Shudder Spotlight: In a Violent Nature and the Zen of Jason
Finally a slasher that boldly asks if a psycho masked killer poops in the woods
“Birds singing. Leaves crunching. Distant scream.”
If you ever wondered what Friday the 13th would look like directed by Kelly Reichardt, this is your movie. Chris Nash’s deconstructionist slasher offers a unique blend of ironic character study and School of Savini butchery.
Placing us firsthand with woodsy, mask-wearing 80s Killer Classic Johnny as he navigates a few days of monotony and murder, we get what starts as a loving wink to fans of the subgenre (raises hand) and evolves into an almost Jarmusch-style acidic breakdown. Too arty to be a straight slasher and too trope-filled and blue-collar gory to be A24 fare, In a Violent Nature seems to be made for the minority of movie nerds that dig both (raises hand again).
Stellar sound design, editing and shallow focus cinematography announce from the get-go that we’re in for something wonderfully strange. Viewing a traditional Friday/Burning-style plot from afar automatically creates a sense of offness — subverting the slasher fun normally held in familiarity and anticipation into unexpected naturalism and dark comedy.
Johnny walks. And walks. And walks some more, transitioned to great comic effect with jump cuts. His first slow as molasses chase/kill is seen from hilarious distance. There is no music. No jump scares. No audio prompts. Simply the serene soundtrack of nature, mixed with screams far-off, muffled, diffused of any audience excitement.
When we finally do get up close and personal with kills, they surprisingly deliver. Creative and gnarly as fuck, they both honor and rival 80s Hall of Fame slayings. But there’s still something interestingly uncanny about them; a disconnect between their imaginativeness/brutality and the reaction from both victim and Johnny. The blood and guts are there, but the sentiment feels blasé — just going through the motions. Is this Johnny’s perspective? A prodding of us gorehounds? Either way, it’s odd and intriguing.
Overall Violent Nature comes across like a film made by a lover of the subgenre that’s reached the point we all do eventually — slasher burnout. All it takes is a few dull ones (typically from the early-early or late-late 80s) to get your mind drifting to some pretty interesting places.
Like, what does Jason do between kills? What would an escape-from-the-killer car ride be like when the adrenaline has burnt itself out and you’re left with small talk and a driver you don’t know? Why do heavily hive-brained teens to twentysomethings wander off alone so much? Are all spam in the cabin movies basically the same, just with different kill reels? And does a Jason poop in the woods? Okay, Violent Nature doesn’t really ask or answer that. But I’m still wondering.
I track with it, and greatly enjoy Nash’s effort to bring something new to the table. But also understand how its weird wavelength can be alienating. Definitely not fun in a Sleepaway Camp or even Scream way. Somehow both meta and dry. You’ll know right away if it’s your ASMR bucket of blood jam or not.
Bonus points for that out of left field toy car scene. Bring back more 70s-style zone-out moments of no plot, all character building in cinema. Especially with silent, beefy horror villains.
Playing now on Shudder.
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