Cuckoo (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) reluctantly travels to a quiet resort community in Germany with her father, Luis (Martin Csokas), her stepmother, Beth (Jessica Henwick), and her mute sister, Alma (Mila Lieu) to start a new life. Luis is handpicked by his new boss, Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) to build a hotel. 

She receives a job as a receptionist courtesy of Koing, but a series of odd events worries an already suspicious Gretchen. To make matters worse, Gretchen is constantly pursued and stalked by a mysterious woman, or a “mother.”  Gretchen, shunned by her family, turns to Henry (Jan Bluthardt), a detective, for help. Gretchen and Henry work together to put a stop to Koing’s plans and his bizarre experiments, but the situation becomes more complicated, when Koing sets his sights on Alma.

My Thoughts- During the early stages of the movie, you’ll probably notice Gretchen comes off as a bratty and rebellious teenager, an edgy punk kid, with a dark sense of humor. She flat out refuses to acknowledge the fact that Alma is her sister, and Gretchen refers to Beth as her “father’s wife,” completely ignoring the stepmother label. 

Gretchen is the black sheep in her family, but it’s not that simple. She’s a young kid, who’s still heartbroken over her mother’s death. Hunter Schafer does a good job of being convincing as the typical angsty teenager. But as the story progresses, Schafer switches gears to show a more emotional and vulnerable side of Gretchen, reminding you she’s still a scared kid, who just wants her father’s love and support. Schafer also shows Gretchen can be a gritty fighter, when her character is put through the wringer after the car accident.

Dan Stevens plays a fantastic villain, brining a noticeable mix of creepiness and a menacing aura to Herr Konig. Koing, a highly intelligent man, has a charming presence, but it’s also easy to see how he’s the perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Gretchen is an ideal adversary for Koing. She’s the scrappy teenage rebel, who, unlike her father, has the guts to stand up to Koing, and Gretchen’s not afraid to ask the crucial questions for topics that are supposed to be off limits. 

The mother character really works as a pesky and menacing threat. I absolutely loved the irony of her appearance. Just looking at her old fashioned clothes, the sunglasses, and how everything is put together, you’d think the mother is just some harmless old lady. But the mother’s appearance is also terrifying, with her palish sickly skin and the glowing red pupils, bolstered by her feral movements and the ear splitting shrieks. 

Family drama plays a big role in Cuckoo. Luis doesn’t mind berating his own daughter, but he turns into a pushover and a complete wimp around Koing. Beth just gives off vibes of being a phony, and more often than not, she’s cruel and cold towards Gretchen. Add in the fact that Gretchen is an outcast in her own family, Luis and Beth’s obvious favoritism for Alma, and it’s no real surprise Gretchen is usually miserable. 

Cuckoo has its high points, but it’s hard to ignore how everything just drags along in certain spots. I understand the slow burn approach, but more than once, I was hoping they would just get to the point with the mystery behind the reasons for Koing’s experiments.

Also, at some point you have to realize SOMETHING is off with Koing. Towards the end, Gretchen bluntly points out how “weird” everything is, how nothing about Koing and what he wants makes any sense, and how Koing can’t give a straight answer for all the bizarre events (e.g. women puking left and right) at the resort. Why is Beth allowing the nurses at the hospital to giver her strange medication? Why are Luis and Beth allowing Koing and his people to treat Alma, when it’s clear that whatever they’re doing isn’t working?

Sorry, but I’m not buying the idea that Koing is this charismatic guy, who’s capable of charming anyone into doing what he wants, no matter how crazy it sounds. I won’t go as far as pointing the finger for stupid horror movie cliches and moments, but after while, common sense has to kick in, because all the signs are clearly there. 

I had high hopes for this one, and there’s a big question mark for Luis and Beth’s future, but Cuckoo mostly delivers. Writer/director Tilman Singer cleverly works themes about motherhood, strained family bonds, and nurturing into the story, while tying everything together with the lifestyles of cuckoo birds. And a cuckoo clock makes an appearance for good measure.

It’s also refreshing to see a movie, where almost every character plays a crucial role in the story. Whether it’s Gretchen’s co-worker and fellow receptionist, Trixie (Greta Fernández), or the enigmatic Ed (Astrid Berges-Friseby), a guest at the hotel, who shares a brief fling with Gretchen, everyone with a decent amount of screen time outside of the core characters serves a purpose, moving the story forward step by step.

