@Courtesy of IFC Films

In a Violent Nature : When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back — along with anyone in his way.

Director : Chris Nash 

Producer : Peter Kuplowsky, Shannon Hanmer

Screenwriter : Chris Nash

Distributor : IFC Films 

Production Co. : Shudder 

Genre : Horror, Mystery & Thriller

Original : English

Release Date : May 31st, 2024 Limited

Run Time : 1h34m

 

©Courtesy of IFC Films

 

Q & A with Actors Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Lauren-Marie Taylor, and editor Alex Jacobs

 

Q : How did you prepare for such a specific role like Johnny?

Ry Barrett: First I’ve seen the footage that was already shot since the director Chris Nash decided to reshoot with me playing Johnny almost the entire movie after about a year. It is pretty much a physical role, I had to find the right tone and the pace of this monster walking the forest to hunt his victims. The slasher genre has such iconic characters, I studied them without copying, just trying to understand what made serial killers like Mike Myers such legends of horror. I watched what Nick Castle created about Mike then I built my idea of who and what Johnny was, and together with Chris we found the right way to portray him. 

Q : What did you bring to accept the role of Kris?

Andrea Pavlovic: I went through the usual casting and had my first conversation with Chris Nash and he explained to me what kind of woman he wanted me to portray. I found that very fascinating, the narrative arc is quite original and complex, something you don’t see so often in a slasher movie. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of horror movies before shooting In a Violent Nature, but after this experience, I am completely overwhelmed by how much love and commitment horror fans show to this kind of movie. This is a true, strong community of people and I feel blessed they decided to have me in. I can only thank them for all the support and affection they demonstrated to our slasher!

Q : You starred in Friday the 13th Part 2 in 1981, how was it to come back in a slasher after more than forty years?

Lauren-Marie Taylor: It was so much fun! I am very happy it is a different kind of role compared to the previous one. I enjoyed very much playing this woman who happens to be at the right place at the right moment to help one of the survivors. I am grateful that the actress who was originally cast for the role got scared of the amount of dialogue there is in the final scene, so she decided to turn down the role. I am a real newyorker, born and raised in the Bronx, so I approached the role with some street toughness. It was kind of fun when Chris started asking me for a little less, whereas usually in this kind of movie, you always want more and more. I’ve been working as a teacher for more than ten years, I had not played for so long, it was a lot of joy to step back on a movie set!

©Courtesy of IFC Films

Q : In a Violent Nature is not the usual slasher, how did you work on the editing?

Alex Jacobs: First of all I need to thank Chris Nash who brought me on board into this project after seeing on YouTube some videos that I edited. I am such a huge fan of slashers that I accepted the job immediately, but I decided to approach In a Violent Nature not as a horror movie but as a personal project. Chris had a very specific idea about what he wanted to convey to the audience through the images and the rhythm, I just tried to facilitate his specific view. I saw many arthouse films like for example Jackie by Pablo Larrain, a character study that influenced both Chris and me when we started thinking about how to edit In a Violent Nature. 

Q : Which is for all of you the most fun killing in In a Violent Nature?

Ry Barrett: I know it is obvious to say when the audience will see the movie, but the yoga sequence is spectacular. It is one of those rare cases where you actually shoot everything on the screenplay because usually you always end up pacing down the gory details that are on the page. In this case, we went further, I think since we completed the scene several weeks after the first shooting the FX team had the chance to improve the makeup, and we ended up actually doing more than we were expecting. It is fun to watch, very gory and sarcastic. I love it. 

Andrea Pavlovic: I have a soft spot for the very first killing, a scene that still thrills me every time I watch it. It is gritty, unexpected, and still totally coherent with the world of slasher movies. I think that’s the way Chris sets the tone about all the killings to come.

Lauren-Marie Taylor: Even if the yoga scene is incredibly funny, I must agree with Andrea, the very first killing affected me the most. In some way, it’s an old-style scene but something new, a different take on this kind of gory moment. Chris has been so inventive about this, mixing his personal idea of cinema with something that the viewers would enjoy. I think In a Violent Nature is something completely new. 

Alex Jacobs: My favorite killing is the one in the lake, not only because it’s the one I had to work less for! Chris and I discussed a lot about how far we had to go with the long shot from the other side of the lake and the final result creates a lot of tension, especially using what the audience can’t see. It has a very specific rhythm, I am quite proud of it. 

Q : What do you think makes In a Violent Nature different from all the other slasher movies?

Ry Barrett: as Jacob said in some way it seems more a character study than a horror movie. You experience the whole story and everything that happens from the killer’s perspective, you follow him while he walks through the woods to fulfill his plan. By doing this you have the chance to enjoy these magnificent woods, all the nature which little by little becomes another character in the movie. 

Alex Jacobs: We decided not to go for cheap thrills, not to use any soundtrack to immerse the audience in this environment that is beautiful and threatening at the same time. It is a bold choice but in the end, it pays back wonderfully. 

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Here’s the trailer of the film.