Film review: 'In a Violent Nature' is the most original slasher movie since 'Scream'

Much like the villains they portray on screen, slasher movies keep coming back again and again, thanks in large part to the number of times the horror sub-genre continues to be a hit with generations of audiences. Once the bread and butter of drive-ins and home video in the 1980s, films about masked maniacs hit saturation points in the 1990s and 2000s, but clever filmmakers always found a way to make them interesting.

"In a Violent Nature," which opens at Athens Ciné on Friday, contains all of the classic elements that fans have come to expect, but the way that it presents them is one of the most original in decades. By following the killer instead of the hapless victims, the Canadian-lensed feature moves at a fittingly slow pace, which might test viewers who are accustomed to modern editing. But for others, like me, it's a bloody work of genius.

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Set in the present day against the backdrop of the Canadian wilderness, "In a Violent Nature" positions the audience behind the shoulders of a hulking, Jason Voorhees-like madman as he walks around looking for the person who stole a gold necklace given to him by his mother when he was a little kid. In an expert use of sound technique, we find out through overheard conversations that the character's name is Johnny, and we learn his origin story as he hides in the trees listening to campers rehashing a version of it.

Like the 1981 Canadian splatter classic "My Bloody Valentine" that undoubtedly inspired it, "In a Violent Nature" has a high body count that is about as gruesome as they come, but the filmmakers' decision to do away with a suspenseful music score and mercifully truncated murder scenes leaves the audience to experience the stalk-and-kill formula from a quieter yet ferociously graphic point of view. Instead of "jump scares," we are left to observe Johnny's brutal crimes as if we were right by his side, unable to look or run away.

Whereas Wes Craven's 1996 blockbuster "Scream" spoofed horror movie stereotypes by making its characters keenly and comedically aware of them, "In a Violent Nature" hold the mirror up to fans of violent entertainment by showing them what those movies would be like if the relatable characters and plot were treated as secondary as they often are, and the psychopaths put front and center the entire time instead of popping out to surprise us. By doing so, "In a Violent Nature" works as a harsh critique, and will definitely spark conversations afterward.

Ciné is located at 234 W. Hancock Ave. in downtown Athens. For tickets and show times, visit athenscine.com.

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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Film review: 'In a Violent Nature'