In a Violent Nature hyped itself up so much with its killer POV that it got swallowed up by its own hubris.
A part of it is due to the media storm around this movie. From the very start, and across multiple festivals, trailers and clips were pushing an idea that seemed new. Instead of focusing on the final girl or a group of friends trying to escape the serial killer slasher, they were going to have everything from the point of view of the slasher themselves. The anticipation and hype of this movie also was due in part to the reaction from fans. People were excited to experience something fresh during a time where it feels like everything is reboots and sequels. So as a viewer, my expectations were absolutely high when it came to In a Violent Nature. Having high expectations of anything, especially when it comes to film, often sets you up for failure. And that happened here.
The beginning of In a Violent Nature had plenty of potential.
I’m so used to seeing the potential victims as the center of the camera when it comes to horror that when these up and coming victims were talking, it was weird to not see them on screen. And as we got to follow the killer around, the movie felt jarring and like I was dancing with two left feet. But it wasn’t unwelcome. I like experiencing new things when it comes to the movies I watch and I could feel that in this movie. That’s why I forgave the cheesy dialogue that often permeated this movie. Because it was something new and exciting. But I did find myself checking the timestamp as the movie went along because I couldn’t find/feel any heart in it. Nevertheless, I persisted because some horror movies don’t have heart and it’s just slasher central.
Then there’s the violence in In a Violent Nature.
Body horror has never been my thing. That and gore. Most of the time I feel like movies throw a bucket of blood on something and call it a day. Even the Saw movies became repetitive and boring. And In a Violent Nature, it had its moments of cheesy gore that I distractedly looked away from like when the first kill happened with the saw around the mouth and the axes at the back of people’s heads. But the yoga girl? Besides the fact that it was absolutely ridiculous that she stood there like nothing even after her spine was clearly ripped through, I couldn’t look away. It was one of the most disgustingly creative deaths that I have ever seen. And even though I don’t like gore, my mind started going through possibilities on how that would actually work with a human body. The death stuck with me to the point I would love to see a documentary just on that scene alone.
This is where the ok of In a Violent Nature stops and the glaring problems begin.
There was absolutely no need for the ableist language from those kids around the bonfire. We already know as the viewer that they’re going to be victims. I don’t need to hate them for me to understand that they’re going to die or cheer for their death. This is horror after all. But the writers chose to make them have an ableist conversation that added nothing to the story. The whole extended death of the sheriff was unnecessary as well. Making it that long changed it from me watching a horror movie to me feeling like I’m watching some sort of snuff film. And that simply didn’t match the vibe of all the other quick and brutal deaths.
But the worst part of In a Violent Nature is the 20 minutes that the movie spends with the final girl we know nothing about. Firstly, it flies in the face of the promise of the movie. In a Violent Nature is supposed to be from the perspective of the killer. And if you’re going to promise that then you can’t give me 20 minutes of a girl that I know nothing about and have no bond with. The only thing that would have made sense to focus on the final girl is to have her transform into the killer herself because her mind “snapped” or something. But instead, we got a long sequence of this final girl running through the forest, getting rescued, and then listening to a story about how this lady’s partner survived a bear attack. It completely took me out of the experience of In a Violent Nature.
Thinking I simply misunderstood something along the way, I went online to read other reviews. Most of them were saying that this ending served as a harrowing reminder of the aftermath of a serial killer destroying so many young lives. In a Violent Nature did not spend any time looking for a deeper meaning so it makes no sense for the movie to spend 20 minutes trying to give me something nuanced or deep. And I feel like everybody was so excited for this movie that they’re just glossing over the ending because of moments like the yoga girl’s death. No, the ending changes the movie as a whole and feels like a completely different movie itself. I’m even wondering if the writers are trying to springboard their next story off of the gigantic marketing success of In a Violent Nature.
In conclusion…
In a Violent Nature was trying to masquerade itself as something new when in fact it was just like all the other hollow, problematic, and repetitive horror movies we see day in and day out. And I would have respected the movie more as a concept if they were honest about what kind of movie this would be. Instead I’m disappointed that I wasted my time and fell for the hype of this movie and that brilliant marketing campaign that got everyone buzzing. Which, I tip my hat to you In a Violent Nature. You got me and you got so many others. At least that was a success.
In a Violent Nature is now available on digital.