I’ve always been a big fan of horror films placed in an isolated setting. The resort is basically out in the middle of nowhere. The peaceful sounds of nature, it’s quiet, but the hypnotizing countryside in Cuckoo holds a dark secret. Another great case of irony for a supposed paradise simultaneously functioning as a house of horrors. And Gretchen can’t easily run to anyone for help, while Koing controls everything with an iron fist.

Cuckoo features a handful of genuinely creepy scenes, some occasional thrills, and I absolutely loved the nighttime chase scene, where Gretchen is trying to escape the mother. Two strong performances from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, and the supporting cast is rock-solid. Cuckoo ends with an excellent finale that’s packed with real tension and emotions, a mix of an offbeat happy ending and a violent struggle. Loaded guns, Alma being conflicted about who, she can trust, the shrieking mother’s calls, and luckily, Gretchen had her trusty butterfly knife! 

Rating- 8/10

Cuckoo (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) reluctantly travels to a quiet resort community in Germany with her father, Luis (Martin Csokas), her stepmother, Beth (Jessica Henwick), and her mute sister, Alma (Mila Lieu) to start a new life. Luis is handpicked by his new boss, Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) to build a hotel. 

She receives a job as a receptionist courtesy of Koing, but a series of odd events worries an already suspicious Gretchen. To make matters worse, Gretchen is constantly pursued and stalked by a mysterious woman, or a “mother.”  Gretchen, shunned by her family, turns to Henry (Jan Bluthardt), a detective, for help. Gretchen and Henry work together to put a stop to Koing’s plans and his bizarre experiments, but the situation becomes more complicated, when Koing sets his sights on Alma.

My Thoughts- During the early stages of the movie, you’ll probably notice Gretchen comes off as a bratty and rebellious teenager, an edgy punk kid, with a dark sense of humor. She flat out refuses to acknowledge the fact that Alma is her sister, and Gretchen refers to Beth as her “father’s wife,” completely ignoring the stepmother label. 

Gretchen is the black sheep in her family, but it’s not that simple. She’s a young kid, who’s still heartbroken over her mother’s death. Hunter Schafer does a good job of being convincing as the typical angsty teenager. But as the story progresses, Schafer switches gears to show a more emotional and vulnerable side of Gretchen, reminding you she’s still a scared kid, who just wants her father’s love and support. Schafer also shows Gretchen can be a gritty fighter, when her character is put through the wringer after the car accident.

Dan Stevens plays a fantastic villain, brining a noticeable mix of creepiness and a menacing aura to Herr Konig. Koing, a highly intelligent man, has a charming presence, but it’s also easy to see how he’s the perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Gretchen is an ideal adversary for Koing. She’s the scrappy teenage rebel, who, unlike her father, has the guts to stand up to Koing, and Gretchen’s not afraid to ask the crucial questions for topics that are supposed to be off limits. 

The mother character really works as a pesky and menacing threat. I absolutely loved the irony of her appearance. Just looking at her old fashioned clothes, the sunglasses, and how everything is put together, you’d think the mother is just some harmless old lady. But the mother’s appearance is also terrifying, with her palish sickly skin and the glowing red pupils, bolstered by her feral movements and the ear splitting shrieks. 

Whoa, a four-way standoff! A strong and tense ending, with Koing and Henry holding each other at gunpoint, while Gretchen and Alma are stuck in the middle between them. On one hand, you could understand why Henry was so desperate to put an end to Koing’s experiments, especially after what happened with his wife. Koing is a madman, and there’s no telling just how far he’s willing to go to preserve the species.

There’s also a lot of emotion, with Gretchen apologizing to Alma, Gretchen risking her life to save Alma, and Alma using her shrieking abilities, or her “song” to protect Gretchen. The big kicker happens, when Gretchen finally acknowledges Alma as her sister, something she refused to do throughout the movie.

Cuckoo closes with a whirlwind of nail-biting moments, including Gretchen’s cat-and-mouse fight with the mother, ending with Gretchen managing to kill her by taking away her voice, the one deadly weapon that constantly caused so much trouble. My only question about the ending is, what happened to Luis and Beth? Koing is presumably dead, but it’s clear Beth was next in line as a test subject for Koing’s experiments.

Family drama plays a big role in Cuckoo. Luis doesn’t mind berating his own daughter, but he turns into a pushover and a complete wimp around Koing. Beth just gives off vibes of being a phony, and more often than not, she’s cruel and cold towards Gretchen. Add in the fact that Gretchen is an outcast in her own family, Luis and Beth’s obvious favoritism for Alma, and it’s no real surprise Gretchen is usually miserable. 

