As a journalist I have learnt over the years that you never know when your next story can jump out at you while in the midst of working on your target story.
Years ago I was doing a sociology project which took me to a large theatre on St. Catherine Street in Montreal by the name of the Capitol. I believe I was analyzing the frenzy caused by the film “The Exorcist”. Over the course of numerous showings I heard screaming and crying in the theatre and witnessed several people actually running out through the lobby into the street.
Today at a press screening at a postproduction studio in Toronto I took a seat in the small screening room with a few dozen film critics to watch a Canadian made horror movie “In a Violent Nature”. There was horror on the screen but in the seats too with a few moans as human bodies were victimized. Encouraging noises for a horror film.
Now about “In a Violent Nature” Johnny was a very naughty boy! Years ago his mother gave him a golden locket for remembrance. Poor Johnny was murdered by a gang of men in a misguided revenge killing. Somehow the locket is picked up in the forest by urban millennial vacationers. Why it was hanging in plain view is puzzling. The locket removal galvanizes the long dead Johnny into a mommy revenge. The locals have given Johnny an almost mythical reputation. A trail of grisly revenge killings follows and I mean grisly. If you appreciate this crude and graphic violence with body parts being chopped and hacked, heads rolling, heads being pulped and intestines spilling all over this film rates a 99/100.
If you prefer a more discerning bit of horror the continual tramping and lumbering of Johnny is somewhat boring. The dialogue is at times wooden and the writing leads to a few dubious moments. There is a neat song about blackflies as the credits roll at the end of the film though. Well shot and top-notch special effects and splendid prosthetics of Steven Kostanki. I mean I have seen a lot worse and stopped watching some poor horror movies 10 minutes into the film. I watched the entire film this time. My type of horror film is the recent Mexican film “The Coffee Table” where the horror is largely suspenseful, mysterious and discrete. Being horrified by most horror movies there is hope for this one and I give it a 71/100.
It has been an “official selection” in 16 film festivals so far.
Directed and written by Chris Nash.
You can shiver through the screener here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXuRmXbS7U
This Canadian horror film commences a Canadian theatrical release 31May2024.
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