In a Violent Nature

Last updated

In a Violent Nature
In a Violent Nature (2024) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChris Nash
Written byChris Nash
Produced by
Starring
  • Ry Barrett
  • Andrea Pavlovic
  • Cameron Love
  • Reece Presley
  • Liam Leone
  • Charlotte Creaghan
  • Lea Rose Sebastianis
  • Sam Roulston
  • Alexander Oliver
  • Lauren Taylor
CinematographyPierce Derks
Edited byAlex Jacobs
Music byChristine Leslie
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 24, 2024 (2024-01-24)(Sundance)
  • May 31, 2024 (2024-05-31)(United States)
Running time
94 minutes [1]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.4 million [2] [3]

In a Violent Nature is a 2024 Canadian slasher film written and directed by Chris Nash, and starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, and Lauren-Marie Taylor. Described as an "ambient slasher", [4] [5] it follows a mute killer who is accidentally resurrected from his grave in the Ontario wilderness by a group of teenagers, whom he then begins stalking and murdering. The events depicted are largely observed from the killer's perspective. [6] [7]

Contents

In a Violent Nature premiered on January 22, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival, as part of the festival's "Midnight" program, [4] and was theatrically released in the United States and Canada by IFC Films on May 31. Opening on 1,426 screens, it marked IFC Films's widest theatrical release to date, and grossed $3 million in its first week. It is scheduled to be released on the streaming service Shudder later in the year. [8] [9] It has received largely favorable reviews from film critics. [10] [11]

Plot

A group of friends discover a locket hanging on the remains of a fire tower. One of them, Troy, pockets it. Moments later, the corpse of Johnny rises from the ground. Enraged, he begins his search for the locket and walks through the woods. He pauses at the sight of a rotting fox corpse and hears a nearby argument between two men, one of whom set the traps that killed the fox. Johnny walks to a house and enters unnoticed. When he sees a necklace that he mistakes for his locket, he has a brief memory of his father. The homeowner soon returns, but is horrified by Johnny and runs away. In the woods, he gets his leg stuck in his own bear trap and is killed by Johnny. Later, Johnny hears a car in the distance and pursues it.

Johnny approaches the group of friends sitting around a campfire. One of them, Ehren, recounts Johnny's death: Decades prior, Johnny, the developmentally delayed son of a local merchant, was tricked into climbing the fire tower for a "bag of toys", only to find someone waiting at the top to scare him. He fell from the tower to his death, which was deemed accidental. According to legend, two series of murders decades apart are attributed to Johnny's vengeful spirit. After the story, the group goes inside their cabin. Ehren steps outside and is killed by Johnny with a drawknife. Johnny then drags his body to a nearby park ranger office. Inside, Johnny collects a pair of dragging hooks and an axe, and dons an antique firefighter mask.

The next day, Johnny comes across Aurora and Brodie on a lake dock. Brodie wants to swim, but Aurora leaves to practice yoga. As Brodie swims in the lake alone, Johnny submerges in the water and drowns her. He then pursues Aurora, who is standing near a cliffside practicing yoga. Johnny kills her with his dragging hooks, before throwing her mutilated body off the cliff.

Later, Troy, Colt, and Evan argue over car keys and their missing friends, and one throws his keys into the woods, which Johnny picks up. He plays with an attached toy car keychain as Colt and Kris drive off on an ATV. Johnny then kills Troy and Evan. Colt and Kris return shortly afterward, having found Ehren's body at the park ranger station, but flee at the sight of Johnny. By nightfall, Johnny approaches the station, where the ranger is explaining to Colt and Kris that the locket—which Kris is wearing—is what keeps Johnny's soul at rest. The ranger momentarily subdues Johnny with a shotgun, but Johnny paralyzes him as Colt and Kris flee. Johnny kills the ranger by dismembering him with a log splitter.