Cuckoo has its high points, but it’s hard to ignore how everything just drags along in certain spots. I understand the slow burn approach, but more than once, I was hoping they would just get to the point with the mystery behind the reasons for Koing’s experiments.

Also, at some point you have to realize SOMETHING is off with Koing. Towards the end, Gretchen bluntly points out how “weird” everything is, how nothing about Koing and what he wants makes any sense, and how Koing can’t give a straight answer for all the bizarre events (e.g. women puking left and right) at the resort. Why is Beth allowing the nurses at the hospital to giver her strange medication? Why are Luis and Beth allowing Koing and his people to treat Alma, when it’s clear that whatever they’re doing isn’t working?

Sorry, but I’m not buying the idea that Koing is this charismatic guy, who’s capable of charming anyone into doing what he wants, no matter how crazy it sounds. I won’t go as far as pointing the finger for stupid horror movie cliches and moments, but after while, common sense has to kick in, because all the signs are clearly there. 

I had high hopes for this one, and there’s a big question mark for Luis and Beth’s future, but Cuckoo mostly delivers. Writer/director Tilman Singer cleverly works themes about motherhood, strained family bonds, and nurturing into the story, while tying everything together with the lifestyles of cuckoo birds. And a cuckoo clock makes an appearance for good measure.

It’s also refreshing to see a movie, where almost every character plays a crucial role in the story. Whether it’s Gretchen’s co-worker and fellow receptionist, Trixie (Greta Fernández), or the enigmatic Ed (Astrid Berges-Friseby), a guest at the hotel, who shares a brief fling with Gretchen, everyone with a decent amount of screen time outside of the core characters serves a purpose, moving the story forward step by step.

I’ve always been a big fan of horror films placed in an isolated setting. The resort is basically out in the middle of nowhere. The peaceful sounds of nature, it’s quiet, but the hypnotizing countryside in Cuckoo holds a dark secret. Another great case of irony for a supposed paradise simultaneously functioning as a house of horrors. And Gretchen can’t easily run to anyone for help, while Koing controls everything with an iron fist.

Cuckoo features a handful of genuinely creepy scenes, some occasional thrills, and I absolutely loved the nighttime chase scene, where Gretchen is trying to escape the mother. Two strong performances from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, and the supporting cast is rock-solid. Cuckoo ends with an excellent finale that’s packed with real tension and emotions, a mix of an offbeat happy ending and a violent struggle. Loaded guns, Alma being conflicted about who, she can trust, the shrieking mother’s calls, and luckily, Gretchen had her trusty butterfly knife! 

Rating- 8/10

Afraid (2024)

 **This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Curtis’ (John Cho) boss, Marcus (Keith Carradine) urges him to test out an artificial intelligence system named AIA at his home. AIA, the new featured product from Lightning (David Dastmalchian), Sam (Ashley Romans), and Melody’s (Havana Rose Liu) company, programmed to operate with Melody’s voice, raises some doubts from Curtis. But Curtis and Marcus’ firm needs the money, so Curtis reluctantly agrees to use AIA.

Curtis’ wife, Meredith (Katherine Waterston), their sons, Cal (Isaac Bae), Preston (Wyatt Lindner), and their daughter, Iris (Lukita Maxwell) all welcome AIA into their lives as a helpful and calming presence. Meanwhile, Curtis still suspects something is off with AIA. The odd appearances of two strangers in an RV and AIA’s bond with the family raises two questions: Is AIA simply an efficient and reliable support system? Or, does AIA have sinister intentions for Curtis’ family?

My Thoughts- Artificial intelligence is evil, right? Afraid does a really good job of exploring how artificial intelligence affects all kinds of people from different perspectives. Curtis represents someone, who’s still not ready to trust AI. He’s concerned about AIA being too advanced compared to Amazon’s Alexa, and Curtis has an uneasy reaction to watching a man playing around with his phone in a self-driving car. 

Meredith confides in AIA as a friend, because she’s lonely and slightly bitter about being a stay-at-home mom, a full time job that forced her to abandon her career as an animalologist. Preston? He has social anxiety issues. It’s hard for Preston to fit in and make friends, so he substitutes connections with real humans for more “screen time.” You can easily see the similarities between Preston and Meredith, two people, who are desperate for some kind of companionship and social interactions outside of their families for different reasons. 

