The slasher genre gets an unexpected twist in the buzzy, immersive bloodbath of “In a Violent Nature.”
If you’ve spent sleepless nights devouring classic 1980s slashers, or pondered the inner lives of their most famous killers, you may have arrived at the same late-night thought experiment behind the indie horror film “In a Violent Nature.” That is, if Jason Voorhees maims a bunch of campers in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does the carnage make a sound?
“Friday the 13th” meets Terrence Malick in this formally intriguing experimental slasher exercise, which answers that question many gruesome times over as unsuspecting 20-somethings get picked off in the Canadian wilds by a hulking golem in a mask. The familiar setup travels well-trod terrain by design, with influences including “My Bloody Valentine,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and the films of Gus Van Sant.
Glued to his newly reanimated side, the omniscient floating camera follows close behind the villain, creating an immersive sensory experience as he traverses his surroundings, brutally dispatching whoever crosses his path. What follows is surprisingly meditative and serene, grisly bursts of murder aside.
How might Michael Myers spend his downtime between bouts of bloody mayhem, or get from points A to B to crisscross the rural countryside? Rather mundanely, it turns out. “In a Violent Nature” imagines the answer is a lot of methodically paced walking, through lush forests and trails so gorgeous you start not to mind getting your steps in vicariously.
More provocative than jump-scary, the film’s best moments unfold with dark humor and inspired transitions enhanced by a scoreless elemental sound design by Michelle Hwu and Tim Atkins. So it’s frustrating and distracting when flat direction, inconsistent effects and wooden acting break the spell, making it more and more of a slog to stay interested as Johnny slices and dices his way through the film’s 94-minute run time.
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