By George & Josh Bate
The first of two secret screenings at this year’s Fantastic Fest brought the mute masked killer Johnny to Austin, Texas for an insane blend of arthouse and gore-fest featuring some of the craziest, most brutal, and most inventive practical kills ever brought to screen.
Making its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, In A Violent Nature 2 follows the slasher Johnny (Ry Barrett) as he stumbles across a place in the woods that brings back memories of his past.
When it was released in 2024, In A Violent Nature put a clever spin on the slasher genre by unfolding from the perspective of the killer, rather than unsuspecting prospective victims. The result was a minimalist experiment in the longstanding horror sub-genre with a voyeuristic, dream-like nonchalance and a number of elaborate, brutal kills, none more noteworthy than the unforgettable “Pretzel” Kill.
With In A Violent Nature 2, directors Chris Nash and Nate Wilson engineer a sequel that stylistically resembles the inventiveness of its predecessor. There is a complete absence of music and score, drawn-out scenes of our lead killer walking around, and an off-putting calmness about it all that unsettlingly juxtaposes the horrors that unfold on-screen.
The replication of its predecessor’s pacing and style means that it is highly unlikely to win over those who found the original to be a tedious slog. However, those who appreciated the slower, more meandering nature of the first film will find that In A Violent Nature 2 delivers more of the same.
Interestingly, the sequel diverges markedly from the central hook of the original movie. While In A Violent Nature forged an identity unique from other slasher movies by unfolding from the perspective of the killer, In A Violent Nature 2 is told almost entirely from the perspective of a 14-year-old camp goer named Alex. Without delving into spoilers, this pivot in structure means the new film blends prequel and sequel and operates more like a traditional slasher movie than the original film.
This bold pivot away from the original’s most recognizable element leaves In A Violent Nature 2 in an interesting place. While rendering it not nearly as novel or groundbreaking as the first movie, Nash and Wilson nonetheless find a way retain the previous film’s almost hypnotic dread and suspense.
In part, this is because In A Violent Nature 2 takes a considerable amount of time to unleash Johnny onto Alex and a group of camp counselors. Until that point, the audience is given the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of Alex, a troubled and observant 14-year-old frequently subjected to bullying and with a burgeoning sexual interest in girls. Young actor Lucas Nguyen produces a brilliantly understated performance as Alex, conveying the adolescent’s torment and anxiety so effectively and relatability with subtle body language, rather than showy dialogue or expressions. Although this first half of the movie may lull some to sleep given its lack of slasher thrills, it compels as a troubling portrayal of adolescent anguish and, in turn, makes the better chunk of its runtime a horror movie in a decidedly more grounded and cerebral sense.
Eventually, however, In A Violent Nature 2 exceedingly lives up to the adjective in its title. Still from the perspective of Alex, the second half of the film chronicles Johnny’s viscous rampage through Camp Puddingstone and all of its counselors. Nash, Wilson, and the masterminds behind the VFX elevate the brutality of the kills to unexpectedly gruesome heights, giving the film some of the craziest and most grotesque kills ever put to screen. The use of practical effects to actualize these kills makes all the more natural looking and wince-inducing – the kind of kills that will generate nausea, uncomfortable chuckles, and audible cheers from moviegoers.
With increasingly creative and savage kills to feast on, audiences are treated to arguably the best Friday the 13th movie of all time that is not officially a Friday the 13th movie. Applying the same understated, minimalist, and leisurely filmmaking style from the first film to a sequel that narratively operates more like a conventional slasher flick means In A Violent Nature 2 captures the best of both worlds. It is more likely to satisfy fans of the slasher genre seeking out more traditional fare, while it proves stylistically singular enough to feel distinct from just about every other slasher movie on the market.
VERDICT: 7:10
Making its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, In A Violent Nature 2 takes the almost hypnotic dread and suspense of its predecessor and applies it to a sequel that narratively operates more like a conventional slasher flick. While its replication of the original’s pacing and style means it is highly unlikely to win over those who found the first film a tedious slog, its bold pivot to the perspective of 14-year-old Alex gives the movie a more grounded and cerebral first half before Johnny eventually unleashes a viscous rampage through Camp Puddingstone. Nash, Wilson, and the masterminds behind the VFX elevate the brutality of the kills to unexpectedly gruesome heights, with some of the craziest, most grotesque, and most inventive practical kills ever put to screen. The result is a sequel that retains the understated, minimalist, and leisurely filmmaking style of the first film while delivering increasingly creative and savage kills, making it arguably the best Friday the 13th movie of all time that is not officially a Friday the 13th movie.