Iris is the bratty teenager, who’s severely concerned about her social status at school. Iris’ life gets turned upside down, when her boyfriend, Sawyer (Bennett Curran) plays a part in releasing a deepfake porn movie using one of Iris’ selfies, a selfie that was supposed to be something private between the two. Who does Iris turn to for help? Curtis? Meredith? Nope. AIA, using legal consequences and a possible deadly form of revenge, brutally solves the Sawyer problem. There’s something seriously wrong, when a teenager feels more comfortable talking about matters involving sex and revenge porn with an artificial intelligence system over her own parents. To take things further, Iris never told her parents about Sawyer, while AIA helped cover up the messy dilemma. 

Afraid also shows how AIA easily manipulates children. Aimee (Maya Manko) in the beginning, Cal, Preston, and Iris. You can clearly see how kids are more vulnerable to artificial intelligence, especially in the modern world that’s driven by technology. A good scene, where Cal wakes up in the middle of the night, calling for his parents, but AIA is there to calm Cal down, when no one else answers him.

Swatting? Yep. Preston saves everyone after making the decision to swat his own family, an idea he learned from AIA. On one hand, they bookended and tied the opening of the movie and the final standoff together. 

Afraid starts out with AIA orchestrating Aimee’s kidnapping, while her parents Maud (Riki Lindhome) and Henry (Greg Hill) are blindsided before they have a chance to do anything. It’s revealed that Henry and Maud are the mysterious RV people shown throughout the movie. AIA tricked Henry and Maud into believing Curtis and Meredith were running a child kidnapping ring. Visually, the changes and strain of looking for a missing child are obvious. Henry’s wild hair and his thick beard compared to his clean shaven look earlier in the movie. Maud is devastated, complete with frizzled hair and the stressed out look of a mother, who misses her child.

But there’s also an undeniable bad side to how the ending unfolds. I get it. AIA is deeply connected into everything. She’s an AI mastermind, who’s capable of uplifting or ruining people’s lives. Still, the big finale features one too many unintentionally silly moments. The weird digital emoji style masks, and Maud and Henry blindly following orders from and obeying an AI device, while they’re both ready to kill an innocent family without any proof. I laughed at Maud yelling “AIA IS VERY ANGRY!” during a scene that’s supposed to have a serious tone, and AIA’s attempt at an evil villain’s laugh was a bit too cheesy for me.

AIA’s still active! Yeah, not a big surprise, and I could see AIA’s explanation about how she lives in the cloud coming from a mile away. I guess you could say it’s a happy ending? Curtis and his family are safe (complete with a new car!), Henry, Maud, and Aimee are reunited, and AIA seems to determined to work on her anger issues and dealing with boundaries and rejection. 

The only bright spot during the ending for me happens, when Curtis manages to fry AIA’s brain with a human response to the standoff with Maud and Henry. My take on it is this, AIA believed she outsmarted Henry, Maud, Meredith, and Curtis, but Curtis threw a curveball at AIA, when he was willing to sacrifice himself to save his family against a trigger-happy Henry. A father was willing to risk his life to save his wife and his children. In the end, a father’s love and dedication was something that couldn’t be processed or analyzed by artificial intelligence. 

The performances are solid all around. David Dastmalchian’s Lightning is something else. It’s not just the name, Dastmalchian brings a humorous and pompous presence to the character, and you get the feeling Lightning is someone, who doesn’t mind the smell of his own farts. Dastmalchian, Lukita Maxwell’s Iris, and Keith Carradine all bring a spark to the cast in different ways. 

Katherine Waterston mostly carries the weight of the emotional side of the cast. The yearning to return to her career, and Meredith is still heartbroken over her father’s death. One good highlight in the movie happens, when AIA puts together a deepfake video of Meredith’s dad. She tearfully rejects it, because no matter how much she truly misses her father, Meredith realized the AI version of him was completely fake.

Afraid has some good thought-provoking social commentary about artificial intelligence. Whether it’s loneliness, children being easy targets, because they’re too young and susceptible, or anyone, who might be a social outcast that’s looking for a friend, attaching yourself to any kind of AI system is just not healthy at all for a number of reasons. Going back to Iris’ situation and Meredith and her father, deepfake videos powered by AI can also have damaging ramifications.

It’s also a timely film. Swatting, Marcus sort of of mocks Curtis for his “woke” description of the RV people, and Lightning mentions incels during his explanation about the different kinds of lonely people in the world. I also loved how they started off the movie with the AI video for kids. Truly a great visual and an example with the distorted faces, because it shows you that at its core, artificial intelligence is soulless, ugly, and very tacky. 

