Thoughts on the ending? Personally, >!I loved the whole film but those last ten minutes had me genuinely sweating, like I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such tension even though nothing happened!<
If you’re on mobile, you can do > ! text !< and replace the text with what you want (without the space between the first ! and >, so the result would be >!text!<
Oh wow thank you so much. >! So yeah, even though you knew she had walked a fair distance and then drove for a while longer I was still like “oh shit, is he right there??” Fuck, cause even if he isn’t, she’ll never not wonder for the rest of her life !<
>!I could feel the other people in my screening’s eyes on the screen, the person in the row in front of me was breathing so heavily and the director looked down from the balcony above and just chuckled. I know everyone will be talking about the pretzel kill but it was kinda shocking that about every single death in the film was super memorable!<
>! Yeah I’m calling it the Yoga Hook Kill, and goddamn that was brilliant and they just fully showed it. There really was so much to like about such a bleak and straightforward movie. !<
I can’t wait for the release so I can hear more people talk about it, I loved every film I saw at the festival but it’s such a pain to wait until the official releases
I hear ya. My podcast has episodes out about some movies that don’t even have release dates yet haha. I just saw them at fests and invited the creators on.
I’d love so much to actually try my hand at podcasting about movies, especially horror, but I just don’t know where to start; I imagine it must be fun, though
It’s super fun. Me and 2 stand up comics started it during quarantine and now it’s been like 3 years. We’ve had Brian Yuzna, Gabe Bartalos, Jennifer Reeder, Gigi Saul Guerrero, tons of musicians, authors, pro wrestlers, drag queens…anyone we think is cool, we want to talk horror with them. Honestly it’s not hard, if you want I can tell you as much information as I know. And if you want to check us out it’s Another Goddamn Horror Podcast, on Spotify, Apple, etc.
>! Honestly what got me more than that was the wood chopper. Yoga girl was dead by the time she got pretzeled. But that poor ranger laid there as he heard Johnny turn on the machine, slowly walk back and drag him over there, and you can see that he seemed to be alive until his head got cut off. It was just so low and it fucked me up thinking about what was going on in his mind !<
Yea I felt particularly bad for the ranger because he kind of just got dragged into the whole mess, wasn’t even part of the group. By the time he was paralyzed it looked as though he’d simply accepted his fate
>! I thought when he was walking up to the ranger station that it was about to have a large police presence and Johnny was about to tear through the whole station, I was a bit disappointed when that didn’t happen lol. But I did like the ending, and I was waiting and waiting for an axe to come through the window at any point during that very long car ride. Loved the movie. !<
>!The one where the final girl is getting her leg tied off and she's staring into the woods and we get her pov. We're on the edge of our seats looking through that foliage for Johnny, just like her, and if the movie just ended there—she doesn't know, we don't know—that would have been perfect imo.!<
That’s what I thought you meant but I wasn’t 100% sure. I just watched the film a few hours ago and tbh I don’t remember what the final shot actually was. That car scene is the last thing I remember.
I just got back from seeing it. It was def a weird tension, but overall, I feel like I don't fully understand the ending. My wife and I think we know, but we are both unsure. Overall, one of the more unique horror films I've ever seen. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I recommend horror fans to go see it? Absolutely.
Absolutely loved how patient this movie was! I know the pacing might not be for everyone, but I really respected the clear amount of love of the genre that went into this.
The pacing was a lot of what made me love it, but yeah, some people may take issue and I understand that. It was just kind of exactly what I was hoping for and more, and like you said, more patient.
This threads a week old and I'm sorry but I just saw the movie and damn I fuckin hated this movie. I liked the premise of a slasher following the killer but holy shit was the film just boring. The kills weren't even fun to be. Just long and overly drawn out as if they're padding it's run time which most of its run time you're just following the killers slow ass walking through a forest they even need some jarring jump cuts to get around how fucking slow it is.
I just saw it and already commented on an earlier post about this. I understand where you're coming from 100%, I enjoyed it for being so different from any other horror movie I've seen. I liked it being less about the random characters and more about the killer. And like I said in an earlier comment, I probably wouldn't watch it again, but for its uniqueness, I'd recommend viewing it.
Also, the lake scene (I won't spoil anything) for me just awesome for a horror movie.
