Johnny does his best Jason impression – Dead by Daylight style…..

Being a huge slasher fan and having seen nearly all there is to offer in the genre, there is something quite simplistic about writer-director Chris Nash’s feature debut, an entry that feels like you are watching someone play a computer game in which they are in control of the killer, butchering his way through the woods, while witnessing some cut-scenes of clunky dialogue from characters we don’t really care about.

Imagine a film version of the popular slasher game Dead By Daylight and you’ll get where In a Violent Nature lays its blue-print, a horror where we follow the killer rising from the grave and watch numerous scenes of the back of his head as he wanders from one victim to the other, with no meaty plot, just buckets of gore and bloodshed that will delight the gore-hounds watching on.

Anyone looking for an in-depth story-line will be disappointed and the same applies for those looking for the fun vibe of a Jason and a Victor Crowley caper, as while Johnny played by Ry Barrett is not ashamed in anyway of borrowing so many beats from those popular franchises, this new killer on the block plays it straight, hunting down those he preys on with a vicious tone and a no Ki ki ki, ma, ma, ma signature tune accompanying him as lands yet another killer blow.

Fans of slash will no doubt be divided. On one hand, its a nasty little flick with creative kills and decapitations that rise it above many on the market, but while the POV approach is the ultimate sell of the premise, it does rob the film of any scare factor and the required “jump scenes” as its hard to surprise when we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the killer for the majority of the running time.

Even the climax may prove even more off-putting for some with its lack of thrills and spills, but these grumbles aside, In A Violent Nature has enough about it to appease the prolonged wait for the eventual return to Camp Crystal Lake and while we won’t quite be burning our copies of Friday the 13th yet, it does more than enough to get you curious in what the now announced sequel has to offer as it does seem that Johnny the Bogeyman is the new face for the next generation of horny drunk teens who think spending a weekend away in a cabin the middle of the woods, is a sensible thing to do in this day of age…..

Haven’t they heard of Jason?…..

Rating: ★★★☆☆