IN A VIOLENT NATURE
***
Directed by Chris Nash.
Starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Reece Presley.
Horror, Canada, 94 minutes, Certificate 18.
Released in cinemas in the UK by Altitude Film Distribution on 12th July
As a fan of slasher cinema there is a certain type of pleasure, comfort even, in its formula which many (wrong minded) detractors will call limited.Stick a distinctive mask on a disfigured maniac and having them wreak bloody havoc on a cast of teenagers, authority figures and local weirdos in a backwoods, or small town setting is good enough. Add in other elements/cliches of the killers near mythical back story being discussed around a late night campfire, a jerky hunk bothering making unwanted advances to who will eventually turn out to be the all important Final Girl, the over amorous couple, a stoner and we should all be happy. Oh, and a number of elaborate, gruesome kills for all of them.
We can agree that this is a limited genre but every now and again something comes along that tears up the rulebook in interesting ways. Back in 1997 we had SCREAM, its meta textual plot inspiring its own line of sequels and knock offs, but very little since then has really galvanised the sub-genre. After generating some serious festival buzz, Chris Nash’s IN A VIOLENT NATURE seems like it could have the potential to upend the genre in a very interesting way by flipping the focus to the POV of its hulking, shambling monster.
An unseen hiker’s thoughtless act of stealing a locket triggers the resurrection of Johnny. Seemingly kept in place, and at peace, by this family heirloom the hulking mute figure stalks through the woods looking to reclaim what was once his on a bloody rampage of murder. So far so familiar, but Nash makes the simple choice of never leaving Johnny’s side, only choosing to focus on what would normally be the protagonists and their plot driving antics from a literal distance. Backstory is filled in near remotely. Instead of the usual jump scare of the bogey man leaping suddenly from the shadows accompanied by a sharp musical sting, the tension rises from Johnny’s gradual and inexorable approach towards his victims and just how he will deal with them.
This naturalistic approach, shot in a documentary like 4x3 ratio, comes across like a mixture of grindhouse and arthouse. Long tracking shots of the killer, shot from behind through a wild natural landscape, are reminiscent of something that Bela Tarr would come up with in some alternate cinematic universe where he was hired by the likes of Sean Cunningham. The money shots, the kill sequences are executed in a gruelling matter of fact style that makes their over the top nature even more impressive, with one particular sequence involving a hook destined to go down as an all timer. At times it feels like a deadpan mixtape of BEHIND THE MASK, THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON, a minor cult hit from 2006, and Alan Clarke’s Troubles based ELEPHANT in its stark stylings.
For audiences unfamiliar or already hostile to slasher cinema this could be an extreme test of patience. At times it feels like the naturalistic style is at odds with its more extreme stylings and approach to well worn cliches. Sure to be divisive it leads up to a climax that simultaneously seems critical of the genre's reliance on repetition and also revelling in its base nature. This all leads up to a drawn out and equally divisive ending that upends the usual beats in an interesting as opposed to entertaining fashion. Like all good slashers however a sequel has already been announced. Whether this will be more of the same or an interesting take on sequels themselves that will crystallise Nash’s, and Johnny’s, approach to the everlasting genre and its own bloodthirsty nature remains enticingly to be seen.
Iain MacLeod