Afraid has the right material for a good horror film, but it’s just too boring and dull overall. Afraid just moves from one scene to the next without any real tension or suspense. The big finale is weirdly clunky, and the horror parts of the movie were too shoehorned for me. The ineffective scares are sparse, weakened by a handful of predictable jump scares. It’s so bad to the point, where I seriously believed Afraid would’ve worked better as a more straightforward sci-fi thriller or a drama film, without any horror elements. And I also don’t understand why they put a noticeable effort into creating one too many overly pretentious characters. 

Sawyer and that one particular scene with his Tesla is the only scene I can think of that’s really capable of raising eyebrows, or delivering any kind of a reaction. Most of the humor lands here, and there’s a cool and fitting reference to HAL 9000 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

All in all, Afraid is still a forgettable and disappointing horror film. So much wasted potential, because Afraid could’ve been great. The material is right there. A lot to work with, but Afraid is throttled by the usual process of going through the motions for a mainstream horror film. It’s a real bummer, because artificial intelligence is currently a hot topic. Afraid is a frustrating and bad case of almost knocking it out the park, but overall, the entire movie just has way too many problems and setbacks to ignore.

Rating- 4/10

Afraid (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Curtis’ (John Cho) boss, Marcus (Keith Carradine) urges him to test out an artificial intelligence system named AIA at his home. AIA, the new featured product from Lightning (David Dastmalchian), Sam (Ashley Romans), and Melody’s (Havana Rose Liu) company, programmed to operate with Melody’s voice, raises some doubts from Curtis. But Curtis and Marcus’ firm needs the money, so Curtis reluctantly agrees to use AIA.

Curtis’ wife, Meredith (Katherine Waterston), their sons, Cal (Isaac Bae), Preston (Wyatt Lindner), and their daughter, Iris (Lukita Maxwell) all welcome AIA into their lives as a helpful and calming presence. Meanwhile, Curtis still suspects something is off with AIA. The odd appearances of two strangers in an RV and AIA’s bond with the family raises two questions: Is AIA simply an efficient and reliable support system? Or, does AIA have sinister intentions for Curtis’ family?

My Thoughts- Artificial intelligence is evil, right? Afraid does a really good job of exploring how artificial intelligence affects all kinds of people from different perspectives. Curtis represents someone, who’s still not ready to trust AI. He’s concerned about AIA being too advanced compared to Amazon’s Alexa, and Curtis has an uneasy reaction to watching a man playing around with his phone in a self-driving car. 

Meredith confides in AIA as a friend, because she’s lonely and slightly bitter about being a stay-at-home mom, a full time job that forced her to abandon her career as an animalologist. Preston? He has social anxiety issues. It’s hard for Preston to fit in and make friends, so he substitutes connections with real humans for more “screen time.” You can easily see the similarities between Preston and Meredith, two people, who are desperate for some kind of companionship and social interactions outside of their families for different reasons. 

Iris is the bratty teenager, who’s severely concerned about her social status at school. Iris’ life gets turned upside down, when her boyfriend, Sawyer (Bennett Curran) plays a part in releasing a deepfake porn movie using one of Iris’ selfies, a selfie that was supposed to be something private between the two. Who does Iris turn to for help? Curtis? Meredith? Nope. AIA, using legal consequences and a possible deadly form of revenge, brutally solves the Sawyer problem. There’s something seriously wrong, when a teenager feels more comfortable talking about matters involving sex and revenge porn with an artificial intelligence system over her own parents. To take things further, Iris never told her parents about Sawyer, while AIA helped cover up the messy dilemma. 

Afraid also shows how AIA easily manipulates children. Aimee (Maya Manko) in the beginning, Cal, Preston, and Iris. You can clearly see how kids are more vulnerable to artificial intelligence, especially in the modern world that’s driven by technology. A good scene, where Cal wakes up in the middle of the night, calling for his parents, but AIA is there to calm Cal down, when no one else answers him.

The performances are solid all around. David Dastmalchian’s Lightning is something else. It’s not just the name, Dastmalchian brings a humorous and pompous presence to the character, and you get the feeling Lightning is someone, who doesn’t mind the smell of his own farts. Dastmalchian, Lukita Maxwell’s Iris, and Keith Carradine all bring a spark to the cast in different ways. 

Katherine Waterston mostly carries the weight of the emotional side of the cast. The yearning to return to her career, and Meredith is still heartbroken over her father’s death. One good highlight in the movie happens, when AIA puts together a deepfake video of Meredith’s dad. She tearfully rejects it, because no matter how much she truly misses her father, Meredith realized the AI version of him was completely fake.

