think of a slasher, but rather the desire to get back a necklace that the killer’s parents gave him as a child. It adds an element of childlike wonder to the character that garners sympathy from audiences despite him not uttering a single word.
“In a Violent Nature,” an incredibly experimental movie, does not cater to everyone. Yet its creative writing, cinematography and morbid kills make it a treat for those who hold a soft spot for the slasher subgenre. Audiences will all agree that “In a Violent Nature” feels like the “Death Stranding” of the horror movie medium. Nothing screams “great start to the summer” quite like sitting down to watch this stellar summer camp slasher.
4 longshots of the killer lumbering through the woods out of 5
