Have you ever wanted to see a Friday the 13th movie from Jason Voorhees‘ perspective? What if instead of following around a group of sex-crazed college kids you were just riding shotgun with the killer during his gory rampage through the cursed campground? Well good news you sick, twisted maniac! Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature is exactly that- A gory forest bound slasher told (almost) exclusively through the eyes of a masked madman back from the dead to seek revenge.
After a group of campers steal a gold locket from a collapsed fire tower, they find themselves hunted by Johnny, the boogeyman of this particular backwoods area. He wants his locket back, and he’ll stop at nothing until it’s in his cold, dead hands again. So, while they smoke pot and drink, tell campfire stories and hook up, Johnny sloooowly makes his way to their camp, killing anyone that crosses his path. It’s a barrage of blood and a geyser of gore, all riffing off the tropes of your favorite Crystal Lake escapades.
“A barrage of blood and a geyser of gore”
So, what is your favorite Friday the 13th movie? If you’re the kind of horror fan that immediately reaches for Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives for its outlandish kill sequences, you’re going to love the gory nonsense in store for you here. If you’re a Friday The 13th Part 2 diehard for its campfire stories, ruthless slasher stalking, and Jason’s cozy forest shack- you get all of that in In A Violent Nature as well. And, of course, if you think the Friday The 13th franchise only came into its own after Kane Hodder took up the Jason Voorhees mantle, you’re especially going to appreciate the physicality of Ry Barrett (Cult Hero) as an unstoppable undead brute that rips people apart like pulled pork! (or jackfruit for that matter)
Anchored by Barrett’s A+ performance as Johnny- a hulk of horror who’s only language is ultra violence- In A Violent Nature is a slow but methodical march of brutality and body destruction. From the jump we’re with Johnny, silent spectators to every moment of his mayhem which really works…until it doesn’t. Not enough good can be said about Ry Barrett’s portrayal of a Jason-adjacent villain, and the movie’s avalanche of eye-popping practical(!) gore, but the concept and the execution of this Post-Slasher outlive its interest, sadly.
As a lifelong Friday the 13th fan I really dig the originality of the approach, but it wore on me after an hour of watching a 300-pound zombie tromp slowly through the woods. The movie also has no score, which really (truly) amplifies the tension of its quietest moments but makes any fist-pumping kill sequence cold and clinical. In a packed theatre, the music of those moments is surely the reaction from the audience, so I absolutely recommend seeing this in the theatre if you can. At home on VOD, this midnight madness flick suddenly becomes a sadistic true crime doc when you’re sitting in the silence of those set pieces.
In A Violent Nature is one of the most inventive horror movies of the year and does something with the rinse-and-repeat slasher formula that we have never seen before. It’s also got a TON of gross-out gore gags that are bound to make any horror fan’s “Best Kills of The Year” list. Not to mention a rock-solid performance from Ry Barrett who brings as much emotion and pure-evil to a silent killer as Kane Hodder ever did. There is a lot to love about In A Violent Nature, even if it does seem to get bored with its own premise and break its own rules whenever it sees fit.
“…a rock-solid performance from Ry Barrett who brings as much emotion and pure-evil to a silent killer as Kane Hodder ever did!“
For the A24 horror fan looking to dip their toe into the world of gore cinema, In A Violent Nature is your ideal starting point. But for the lifelong weirdos that put on Wrong Turn or Victor Crowely to fall asleep to each night, In A Violent Nature may feel like an exercise in patience. That said, writer/director Chris Nash has given us something very unique with this Killer POV Slasher. And in a world with a Jason Voorhees sized hole in the center of it, I’d love to see what he could do with the Johnny character in another 12 of these gory and imaginative movies. But a soundtrack next time, my man!
Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature hits theatres May 31st! Let us know what you thought of this minimalist riff on the classic slasher setup over on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or in the Nightmare on Film Steet Discord!
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