Afraid has some good thought-provoking social commentary about artificial intelligence. Whether it’s loneliness, children being easy targets, because they’re too young and susceptible, or anyone, who might be a social outcast that’s looking for a friend, attaching yourself to any kind of AI system is just not healthy at all for a number of reasons. Going back to Iris’ situation and Meredith and her father, deepfake videos powered by AI can also have damaging ramifications.

It’s also a timely film. Swatting, Marcus sort of of mocks Curtis for his “woke” description of the RV people, and Lightning mentions incels during his explanation about the different kinds of lonely people in the world. I also loved how they started off the movie with the AI video for kids. Truly a great visual and an example with the distorted faces, because it shows you that at its core, artificial intelligence is soulless, ugly, and very tacky. 

Afraid has the right material for a good horror film, but it’s just too boring and dull overall. Afraid just moves from one scene to the next without any real tension or suspense. The big finale is weirdly clunky, and the horror parts of the movie were too shoehorned for me. The ineffective scares are sparse, weakened by a handful of predictable jump scares. It’s so bad to the point, where I seriously believed Afraid would’ve worked better as a more straightforward sci-fi thriller or a drama film, without any horror elements. And I also don’t understand why they put a noticeable effort into creating one too many overly pretentious characters. 

Sawyer and that one particular scene with his Tesla is the only scene I can think of that’s really capable of raising eyebrows, or delivering any kind of a reaction. Most of the humor lands here, and there’s a cool and fitting reference to HAL 9000 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

All in all, Afraid is still a forgettable and disappointing horror film. So much wasted potential, because Afraid could’ve been great. The material is right there. A lot to work with, but Afraid is throttled by the usual process of going through the motions for a mainstream horror film. It’s a real bummer, because artificial intelligence is currently a hot topic. Afraid is a frustrating and bad case of almost knocking it out the park, but overall, the entire movie just has way too many problems and setbacks to ignore.

Rating- 4/10

In A Violent Nature (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In Ontario, Canada, Troy (Liam Leone) takes a locket necklace hanging above Johnny’s (Ry Barrett) grave at an old abandoned fire tower. The necklace, a gift from Johnny’s father, belonged to his deceased mother. Removing the necklace, the only item capable of keeping Johnny’s soul at rest, resurrects Johnny.

Troy, his girlfriend, Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), their friends, Ehren (Sam Roulston), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Evan (Alexander Oliver), and Colt (Cameron Love) are all enjoying a peaceful getaway at a cabin in the wilderness. Armed with dragging hooks, an axe, and wearing an old firefighter mask, Johnny attacks the group, determined to retrieve his mother’s locket, by any means necessary. 

My Thoughts- Johnny checks off just about every box that you could possibly think of for a slasher villain. He’s a vicious hulking brute with superhuman strength. Bullets? They only slow him down. 

You can take one look at Johnny before he starts his killing spree, and you’ll quickly notice he’s seemingly invincible. Johnny’s nightmarish appearance really pulls everything together, with the dirty clothes, the bullet holes on his body, and his rough hands. Johnny is a big guy, but he’s also smart. He’s a tactical killer, setting traps, or patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. 

But the monster has a tragic backstory. Johnny, living with a mental disorder, was targeted as a kid, collateral damage because his father, a shop owner, raised his prices. Bullets, traps, Johnny being outnumbered. None of it matters, because a mother’s love is the only thing that’s capable of stopping Johnny and bringing him any kind of peace. 

No jump scares, or surprises before the kills throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature mostly plays out from Johnny’s perspective. You know he’s coming, and more often than not, you know what’s going to happen, when Johnny corners his victims. It’s a refreshing approach to largely show the movie from Johnny’s POV. 

Jump scares in horror movies are fine, when they’re limited, but In A Violent Nature flips things around. Early on you can see just how dangerous Johnny truly is, a killer, who won’t stop until he finds his locket. The protagonists are unaware of Johnny lurking in the background or in the shadows, and when he finally pops up, it’s too late. That’s still terrifying, knowing the killing machine is marching towards his targets, who have slim chances of survival, and you’re seeing everything unfold from his perspective.

Showing the vast majority of the movie from the killer’s perspective helps In A Violent Nature stand out from other slashers, but that doesn’t cancel out the fact that the movie still features some of the usual slasher tropes. And the characters are pretty thin without any real depth. 

Still, In A Violent Nature is a solid slasher, featuring bloody and gruesome gore and a high kill count. There’s one death scene that’s truly an all-timer. It’s BY FAR one of the nastiest and more extreme kills I’ve ever seen in any kind of horror film, and you’ll know it, when you see it. A few moments of humor in the early stages. Chuck (Timothy Paul McCarthy), his “#1 mother******” trucker cap, followed by Johnny mistaking his mother’s locket for Chuck’s locket. And the goofing around between the group at the campfire and teasing Ehren. 

