The Mosley Review: In A Violent Nature

Doing the unexpected and weird has always been at the forefront of the horror genre. In the slasher genre, perspective has also been the gateway to a fresh take on a typical story. We all know the classic story of a bunch of teens go out into the woods and some killer walks around killing them in gruesome ways and somehow there is a deeper lore tied to everything that gets explored enough to justify it all. Well, that doesn't change in this film, but what sets this one apart is that we are taken down this familiar path from the perspective of the killer. That truly intrigued me and made for an interesting concept that I think could've been handled a little better. I did like that it felt sort of like a nature documentary at times as you watch the killer stalk its prey, but there were times where the mystique wore off rather quickly and the film suffered for it in the end.

Ry Barrett was excellent as the killer and ever lumbering dark presence, Johnny. His size perfectly presents that level of fear and power as each step he takes through the woods and towards his targets was felt. I liked the lore behind Johnny and the special moment where we get a bit of his humanity back in a moment of peace. The campers all have their moments to shine and to be terrorized by Johnny and it was glorious. Sam Roulston as Ehren was good as the one that delivers the heavy lore. Johnny gets the most use out of him in a particularly hilarious way. Aurora and Brodie, played by Charlotte Creaghan and Lea Rose Sebastianis, were good and they are a showcase of the film, especially Aurora. Liam Leone was good as Troy and the reason why this whole massacre kicks off. Cameron Love was good as Colt as he nails the classic hero friend. Andrea Pavlovic was excellent as Kris and has the possibility of becoming a new scream queen on the rise. Reece Presley was great as The Ranger and has one of the most methodical scenes with Johnny that was another highlight of the film. Lauren Taylor was good as "The Woman" and her story sums up the overall allegory of the film, which was unnecessary in my opinion.

There isn't a score for the film which made for a more immersive experience. Typically you could hear the score kick in with the campers as they try to avoid danger or once a jump scare happens. I loved that it stayed consistent with the viewpoint of Johnny instead and his "music" was the violence. I always love a good ramp up of violence in these films and there's always that one kill that stands above the rest as the best. The sound design in this film was excellent and is especially on full display during the goriest death scene on a cliff side. Like I said before, there was a mystique to this film that was fully intact, but the sin of over indulgence struck in the last 20 minutes of the film. That block of exposition truly killed the pacing of the film and could've been completely cut out and the film would've been perfect. Not everything needs a expositionary tale to sum up what you just witnessed to be “high concept“. It was just very pretentious. Overall, I enjoyed this new take on what basically is a Friday the 13th film from the perspective of Jason Voorhees, but it's not something I would revisit too many times after. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!