REVIEW: In A Violent Nature

It really is a shame that "The Walking Dead" used what was the most appropriate title ever conceived for this film. Chris Nash's "In A Violent Nature" sees its silent antagonist Johnny (Ry Barrett) walking. And walking. And walking. And killing. And walking.

Right off the bat, big kudos to this film for filming in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, a locale close to my heart. The filming locations certainly take advantage of some beautiful sunset shots, along with some gorgeous night and Dusk sequences. 

The plot is a very thin wink to literally every slasher film ever made. A hulking undead man in a relentless pursuit of murdering young people, donning a ridiculous costume, and living up to a revenge folk story. Sound familiar? Sure does.

When some half-wit youngins steal a gold trinket serving as a grave marker in an abandoned fire shack, they awaken Johnny, who is only in pursuit of his trinket back, not necessarily for bloodlust. Yet, inexplicably, Johnny goes above and beyond to ensure his snares REALLY suffer. I suppose getting riled out of a dirt nap will put that rage in 'ya.

The writing on the would-be victims is painful to hear read aloud. I've spoke before on the near impossibility to gracefully act poorly written dialogue, and this film is unfortunately no exception. There is a particularly brutal exchange involving 2 girls spontaneously setting up a fuck encounter, that is so out of left field, I'm sure many will howl at its sheer nonsense. One remarks to the other at going to get "stretched out" in yoga, and hopes to get "stretched out" by her afterward. 

Good Christ. What male fantasy horny writing is this? It felt more like watching a porn parody than a horror movie.

One area the film truly excels in are the kills. Nash has a particularly nasty eye (and I mean that as a compliment) for practical effects, and it's in this realm that he shows his true talent as a horror filmmaker. There is a truly special sequence involving a cliffside, a dopey blonde, and an uncooperative hook that really ought to make a top kills of the year list. Johnny's calculated, over the top nature serve the effects artists well in the later scenes.

And let's talk a minute about the very unique filming style. 

In so many slashers, we are usually treated to a slow moving killer who the victim runs away from successfully, only to see them pop up again suddenly, and it never really seems to make sense, besides "supernatural magic". 

The setup in this film is quite different. 

From the opening shot, we follow Johnny as his tracks his would-be victims in a zombie shuffle through the woods, day and night, until he eventually gets to where he's going.  It's an interesting little homing beacon he's got going on, and what else does he have to do with his days? No wonder he's so amped when he gets to his prey, he's been walking for 2 straight days, for shit's sake.

The important question is, does it work? I rather liked the slow lumbering movement, and is almost hypnotic, but it really hurts the pacing of the film at times. And while I appreciate the desire to keep the kills as the main event, some of those like to linger a little too long as well. A little bit tighter on the editing would have gone a long way. I would certainly have cut out the wayyyyy too long monologue about bears in the final act, that grinds the film to an annoying and screaming halt. 

Like...what? It felt as though someone just randomly changed the channel right after the kills. The sudden anti climatic drop to the end credits lends additional weight to the charged channel theory.

"In A Violent Nature" is certainly not out to reinvent the wheel. It's cheesy, cliched, with a pretty weak monster who doesn't really leave any kind of lasting impression. But I'll be damned if those kill scenes didn't leave me curious as to what Nash brings us in the future. 

Hopefully, a better script, for starters.