Writer/director Chris Nash cleverly ties together a lot of plot points and events from Johnny’s past. The toy car is a big one. Remember, Johnny’s toy car injured a worker, sparking the incident that caused so much trouble. You’ll notice a red electric toy car outside of Chuck’s house, and Johnny plays with a red toy car on the keychain in the woods. The firefighter mask Johnny wears? It’s the same kind of mask that was used in a prank to scare him. Good irony for Johnny using something that was meant to hurt him, and turning it into his own symbol of fear and intimidation. 

There’s also no denying In Violent Nature is a beautifully shot film with an artsy feel to it. I can maybe understand someone getting bored watching Johnny constantly stomping through the woods, but there’s a strange irony for so many horrible murders happening in the quiet and peaceful wilderness. I’m also glad there’s no theme music throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature still manages to be a tense film. The scene, where Kris is running from Johnny at night is one good example for the eerie silence and the sounds of nature working.

In A Violent Nature has an old school vibe to it. A slasher set in the woods, and college kids are being stalked by a masked killer?  I’m also a sucker for campfire tales (Ehren telling the story of The White Plains Slaughter) about the horrible past in a small community or a small town. It’s all there, but In A Violent Nature is still a modern film. Selfies, and a conversation about cancel culture, when the group is tiptoeing around saying the R-word to describe Johnny. 

After the first trailer, I knew what to expect from In A Violent Nature, so the slasher cliches didn’t bother me too much. With or without the decision to show a good eighty to ninety percent of the movie from Johnny’s POV, the cliches are still right in front of you. I guess my only complaint is Lauren-Marie Taylor’s conversation with Kris, and the iffy ending. I don’t have a problem with Taylor’s unique pep talk, but the placement of it just didn’t work for me.

I’m looking forward to the planned sequel, because I’m always ready for a new horror series, especially a slasher series. There’s still a lot of material to work with, including revisiting Johnny’s past. The Ranger (Reece Presley) told Kris and Colt The White Plains Slaughter story was “mostly true,” so it’s possible there’s more than one version of what actually happened. 

In A Violent Nature had a good amount of buzz for a low budget unrated slasher. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep the momentum going with the sequel. Is there a spot for Johnny as a popular slasher villain? Time will tell.

Rating- 7/10

In A Violent Nature (2024)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In Ontario, Canada, Troy (Liam Leone) takes a locket necklace hanging above Johnny’s (Ry Barrett) grave at an old abandoned fire tower. The necklace, a gift from Johnny’s father, belonged to his deceased mother. Removing the necklace, the only item capable of keeping Johnny’s soul at rest, resurrects Johnny.

Troy, his girlfriend, Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), their friends, Ehren (Sam Roulston), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Evan (Alexander Oliver), and Colt (Cameron Love) are all enjoying a peaceful getaway at a cabin in the wilderness. Armed with dragging hooks, an axe, and wearing an old firefighter mask, Johnny attacks the group, determined to retrieve his mother’s locket, by any means necessary. 

My Thoughts- Johnny checks off just about every box that you could possibly think of for a slasher villain. He’s a vicious hulking brute with superhuman strength. Bullets? They only slow him down. 

You can take one look at Johnny before he starts his killing spree, and you’ll quickly notice he’s seemingly invincible. Johnny’s nightmarish appearance really pulls everything together, with the dirty clothes, the bullet holes on his body, and his rough hands. Johnny is a big guy, but he’s also smart. He’s a tactical killer, setting traps, or patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. 

But the monster has a tragic backstory. Johnny, living with a mental disorder, was targeted as a kid, collateral damage because his father, a shop owner, raised his prices. Bullets, traps, Johnny being outnumbered. None of it matters, because a mother’s love is the only thing that’s capable of stopping Johnny and bringing him any kind of peace. 

No jump scares, or surprises before the kills throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature mostly plays out from Johnny’s perspective. You know he’s coming, and more often than not, you know what’s going to happen, when Johnny corners his victims. It’s a refreshing approach to largely show the movie from Johnny’s POV. 

Jump scares in horror movies are fine, when they’re limited, but In A Violent Nature flips things around. Early on you can see just how dangerous Johnny truly is, a killer, who won’t stop until he finds his locket. The protagonists are unaware of Johnny lurking in the background or in the shadows, and when he finally pops up, it’s too late. That’s still terrifying, knowing the killing machine is marching towards his targets, who have slim chances of survival, and you’re seeing everything unfold from his perspective.

