2024 is seeing the release of a variety of horror movies, among them one that has some strong similarities to the Friday the 13th franchise, making it the closest there is to a return to the world of Jason Voorhees. The horror genre has been going through a great run in recent years with a combination of sequels, reboots, remakes, adaptations of other works, and original stories. 2024 has a long list of upcoming horror movies from all those categories, such as Imaginary, Immaculate, The Crow, Nosferatu, and more, and among the original stories coming this year is In a Violent Nature.
Written and directed by Chris Nash, In a Violent Nature is a slasher movie that follows a mysterious killer who goes after a group of teenagers in the Ontario wilderness, with most of the events told from the killer’s perspective. In a Violent Nature gathered attention when it took part in Sundance Film Festival’s “Midnight” program, and it’s now set for a theatrical release on May 31, with plans to release it on the Shudder streaming service months later. The first trailer for In a Violent Nature has now been released, and it shows some interesting (and exciting) similarities to the Friday the 13th franchise.
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In a Violent Nature Has Strong Similarities To Friday the 13th
The official description of In a Violent Nature says it’s the story of an “enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness” that unleashes a new serial killer. The trailer briefly shows the killer emerging from the ground in the forest and looking for his victims, and his physical build, quiet moves, violent ways, and more are reminiscent of Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th franchise. The first Friday the 13th movie introduced the audience to the story of Jason Voorhees, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake when he was a child.
His mother, Pamela, blamed his death on neglect by the counselors who were having sex instead of supervising the kids, and she went on to kill the camp’s counselors every time the camp reopened, thus feeding the legend of Jason as a vengeful spirit. Jason Voorhees was made into the franchise’s main villain in Friday the 13th Part 2, and since then, it has been debated if Jason was really alive or if he was undead, as he was pretty much indestructible.
Jason and the villain in In a Violent Nature have the resurrection theme in common, as well as their modus operandi, their preferred victims, and the setting of their murder spree. In addition to that, Jason Voorhees had facial and skull deformities, and the villain in In a Violent Nature also seems to have some deformities (at least from behind his head). The villain is also shown in the trailer wearing an improvised mask like Jason did with a burlap sack before finding his iconic hockey mask, and the final shot of the trailer is reminiscent of the first Friday the 13th movie.
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In a Violent Nature Also Takes Inspiration From Other Iconic Slashers
In addition to its strong similarities to the Friday the 13th franchise, In a Violent Nature also seems to have taken inspiration from other famous slashers. The villain being a mute character is also reminiscent of Halloween’s Michael Myers, who, after killing his sister when he was six years old, never spoke again. Like Jason, Michael Myers doesn’t run after his victims, but he has pretty brutal ways to get rid of them. The setting of In a Violent Nature also brings Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead to mind, as some of the murders take place in a cabin in the middle of the woods.
Despite its similarities to Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th, and other slashers, In a Violent Nature has been praised by critics for its “distinctiveness” (via Variety) and for creating a “different and very effective kind of tension” (via Rue Morgue), so it might succeed as its own thing and stand out from other slasher movies.
Sources: Variety, Rue Morgue.
In a Violent Nature
Not RatedIn a Violent Nature is a 2024 horror-slasher film written and directed by Chris Nash that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. A group of campers in the middle of the wilderness stumble across a fire watchtower and discover a locket buried beneath its charred ruins. However, by unearthing the locket, they’ve invited the wrath of its prior owner and now must survive the rampage of a supernatural killer looking to retrieve his possession.
- Director
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Chris Nash
- Release Date
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January 22, 2024
- Cast
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Lauren-Marie Taylor
, Andrea Pavlovic
, Ry Barrett
, Reece Presley - Runtime
-
94 Minutes
Friday the 13th
RFriday the 13th is a horror-slasher film by director Sean S. Cunningham and follows a group of camp counselors who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer known to be the site of a child’s drowning and a grisly double murder. The film began a decades-long franchise that would eventually lead to the creation of Jason Vorhees, one of the most popular horror icons of all time.
- Director
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Sean S. Cunningham
- Release Date
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May 9, 1980
- Cast
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Peter Brouwer
, Adrienne King
, Betsy Palmer
, Jeannine Taylor
, Kevin Bacon
, Robbi Morgan
, Harry Crosby - Runtime
-
95 minutes