Later, Colt attempts to distract Johnny to trap him, but Johnny kills him with an axe. A shellshocked Kris leaves Johnny's locket hanging on a gas canister and flees into the woods. She accidentally injures her leg, but by dawn manages to limp to a nearby road. A woman in a pickup truck stops and offers to drive her to a hospital. In an attempt to reassure Kris, the woman recounts how her brother, a game warden, survived a bear mauling in the same woods decades prior. The woman notices that Kris's bleeding has worsened and stops the truck, insisting that she put a tourniquet around the injured leg. Terrified, Kris begs her to keep driving and peers into the woods, waiting for something to appear. Elsewhere, the left-behind gas canister is missing Johnny's locket, indicating that he’s finally at peace.

Cast

Production

A Vajen Bader smoke protector helmet, similar to that used by the film's villain St John Ambulance Museum, Unley (8715828763).jpg
A Vajen Bader smoke protector helmet, similar to that used by the film's villain

Filming

Filming initially took place in the Kawartha Lakes area of Central Ontario, Canada, in 2021, but Nash later recalled that the locale "just felt like it wasn't hitting the right note for us". [4] The film was ultimately shot in Algoma District, Ontario, near Sault Ste. Marie. [4]

Style

Commentators have drawn comparisons between In a Violent Nature and slow cinema. [4] [5] Nash drew inspiration for the film's style from the Gus Van Sant-directed films Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003) and Last Days (2005), which Nash characterizes as "slower, more methodical, more deliberate and follow characters through a scene." [4] Nash also cited the work of director Terrence Malick as an influence. [6]

In a Violent Nature emphasizes static long take shots, and features no musical score. [12] "We always wanted to treat this almost like a nature documentary," Nash said of the film's stylistic approach. "It's lulling you into a sense [that] the danger isn't quite there. When you see tourists getting really close to bears, they're just like, 'Oh, no, look, it's not doing anything. It's fine.' And then all of a sudden, the bear just turns around and charges at you. You're way too defenseless and you just have no idea that they're capable of this much power and brutality." [13]

Release

In a Violent Nature had its world premiere on January 22, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival, as part of the festival's "Midnight" program. [4] An outdoor promotional screening was held on New York City's Governors Island on May 18, 2024, with actors Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, and Lauren-Marie Taylor in attendance. [14] The film was theatrically released in the United States by IFC Films on May 31, 2024. [15] It was released digitally on June 28, 2024, [16] and will be included on the Shudder streaming service later in the year. [8] [9] It is scheduled for theatrical release in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2024. [10]

Box office

IFC Films released In a Violent Nature in North America on May 31, 2024 on 1,426 screens, marking the widest opening release of a film for the studio. [17] It earned $410,000 in Thursday night previews. [17] It went on to gross $2.1 million at the North American box office during its opening weekend, marking the second-best opening for IFC Films after Late Night with the Devil . [17] By June 21, 2024, the film had earned $4,192,513 at the box office. [2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 81% of 143 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "As single-mindedly focused on mayhem as its demonic monster, In a Violent Nature serves up a deliciously disgusting feast for gore aficionados." [18] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [19]

Variety 's Dennis Harvey wrote that the film's "stripped-down approach to a familiar gist has a distinctiveness that is impressive, and is sure to please fans who are always up for a new slasher film—but wish most of them weren't so interchangeable." [7] Cheryl Eddy of Gizmodo called it "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." [12] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times praised the film's "dreamlike" atmosphere, concluding: "Nash has attempted an ambitious blend of art house and slaughterhouse whose rug-pulling ending will polarize, even as its moody logic prevails." [20]

Michael Gingold of Rue Morgue wrote that the film's style "isn't quite a reinvention of the form, but it creates a different and very effective kind of tension." [21] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of "C", writing that the film "derives its semi-hypnotic power from the disconnect it creates between the sheer movieness of what happens and the somnambulant nonchalance with which it all goes down. The effect is interesting in theory, but largely unsatisfying in execution (pun very much intended)." [5]

In a list published on June 20, 2024, Variety ranked In a Violent Nature the best horror film of the year thus far, with writer William Earl noting: "Amid the outrageous kills and crisp camerawork lies a sharp satire laced with empathy, beauty and genuine fear." [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Credited as Lauren Taylor

Related Research Articles

A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.

AMC Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York.

