EntertainmentMoviesHorror MoviesIn A Violent NatureThis new horror movie told mostly from the killer’s POV may not be destined to be a classic, but its innovation is very much neededWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesHorror MoviesIn A Violent NatureThis new horror movie told mostly from the killer’s POV may not be destined to be a classic, but its innovation is very much neededWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Shudder)
The slasher sub-genre is a beloved and enduring type of horror movie, but after decades and decades of masked killers murdering horny teens, you’d be forgiven for wondering how much meat is left on the bone. There are only so many ways you can reinvent the wheel, right?In a Violent Nature, a new movie out now in US theaters, suggests otherwise, as it takes a fresh stab at the slasher genre and offers something new for horror fans.
ForIn a Violent Natureto stand out among slasher movies today is saying something, as the crowded genre is increasingly looking for ways to differentiate itself. John Carpenter’s Halloween wasn’t the first slasher but it codified many of the tropes, and movies since then have been trying to carve their own niche. The Scream films made the slasher movie meta, for instance, and in recent years we’ve had a wave of high-concept movies that add other genre elements to a standard slasher plot.Happy Death Dayadded a Groundhog Day time loop, with Freaky it was a Freak Friday-type body-swap, andTotally Killertime travelled back to the ‘80s with shades of Back to the Future. Those movies are all, at minimum, fun, but the shtick is beginning to get old. Not the case with In a Violent Nature.
(Image credit: Shudder / Gasfire Films)
New ways to kill
(Image credit: Shudder)
If In a Violent Nature’s big innovation is flipping the script from normal slashers in making the victims and the backstory feel ancillary compared to eerie, methodical vibes,worry not: when it’s time to kill, the movie finds new ways to dismember a human body, too. This is less impressive than the slow cinema aspect - every slasher movie worth its salt has tried to deliver a kill that nobody has seen before - but even so, In a Violent Nature’s kills make all the build-up worth it. There’s one involving a chain and some, uh, contorting that everybody’s talking about; another kill involving a piece of lumberjack machinery and a paralyzed victim is perhaps even better and fits with the pace of the film.
In a Violent Nature might not be destined to become a classic of the genre, as the very things that make it interesting also prevent it from indulging in some of the familiar fun of a slasher movie. It has flaws, but they are in the service of doing something new. You have never seen a slasher movie like this before, and that’s high praise when we’ve seen a slasher movie do just about everything else.
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In a Violent Nature is out now in US theaters and will arrive on streaming service Shudder internationally later in the year.
For more, check out our list of thebest horror moviesor keep up to date with theupcoming horror moviesheading our way.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”