Although harsh, brutal and bloodied, In a Violent Night is calm, akin to a tranquil stillness that calls upon emotive auras and visual renditions of placid yet frightening terror. The essence of bleak tonality combined with the uniquely compelling story, or almost lack thereof, propels director Chris Nash’s visions of a subdued slasher to be one of 2024’s most standout films.
In deliberately typical slasher fashion, the film follows a team of friends lazing about by a crumbled fire tower in the woods, where they discover a locket. However, upon removal, they unknowingly awaken the corpse of Johnny (Ry Barrett), the subject of a local urban legend whose tragic backstory has him searching and massacring until the locket is returned and he can rest once again.
Nash’s direction collages what has become entirely synonymous with the subgenre: a disgruntled yet oddly childlike enemy whose pacing and brutality remain confident and deadly throughout, a dense forestry setting, a foreboding backstory – which embodies some form of tribulation and an array of callous, cold-blooded kills. Throughout the exhibition of calamitous horror, In a Violent Nature manipulates all of the above typicalities to create an exercise in melancholy horror that can be described as a genre spin on the works of Andrei Tarkovsky (Mirror [1975], Stalker [1979]) and Pier Paolo Pasolini (Salò [1975]), or the more contemporary A Ghost Story (2017). The film’s presentation of beloved horror characteristics combined with its cognisance-heavy approach and unhurried pacing enhances In a Violent Nature’s minimalist layout.
The film is void of a soundtrack, with the sound being nearly entirely diegetic and heavy on atmospheric tones reminiscent of the woodsy setting, think twigs snapping, winds cascading through the trees, crisp leaves, chimes of drafts and laps of water flowing. Where scoring is concerned, the film’s limited soundscape speaks to the overall austere proposition that Nash utilises, preferring to cater to a streamlined, bare-bones product of horror. In other words, the dense imagery of thickets, brambles, seemingly endless forest landscapes, and the sparse audio addresses what makes In a Violent Nature so profound. This raw aesthetic, a Spartan approach to showcasing its story, is unique. Indeed, this film rightly so has gained mixed receptions, with many not favouring the quietness, which again is a contentious, bold move from Nash. However, despite varied interpretations, In a Violent Nature is, above all, refreshing.
Despite the film resonating with a stripped-back perspective, it by no means dampens the ferocity of it all. In seeking a slasher, it is expected and arguably necessary for the film to be violent, gory, and graphic – these are critical components of many horror films, particularly the slasher/splatter subset. Rest assured, In a Violent Nature’s restrained aesthetic does not transfer to the many gory kills throughout, with one memorable incident involving a victim’s back being impaled, with their head pulled through their slashed abdomen until their face is now stuck facing out to where their spine used to be, forming a bloodied, vile and disturbing pinwheel of a human! What is most notable regarding the film’s various vicious occurrences is how they are not performed for laughs or absurd grossness. Instead, these attacks are truly unsettling, ruthless and utterly cruel.
Comparisons have been made towards the antagonist Johnny’s demeanour against the likes of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, with the combined three all showcasing a barbarically slow walk that looms and slowly progresses towards their prey like the grim reaper stalking their next catch. However, In a Violent Nature is best described when it is not solely compared to the greats, as Nash’s portrayal of a muted character study is very much its own product, just as the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises are unique experiences on their own. Whilst resemblance to the beloved genre classics is key in some elements relating to In a Violent Nature, overall, the film deserves its own path and reputation, besides its entry into the slasher ‘Hall of Fame’ lineup.
There are continuous metaphors and analogies peppered within the scenes that directly or indirectly compare Johnny’s characteristics, motives and actions as being a replication of nature and all of its nitty-gritty, inhumane features – it’s cyclical and harsh, rabid and selfish, a kill or be killed, destroy or be destroyed world. Yet, somehow, nature is still beautiful. Ultimately, the same dealings precisely describe the entire diegesis of the fantastic In a Violent Nature.
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