Lauren-Marie Taylor is an American film and television actress. She is regarded as a "scream queen" for her roles in several horror films. Born and raised in the Bronx, Taylor was scouted by a talent agent while performing in a high school production of Oklahoma! with classmate Ally Sheedy, and began pursuing acting in commercials. Her first major role was as Vickie in the slasher film Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).

<i>Angst</i> (1983 film) 1983 Austrian film

Angst is a 1983 Austrian horror film directed by Gerald Kargl, who co-wrote the screenplay with cinematographer and editor Zbigniew Rybczyński. It follows a psychopath recently released from prison and is loosely based on real-life mass murderer Werner Kniesek. Though relatively obscure, the film was acclaimed for its camera work, score, and Erwin Leder's performance. It was banned in many European countries on its release for its depictions of extreme violence.

<i>The Killer Inside Me</i> (2010 film) 2010 US crime drama film by Michael Winterbottom

The Killer Inside Me is a 2010 American crime drama and an adaptation of the 1952 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, and Kate Hudson. It is the second film adaptation of Thompson's novel, the first being 1976's The Killer Inside Me, directed by Burt Kennedy.

<i>V/H/S</i> 2012 American found footage horror anthology film

V/H/S is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the V/H/S franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of found footage shorts written and directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and the filmmaking collective Radio Silence.

<i>The Babadook</i> 2014 horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her feature directorial debut, based on her 2005 short film Monster. Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear, the film follows a widowed single mother who with her son must confront a mysterious humanoid monster in their home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Campos (director)</span> American film producer, screenwriter and film director

Antonio Campos is an American filmmaker and producer best known for directing films such as Afterschool (2008), Simon Killer (2012), Christine (2016), and The Devil All the Time (2020). Campos is also known for creating the Max biographical crime series The Staircase (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Levine</span> American actress and filmmaker

Chloë Levine is an American actress and filmmaker. Levine has appeared in as well as directed numerous films, both short and feature-length. Her most notable appearances include Innocence (2013), The Transfiguration (2016), The Defenders (2017), The Ranger (2018), Antarctica (2020), and on television in The OA (2016–2019), and Trinkets in 2020.

<i>Children of the Corn</i> (2020 film) American film by Kurt Wimmer

Children of the Corn is a 2020 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence. The film is the third adaptation of Stephen King's short story "Children of the Corn" (1977) and the eleventh installment in the Children of the Corn series. It is the first film based on King's story to be theatrically released since Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC+</span> American subscription video streaming service

AMC+ is an American subscription video on demand streaming service owned by AMC Networks that was launched on June 11, 2020. The service is a premium bundle that includes the live feeds and program libraries of the company's television networks and streaming brands along with its own exclusive content.

<i>Watcher</i> (film) 2022 film by Chloe Okuno

Watcher is a 2022 psychological thriller film written and directed by Chloe Okuno in her feature directorial debut, based on an original screenplay by Zack Ford. The film stars Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, and Burn Gorman.

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol, it was initially intended to be an in-person/virtual hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022, it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor of a wholly virtual festival due to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 9, 2021.

V/H/S is an American horror anthology franchise that includes six found footage films, two spin-off films, and one miniseries. Created from an original story idea by Brad Miska, the plot centers around a number of disturbing VHS tapes that are discovered by innocent viewers and the possessive influence of the videos over those who see them. Realized by a collaboration of various filmmakers and different casts, the installments are mostly standalone in nature; though recurring elements indicate the same fictional villain as the source for all of its videos.

Chloe Alexandra Okuno is an American filmmaker. She wrote and directed the segment "Storm Drain" for the 2021 horror anthology V/H/S/94. Her feature film directorial debut, Watcher, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S Dramatic Competition. Okuno has also directed several short films, including Slut (2014), which won several awards including the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Las Vegas International Film Festival.

