By Robert Scucci
| Published
In a Violent Nature is finally streaming on Hulu, and I immediately had to fire up this flick to see what all the fuss was about when it was making its theatrical rounds. Being the only film of its kind (that I know of) that spends most of its run time following the perspective of the killer, I was most interested in seeing just how these undead, slow walkers catch up to their victims who more often than not run away from them at such breakneck speeds. I think I got the answer I’m looking for, and it’s a lot more simple than you’d think: if you set up a bear trap in the woods and a killer starts to pursue you, don’t step in the bear trap.
It Starts With A Locket
My favorite part about In a Violent Nature is how simplistic its narrative framework is. Seven friends vacation in the woods, and one of them steals a locket from an abandoned fire tower. As it turns out, that locket serves a very specific purpose, and that’s to keep the soul of Johnny (Ry Barrett) in a state of rest. We eventually get some backstory about the significance of this locket, and how Johnny died in the firetower decades prior when a cruel prank went wrong, and that’s all you need to know because you just need something to get Johnny out of the ground so In a Violent Nature can become the bloodbath it’s supposed to be.
As the group of friends breaks apart to do their own thing during the day after spooking themselves the night before, In a Violent Nature begins to heat up because they don’t necessarily have a compelling reason to believe that Johnny is anything other than an urban legend. That is, until Johnny starts killing the friends off, one by one. Since we’re seeing nearly everything from Johnny’s perspective as he disembowels his subjects, we only catch glimpses of the panic that the friends are experiencing as they first debate whether the missing parties from their group are simply enjoying the scenery on a solo venture, or if they’re dismembered somewhere in the woods.
Unlikeable Victims Make This Movie Work
I don’t want to sound like a psychopath while talking about In a Violent Nature, but it’s really easy to root for Johnny as he brutally murders everyone in this path in ways that I won’t spell out here because you’re better off experiencing these sequences for yourself. First of all, all of the victims are superficial, unlikeable, and one-dimensional, and that’s by design. Think about the teenagers in the original Friday the 13th film; you only root for them because you’re witnessing the terror they’re experiencing as they run from some unknown assailant.
Secondly, you have to seriously consider Johnny’s perspective, and realize he’s also a victim who’s simply seeking vengeance. The kids disturbed his slumber by stealing the locket, and he just wants to get back to rest. In other words, although Johnny is barbaric with his executions, he’s simply trying to get back underground the only way he knows how.
Watch In A Violent Nature With Headphones
If you need any more convincing to check out In a Violent Nature, the sound design is all you’ll need to get sucked into the ambiance that this film creates through its scenery. As a mute Johnny lumbers through the woods in silence, every single twig snap and piece of dialogue coming from his victims in the distance heighten your senses because you know exactly what’s going to happen next– you just don’t know when. And through each long tracking shot that follows Johnny, the sound of babbling brooks and chirping birds make his silent quest for slaughter all the more unnerving because of how otherwise peaceful his surroundings are.
So when you finally get around to streaming In a Violent Nature on Hulu, make sure you have a good pair of headphones strapped to your dome because it heightens your awareness and elevates the mood tenfold.
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