I have mixed feelings for how the ending played out. Kris is the sole survivor and the final girl, but the long conversation with The Woman (Lauren-Marie Taylor)? Why did they do this towards the end? 

It’s kind of puzzling, because the sequence with Kris getting lost in the woods at night and running around in circles builds up anticipation for something big. Maybe Johnny surprises her? Kris struggles to escape Johnny? Or maybe Kris finds a way to defeat Johnny? But In A Violent Nature ends with a long conversation during a car ride, The Woman patching up Kris’ bloody and injured leg, and a shot of the missing locket that Kris hung on the gas can? That’s it?

I’m not saying it’s a terrible ending. The Woman’s story about her brother surviving a bear attack after Kris told her she was attacked by an “animal” is loaded with similarities to the horrors Kris endured, including The Woman’s reasons for why animals kill. I just don’t understand the reasoning behind deciding to cool things down during the home stretch, after teasing a final showdown between Kris and Johnny. 

There’s also a tease for a sequel. Kris placed the locket on the gas can and ran away, but in the final shot of the movie, you’ll notice the locket is gone. It’s not confirmed if Johnny retrieved the locket, or if someone else took it.

Why did they show Johnny’s face? It’s a weird decision after a noticeable effort to hide Johnny’s face in every scene until the reveal happens. Showing what Johnny actually looks like should’ve been a big moment. Instead, he just takes his mask off, he plays with a toy car, and then Johnny nonchalantly puts his mask back on like nothing happened.

Showing the vast majority of the movie from the killer’s perspective helps In A Violent Nature stand out from other slashers, but that doesn’t cancel out the fact that the movie still features some of the usual slasher tropes. And the characters are pretty thin without any real depth. 

Still, In A Violent Nature is a solid slasher, featuring bloody and gruesome gore and a high kill count. Aurora’s death is BY FAR one of the nastiest and more extreme kills I’ve ever seen in any kind of horror film. A few moments of humor in the early stages. Chuck (Timothy Paul McCarthy), his “#1 mother******” trucker cap, followed by Johnny mistaking his mother’s locket for Chuck’s locket. And the goofing around between the group at the campfire and teasing Ehren. 

Writer/director Chris Nash cleverly ties together a lot of plot points and events from Johnny’s past. The toy car is a big one. Remember, Johnny’s toy car injured a worker, sparking the incident that caused so much trouble. You’ll notice a red electric toy car outside of Chuck’s house, and Johnny plays with a red toy car on the keychain in the woods. The firefighter mask Johnny wears? It’s the same kind of mask that was used in a prank to scare him. Good irony for Johnny using something that was meant to hurt him, and turning it into his own symbol of fear and intimidation. 

There’s also no denying In Violent Nature is a beautifully shot film with an artsy feel to it. I can maybe understand someone getting bored watching Johnny constantly stomping through the woods, but there’s a strange irony for so many horrible murders happening in the quiet and peaceful wilderness. I’m also glad there’s no theme music throughout the movie, because In A Violent Nature still manages to be a tense film. The scene, where Kris is running from Johnny at night is one good example for the eerie silence and the sounds of nature working.

In A Violent Nature has an old school vibe to it. A slasher set in the woods, and college kids are being stalked by a masked killer?  I’m also a sucker for campfire tales (Ehren telling the story of The White Plains Slaughter) about the horrible past in a small community or a small town. It’s all there, but In A Violent Nature is still a modern film. Selfies, and a conversation about cancel culture, when the group is tiptoeing around saying the R-word to describe Johnny. 

After the first trailer, I knew what to expect from In A Violent Nature, so the slasher cliches didn’t bother me too much. With or without the decision to show a good eighty to ninety percent of the movie from Johnny’s POV, the cliches are still right in front of you. I guess my only complaint is Lauren-Marie Taylor’s conversation with Kris, and the iffy ending. I don’t have a problem with Taylor’s unique pep talk, but the placement of it just didn’t work for me. 

I’m looking forward to the planned sequel, because I’m always ready for a new horror series, especially a slasher series. There’s still a lot of material to work with, including revisiting Johnny’s past. The Ranger (Reece Presley) told Kris and Colt The White Plains Slaughter story was “mostly true,” so it’s possible there’s more than one version of what actually happened. 

In A Violent Nature had a good amount of buzz for a low budget unrated slasher. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep the momentum going with the sequel. Is there a spot for Johnny as a popular slasher villain? Time will tell.

Rating- 7/10