<i>Resurrection</i> (2022 film) Film by Andrew Semans

Resurrection is a 2022 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Andrew Semans. It stars Rebecca Hall, Grace Kaufman, Michael Esper, and Tim Roth. The plot follows Margaret (Hall) as she tries to maintain control of her life when an abusive ex-boyfriend (Roth) re-appears in her vicinity. The film was shot in Albany, NY and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

<i>The Disappearance of Shere Hite</i> 2023 documentary film by Nicole Newnham

The Disappearance of Shere Hite is a 2023 documentary film directed by Nicole Newnham. The film is narrated by actress Dakota Johnson, and follows the life of American-born German sex educator and feminist Shere Hite.

<i>Its a Wonderful Knife</i> 2023 film by Tyler MacIntyre

It's a Wonderful Knife is a 2023 American Christmas horror comedy film directed by Tyler MacIntyre and written by Michael Kennedy. It stars Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, William B. Davis, and Justin Long. It is a spin on the 1946 Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life; however, instead of the lead character recognizing his previous good deeds, the character Winnie discovers how many deaths she has prevented in her town.

Peter Kuplowsky is a Canadian film producer, actor, and programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness section since 2017. He produced In a Violent Nature (2024). He also co-produced The Void (2016) and PG: Psycho Goreman (2020). He is in documentaries like Best Worst Movie (2009), which is about the cult film Troll 2 (1990).

References

  1. ↑ "In a Violent Nature (18)". BBFC. May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "In a Violent Nature". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ "In a Violent Nature (2024) — Financial Information". The Numbers . Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gheciu, Alex Nino (January 22, 2024). "Sundance slasher In A Violent Nature puts northern Ontario front and centre". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ehrlich, David (January 24, 2024). "'In a Violent Nature' Review: A Gory, High-Concept Slasher More Interesting in Theory Than in Execution". IndieWire . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Earl, William (January 18, 2024). "How 'In a Violent Nature' Director Chris Nash Redefined Slashers With an Ultra-Gory Throwback That Evokes Terrence Malick". Variety . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Harvey, Dennis (January 22, 2024). "'In a Violent Nature' Review: A Fresh Canadian Spin on Slasher Conventions". Variety . Archived from the original on June 8, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Lang, Brent (December 6, 2023). "Shudder Lands Slasher Film 'In a Violent Nature' Ahead of Sundance Premiere (Exclusive)". Variety . Archived from the original on June 8, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Squires, John (January 30, 2024). "'In a Violent Nature' – Watch the Teaser Trailer for Slasher Movie Shot from the Killer's Perspective". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on April 28, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Anderton, Joe (May 24, 2024). "Critically-acclaimed horror movie told from killer's POV confirms UK release date". Yahoo! Movies . Archived from the original on June 16, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Earl, William (June 20, 2024). "The Best Horror Movies of 2024 So Far, Ranked: 'Immaculate,' 'Late Night With the Devil,' 'In a Violent Nature' and More". Variety . Archived from the original on June 21, 2024.
  12. 1 2 Eddy, Cheryl (January 23, 2024). "In a Violent Nature Turns the Slasher Genre on Its Head". Gizmodo . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ↑ Truitt, Brian. "Here's Johnny! Buzzy slasher movie 'In a Violent Nature' unleashes a gory kill to die for". USA Today . Archived from the original on June 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Squires, John (May 17, 2024). "'In a Violent Nature' – 'Friday the 13th Part 2' Star Lauren-Marie Taylor Joins Outdoor Screening in NYC on 5/18". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on May 29, 2024.
  15. ↑ "See a slasher movie from the killer's POV in first trailer for 'In a Violent Nature'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ↑ "In a Violent Nature". Amazon Prime . Archived from the original on June 20, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 1, 2024). "'Garfield' & 'IF' Bully 'Furiosa' Into Third Place As Summer Box Office Recession Continues – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 2, 2024.
  18. ↑ "In a Violent Nature". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  19. ↑ "In a Violent Nature". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  20. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (May 30, 2024). "'In a Violent Nature' Review: Killing Them Softly". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 30, 2024.
  21. ↑ Gingold, Michael (January 23, 2024). "Sundance '24 Movie Review: "In a Violent Nature" Takes a Different, Überbloody Look at a Forest Slasher". Rue Morgue . Archived from the original on June 8, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.