Nature is a beast. It’s undiscerning and detached from emotion; from the storm tearing apart a habitat to the bear tearing through the flesh of its prey. And to look back at some of our most popular slasher villains, the concept of “soulless evil” has been compared to an animal’s instinct. Michael and Jason, the lumbering, guileless creatures of habit and brutality, are almost innocent in their destruction, guided by the simplest instinct – to hunt. In a Violent Nature’s Johnny is like those beasts who came before him; a hulking, sausage-fingered compass, always aligned toward his mother’s gold locket – the talisman stolen from his gravesite that keeps his soul contained.

Writer and director Chris Nash takes the simple conceit of the prototypical slasher killer and, while not exactly turning the genre or baddie on its head, explores the well-trodden trails from a different angle, with a softer, more serene natural light. Less a fun, bloody romp and more a meandering, bloody, walking meditation on slaughter, In a Violent Nature can be frustrating at times, and captivating at others, a point that has me recommending the film while trying to put my finger on exactly why.

As Johnny wanders through the gorgeous woods, and trudges into a serene lake, and shoves his fist through a teen girl’s stomach, there’s a kind of peace and quiet that is both yawn-inducing and enchanting. The film relies solely on a diegetic soundscape – the loud buzzing of flies, music from a victim’s Walkman, the drone of a woodcutter as it splits wood and…other things…engulfing us in the rasping, wet grunts of Johnny and the surprised, pained screams of victims while never using a classic slasher score to tell us how to feel and when to jump. As a result, the viewer makes up their own mind as to when to a scare is scary and when it’s funny. We’re given so much time with the killer as he slowly chases down what was taken from him that terror fades to complacency.

In one scene, there is an awesome kill. In the next, a kill feels reductive. The victims, though we spend less time than ever with them, are as irritating as any in the slasher world. Johnny is fascinating to observe, vacillating between Michael Myers-esque wonder and Jason-like vengeance. His backstory is as clichéd as ever, but there’s something so mesmerizing and infantile about him that I can’t take my eyes off the screen. I yawned, I grimaced – it’s confusing even now, and that’s why I simply must recommend In a Violent Nature. It’s not for everyone, but then again, maybe it is?

In a Violent Nature is out now in select theaters!

Rating: 💀💀💀💀/5