Wild killer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2024 (830 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A slasher movie that takes the perspective of the killer is nothing new.

It was pretty commonplace in the horror films of the ‘70s and ‘80s to feature elaborate point-of-view shots in which the camera seems to look through the killer’s eyes, such as the opening sequence of John Carpenter’s original Halloween. (The films of Brian de Palma, Dario Argento and any number of giallo practitioners are rife with such stuff.)

It was even derided for a time by critics/scolds outraged at the idea of allowing audience members the thrill of taking the killer’s perspective and effectively enjoying murder by proxy.

The bold new Canadian slasher In a Violent Nature, directed by Sault Ste. Marie’s Chris Nash, does not go with the literal POV shot. Much of the time, the camera follows its hulking killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) from a cautious distance, much like a wildlife cinematographer might track a forest animal.

Think Friday the 13th, as directed by David Attenborough.

And, yes, In a Violent Nature is, with respect to plot and character, very much in the Friday the 13th template. The movie’s killer, like Jason Voorhees, comes from a similarly cursed background and rises up to spill the blood of those foolish enough to be in his bucolic vicinity.

As in the Fridays, he kills elaborately, remorselessly and is possessed of supernatural healing skills. Bullets just make him testy.

Just to hammer home the specific homage, Nash even casts Friday the 13th Part II vet Lauren-Marie Taylor as an older woman who comes to the rescue of a survivor.

The difference is that Nash is not one of those gorehounds raised in the horror section of his video store. In interviews, the filmmaker specifically gives a shout-out to the likes of Gus Van Sant, and especially his 2003 film Elephant, about a Columbine-like school shooting.

Following the killer around as a dispassionate observer can evoke real dread, even if the movie jettisons the pretense of caring much about the cast of victims. Nash doesn’t even bother to pick up the pace to the usual frenzy. For a contemporary horror movie, this is a slow burn.

Former Winnipegger Steven Kostanski designed many of the gory special effects. (He and Nash share extensive work experience on practical effects. In Kostanski films The Void and Psycho Goreman, it was Nash working in the special-effects department.) In one case, involving a yoga practitioner, it’s an opportunity for a rare laugh. In another scene, involving a mechanical log splitter, the effect is very grim indeed.

The curious tonal shifts notwithstanding, it’s a fresh take on one of the more tired horror conventions. The nicest thing that could be said about it is that it often reminiscent of the underseen and undervalued 2014 killer bear movie Backcountry, also shot in the wilds of Ontario.

randall.king.arts@gmail.com