Vague Visages’ In a Violent Nature review contains minor spoilers. Chris Nash’s 2024 movie features Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic and Cameron Love. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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Horror movies tend to provoke an intense response, whether it’s screaming, crying or — in certain extreme cases — puking. Every now and then, stories circulate about a certain flick being so horrifying and/or disgusting that it’s caused audience members to vomit in the theater, the most recent example of which was Julia Ducournau’s celebrated coming-of-age cannibal movie, Raw (2016). In a Violent Nature, SFX maestro Chris Nash’s debut feature, is the latest film upon which this dubious honor has been bestowed, with audio captured at a Chicago screening seemingly demonstrating that at least one patron quite literally couldn’t stomach it. Regardless of whether this actually happened, there’s no denying that the movie arrives with a huge amount of hype attached to it — particularly for horror fans, who spend their entire lives chasing the high of that first scare and increasingly come up short. 

In a Violent Nature feels grammatically incorrect as a title even though it isn’t, with its clunkiness betraying a lack of precision that bleeds into every aspect of the wafer-thin premise. “Show, don’t tell” is pretty basic filmmaking advice, and the inventive kills may be enough of a selling point for some, but they can’t be the only reason to watch, especially when there’s little to no characterization or any real attempt at building a cohesive story. The performances, from a cast of interchangeable actors — none of whom make an impression — are flat and the dialogue rote. This may be an attempt to pay homage to 90s slashers, in which purposely one-dimensional hotties are torn apart by a bloodthirsty killer in a Halloween mask for our enjoyment. In these cases, the lack of characterization is the point. 

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Here, though, it feels like a misstep since there’s nobody to invest in, including the Final Girl who gives it her all but still fails to distinguish herself from everybody else onscreen. Still, the central group tries to leave once it’s clear their friends have been slaughtered, so they’re not completely useless. Nash, who also penned the lackluster script, clearly intends for viewers to follow his killer instead. Clad in an inarguably cool, old-school firefighter mask and brandishing a weapon comprised of two hooks attached by a chain, Johnny stalks the woods while the camera clings close to him, giving viewers the sense that they’re following in his footsteps (reports of a POV-style approach have been somewhat overstated, since thankfully this isn’t a slasher take on 2015’s Hardcore Henry). 

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Nash stays clear of Johnny’s perspective, even though the camera is placed in consistently interesting places. It wends its way through trees and long grass, the landscape lovingly captured via some exquisitely muted visuals. But the choice to put viewers in Johnny’s shoes keeps the audience at a remove, making it tough to get into In a Violent Nature’s offbeat groove. The movie isn’t terribly involving, and the pacing is off, especially in the final act. It’s somewhat desultory throughout, but the action essentially grinds to a halt at one point for a lengthy conversation that quickly goes from tense to dull. Most of the time, Johnny plods along with the same rhythm as the plot itself, which makes it harder to pay attention between kills. 

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Plenty has been made of the violence on display, with one kill even singled out as an all-timer. Although the ingenuity is impressive, hardcore horror fans won’t be shocked (curious normies, meanwhile, should prepare accordingly). There’s nothing to rival the Hatchet movies (an axe to the head directly recalls Adam Green’s criminally underrated slasher series, in which the gag is also notably done better) for inventiveness, nor the Terrifier franchise for offensiveness. In a Violent Nature’s approach is surprisingly anodyne, often hanging back rather than showing everything in all its gory glory, which wouldn’t be an issue if viewers cared about either Johnny or his victims. The use of a woodcutting machine is clever, and the SFX are gooey and proudly practical — unsurprising given that Nash worked on The Void (2016) and Psycho Goreman (2020). If anything, though, one expects more from him as a result.

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The argument about whether sex scenes add anything substantial to movies is constantly being relitigated on social media, but there’s another debate to be had about whether horror movies need to include vicious murder scene for scares. It typically depends on the flick. When it comes to slashers, the kills count, and showing everything is a smart method of selling the concept. However, what’s barely glimpsed is often scarier. The issue is that, with a film like In a Violent Nature, the whole point of watching is to see gruesome, boundary-pushing death scenes. Without anything truly special, what are we left with? 

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In a Violent Nature is deliberately slow in every sense of the word, including that poor Johnny is mentally disabled (a dodgy character trait that doesn’t add anything substantial to a killer’s MO and should’ve been retired decades ago). It’s jarring to watch someone whip out an iPhone, since In a Violent Nature is so old school in every other way, lensed and presented like the grainy 70s pictures that still hold up today but assembled to resemble some forgettable Friday the 13th sequel (including a baffling cameo). The moment when Johnny gets confused by motion sensor lights is funny, but it’s a setup that is more effective in 2018’s spirited Halloween reboot. 

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Nash’s movie is put together with care, at the very least. Shooting mostly in daylight was an original choice, while the initial sequence of Johnny emerging from his grave — which seemingly required the actor to be fully buried for real — is captured with a steady gaze that showcases how cool it looks. There are also several great shots of Johnny watching the group silently from the trees, mere feet away from where they’re standing or sitting. If the filmmakers had leaned further into creating a sense of tension and intrigue rather than trying to have their arthouse cake and eat it too, maybe In a Violent Nature would be more successful as a slasher. 

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The biggest issue is Johnny’s overall blandness. He resembles The Devil’s Lake Impaler from the Scare Package franchise, winningly portrayed by Dustin Rhodes, aka pro-wrestler Goldust. The difference is that Rhodes has screen presence and his killer an intriguing, even sympathetic, backstory. There’s a half-baked attempt to make Johnny seem almost pathetic, but it’s dropped as quickly as he discards the toy car in his meaty hand. Otherwise, the killer is very Jason-coded. It’s unlikely he’s going to become the next horror icon, but at least In a Violent Nature’s villain doesn’t use guns like Art the Clown (a cardinal sin in slasher movies that has been inexplicably overlooked by Terrifier fans). And Johnny does feel like a genuine threat, even if it’s purely down to actor Ry Barrett’s considerable size. 

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Late Night with the Devil (2023)drops the found footage concept whenever it’s convenient, including during a hallucinatory sequence, and has been generally well-received, so In a Violent Nature shouldn’t be criticized too harshly for not committing fully to the POV concept, which has been around since Peeping Tom (1960). It would make Nash’s film feel unavoidably like a video game — there is only one Hardcore Henry for a reason. At the same time, there isn’t much to hang on to in terms of story, character motivation or even gore. For a movie with “violent” in its title, Nash skimps on the blood and guts in a manner that becomes more head-scratching the longer In a Violent Nature drags on. And leaving things too opaque ultimately robs audiences of the ability to fully invest. The package may be pretty, but there’s nothing of note inside, and what is there has been done better elsewhere.

Joey Keogh (@JoeyLDG) is a writer from Dublin, Ireland with an unhealthy appetite for horror movies and Judge Judy. In stark contrast with every other Irish person ever, she’s straight edge. Hello to Jason Isaacs.

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