In a Violent Nature
Written and Directed by Chris Nash
Starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love and Reece Presley
Running time 1 hour and 34 minutes
Unrated
In theaters May 31

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief

“Where did you get that necklace?”

An infamous motel proprietor once said, “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Sons that possess deep affections for their Mommies is a tale as old as time. Often, this love they carry is a catalyst for violence. Norman Bates, Jason Voorhees, Mikey Myers, and Cody Jarrett have all proved the theory that mom is a motivation for murder.

In a Violent Nature writer/director Chris Nash introduces a new son to the mix; Johnny (Ry Barrett). When a gaggle of campers venture into the woods and remove a locket from an old fire tower, they disturb a cadaverous being known as Johnny from their slumber. This act of theft sets Johnny on an inevitable blood drenched mission to retrieve his property that once belonged to his mother. With his feature debut, Nash reinvents the typical slasher story by giving the audience a different perspective. Rather than following the account of the victims, the viewer is instead shown the mindset of the killer. In a horror narrative, rarely is this opportunity given.

Much of the beginning of the flick is spent from behind Johnny as he trudges through the forest in search of his stolen article. Along the way he stalks his prey, who are seen and heard from afar. When he decides the time is right he goes in for the kill which often leads to a juice-filled gory demise for the casualty. What I love about this viewpoint is that, at times, Johnny resembles a detective. One scene in particular in which this rings true is when the campers are huddled around a fire telling ghost stories. Johnny stands amidst the trees simply observing, gathering clues and taking in the situation in hopes to uncover details about the whereabouts of his missing item. This quiet moment with the slasher shows Nash’s attempt at a different method of storytelling. Usually, the victims are the focal point and, much like the audience, end up being shocked by their demise. In this case, Nash allows the audience to be privy to a behind the scenes vantage point of the baddie. I enjoyed being given the chance to witness Johnny putting his ensemble together. It had that kind of feel one gets when watching the origin story of a superhero. It also had me recall a moment in Halloween 4, in which Mikey Myers is seen snatching the legendary boogeyman mask from the five and dime store. I adore scenes such as this because I like to know how this person came to be, even if they are a nefarious sort.

Johnny is not driven by a specific reason to kill other than that it is the natural action to take when confronted by a person that is standing in the way of his goal. At some point there is lore shared of his previous killings, but it is not something pivotal to the story other than to understand that his resting place was disturbed. After being asleep for sixty years in his peaceful dirt bunk-the only apparent soil that will hold him-I feel it is safe to presume this is reason enough to murder once again. I don’t know about you, but I pity the fool that rouses me from a deep sleep. With all of that said, it is clear that Johnny’s main objective is to retrieve what is rightfully his while the slayings are just a sprinkling of happiness he gets to partake in along the way. For the gore hounds out there, they will be pleased as punch by Johnny’s creativity when committing his eight fatalities.

It is difficult to bring something new to a genre that seemingly has done it all. Given that this is a feature debut, it is expected that there will be a few stumbles. I found this to be true in terms of the pacing of the film as I zoned out a couple of times, particularly leading up to the final scene. There are also several moments in which a stilted performance is cause for distraction, but this in turn becomes entertainment when witnessing that character’s death. Despite this, Nash still delivers a unique take that I expect will be copied by others in the future and makes In a Violent Nature more than worthy of a watch.