Word spread fast after a terrific screening at Sundance that a new style of horror film had just been unleashed. Quickly picked up by IFC Films for distribution, In A Violent Nature became the most eagerly anticipated horror film of 2024. After the strong showing of Late Night With The Devil, the team of Shudder and IFC started pushing hard for another smash hit. Inspired by the style of iconic director Gus Van Sant, writer/director Chris Nash attempts to bring a more aesthetically artistic brand to the genre. Will this avant-garde style usher in a new era of high-brow horror, or is this film just another hack and slash?
A legend lies buried in the deep wilderness of Canada. That is until a group of young adults remove a trinket which has kept the beast at bay. Johnny, a local boogeyman legend, rises after years of sinister slumber. Desperate to find his cherished locket, Johnny goes on a rampage through the thick foreboding forest. Ehren (Sam Roulston) tells the tale of the disfigured boy that took revenge on the loggers that accidentally took his life. Ehren’s friends laugh off the campfire tale until they each begin to suspiciously disappear. The remaining friends attempt to put the pieces, literally, together before Johnny adds to his hit list.
In A Violent Nature is a refreshing new take on the old slasher genre that falls short of becoming a new classic several times over during the ninety-four-minute run time. Nash as a director shines by using the camera to tell the tale but fails as a writer by sprinkling an entirely too basic tale throughout the narrative. Long running shots along with wide range imagery give the film a fantastic look. Using first person perspective allows the viewer a new glimpse into the visual vortex of the monster. The written plot does steal the beauty of the film with as about a typical slasher scenario as one can get. Though the film works through Johnny’s eyes, there is absolutely zero connection to any of the victims. All of the performances are professionally carried out, but with limp words, no cast member will be remembered after the end credits roll. Like the presentation, Nash hits and misses with the kills. Three of which are memorable and gorgeously gory, while the rest of the cut up cast are dispensed by typically generic slasher scenes which we have seen a thousand times over. Nash does enough to give the Horror Nation a fun time, and the fans should beckon for more from the talented artist. In A Violent Nature may still be the first of its kind to spring forth a new look to the genre, but without a more intricate plot, the new wave will fizzle out on the sinister shores quickly.
Scream Score: 8.2/10