Horror Movie Review: In A Violent Nature (2024)

Do not believe the hype, the few things that make In A Violent Nature more notable than any other slasher is far outdone by the frustrating and downright boring experience that is, overall. The attempt to freshen up a tired genre failing spectacularly, purely because it is such a waste of time.

Written and directed by Chris Nash, In A Violent Nature has a very simple story. A ‘Friday the 13th’ style story that sees a malevolent beast of a man reanimated after the locket that rests on his grave is stolen by some young adults. He wants it back, and like Jason, will relentlessly pursue those who stole it and kill those who get in his way.

A slasher tale as old as time, and In A Violent Nature isn’t offering up anything fresh with this story. No, its trick is its perspective as In A Violent Nature puts the viewer alongside the killer. Viewing his actions from over his shoulder like a video game and when that isn’t possible, changing the angles in unexpected ways. In A Violent Nature genuinely offers up a really unique way to view it, and that is worth praising, even if the aspect is dropped in confusing fashion at the end.

How the film is shot is often the first thing you hear about this film, followed then by exclamations of extreme gore and violence. While the former is true, the latter is not and there’s been a lot of exaggerated words put out there about this film. There is one inventive and nasty death, but everything else is standard slasher stuff and none of the gore is worth getting that excited about. Terrifier this is not.

This is just one of the many disappointments that In A Violent Nature ends up delivering. Yet, that feeling is still not trumped by the sheer annoyance that comes from the pacing. Seemingly, in an attempt to really push boundaries, In A Violent Nature moves at a sloth like pace as we follow along with the killer’s methodical march onwards. Lengthy scenes of him just walking through the woods searching for his prey. You’ll keep thinking that it will surely cut to a new scene, but it never does, it just keeps going.

After the third time of having to experience this, it becomes utterly groan worthy and loses any impact the original sequence had. Tension can’t be built when you’re bored, and worst of all, even if it manages to create some (such as the extended underwater shot) the payoff is rarely worth it.

Sure., it creates an uncomfortable environment for the viewer, but it isn’t fun. It’s an endurance test and the filmmakers will win every single time. How else do you explain the baffling final segment that feels like a mockery of the viewer’s time investment? You were stupid enough to watch it to this point, here’s ten minutes of nothing followed by it just ending. If you weren’t already angry at the film beforehand, this part will do it.

The acting is standard stuff, mostly everyone plays their fodder role fine, seeing as that’s all that is asked of them. Alas, some ropy dialogue during another lengthy scene that is screaming for an edit and a jarring shift that makes a ‘final girl’ a focal point means that, once again, In A Violent Nature finds a way to frustrate.

The innovation that the film offers doesn’t make it a better experience, and there’s a gnawing sense that there’s almost a disdain here for horror, such is the uncaring attitude shown towards the word ‘entertainment’. This is not entertaining, it’s a chore and an insulting one at that. Given a lofty position and hyped to the max for absolutely no reason.