Get the latest gossip

How ‘In a Violent Nature’ Director Chris Nash Redefined Slashers With an Ultra-Gory Throwback That Evokes Terrence Malick


"In A Violent Nature" is a Sundance debut that feels fresh while examining horror tropes.

Much like the “Friday the 13th” franchise, “Violent Nature” hits all the known beats: a masked killer named Johnny traipsing through the woods, camping teens, a local who escaped death years ago, buckets of gore. Yet despite the outrageous setpieces, Nash had a unique vision of what he wanted to express with the scores of blood, often presenting these scenes in real-time with a clinical detachment that almost makes Johnny’s exploits seem workmanlike. Given Shudder’s box office success in 2023 with two exclusives that made plenty of noise in the horror community — “Skinamarink” and “When Evil Lurks” — Shooman believes “Nature” could have the same visceral impact on audiences as those two titles.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Variety

Read more on:

Photo of chris nash

chris nash