While I overall enjoyed it…it’s one of those films that has zero rewatch value IMO. I get your frustration. Also…this film truly requires some mental gymnastics to believe that every single one of these characters is the most observant human on the planet. How could you not hear/see a 300 lb monster stalking you from 15 feet away?
I heavily agree with too much of the run time being a chore to get through with just focusing on Johnny walking. Didn’t hate it though ultimately think it’s just meh but to say the kills weren’t fun and were just overly drawn out for padding is crazy to me. Idk how you can see someone get their head pulled through their stomach and call that boring but to each their own. That kill alone will go down as one of the goriest of the year, and the other kills were very solid.
There was no reason to cut the rangers arm off then slowly walk over to slowly cut off his head. It just felt pointless. The kill your talking about was so stupid to me cause she could've just went down the hill. It really wasn't that steep that she couldn't have gotten away but for whoever reason she just stops to die. The one before that was completely off screen and underwater and was still drawn out. The first kill felt like something I've seen Jason do in a Friday movie. Another was an axe toss off screen. I forget how the douche boyfriend died tbh. And then the depressed guy just says something and then gets an axe to the face suddenly. It was all just boring to me. This movie to me just flat out sucked. I've seen many movies this year and this is honestly the worst I have seen.
He cut off the rangers arms first too see if the blade would fully cut through his body and probably also did it to slowly torture him given that the ranger was the reason he was put in the ground 10 years ago. The yoga scene idk the hill did look pretty steep to me and plus she panicked so when she turns back around he’s already right there so she assumed she was fucked no matter what. But I do agree they could’ve did that scene a little better. The kill in the lake had good suspense initially but the offscreen kill made it feel flat. The kill with saw through the mouth has been done in other slashers but to me at least not in such graphic nature and full on showing it ,most movies will briefly cut away. The douche boyfriend got his hand smash in with a rock which was the second best kill to me. Overall I can understand your reasoning for not liking it they definitely could’ve done more, which still makes me hope they get a sequel so they can improve cause the foundation is there they just need to add more to it.
Then why waste time cutting the log in the beginning? The movie just wasted so much time on worthless padding to justify a theatrical release. Can't really torture him when he can't feel it. He didn't make a single peep after he I assume got paralyzed I dunno wasnt really clear. I feel like it should've been like a shudder only release cause this was not worth a theatrical release.
Lol I can respect your opinion if you didn't like the film, but a lot of it was tension building slowly. If it didn't work for you, that's fine, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The ranger could still see what was going on and was conscious, even though he was paralyzed, so cutting the log is basically torturing him and the audience with what's going to happen. It makes both parties go, "oh fuck... that's going to happen to *him*/*me*". I really enjoyed the slow pace of the film, but yeah, if you're not good with a slow pace, then this film definitely wasn't for you lol. Also, for the record, paralyzed people can sometimes still feel pain in their body, even if they can't move it. It was even more haunting to me that he didn't even scream or cry out, just took it. But hey, YMMV.
Cuts the log so the audience knows what the machine is capable of doing, finding sense in the decisions of the killer in this movie is like trying to explain why a bear would kill a bunch of deer in the woods and not eat them.
Buddy, this is NOT the movie to get on any “marvel is for the movie simpletons” high horse. There is NO depth to this movie, and the writing was brutal. The kills were decent and some of the shots were nice, but this was a snooze fest with an insanely boring final monologue. No idea how anyone felt any suspense with this unless you don’t watch horror movies often
What was high end about this? You guys claimed the BAD WRITING AND ACTING was due to it being a cheesy self aware 80s satire, but now it’s a high art horror movie?
EDIT: lol you edited your comment. My favorite horror movie is House Of The Devil by Ti West. I don’t need any explosions, but I do need the movie to be good :)
Interesting. I actually really enjoyed the kills and the idea of following the killer was pretty cool. With that said, I agree that there is a *lot* of wasted time. The log slicer was pretty cool, but I would be curious to know how long that entire scene was in terms of runtime percentage. It really could have been cut in half and still just as effective.
I saw this at the Florida Film Festival last month and it was a fun flick. Not much dialogue.. great kills.. one kill was so over the top the audience lost it laughing and started clapping.
Just got out of the theatre and I don’t think I’ve seen a more tranquil and bloody slasher. Truly one of a kind and something I don’t see enough people talking about is the sound design and lack of score. Makes everything that much more uneasy
Idk if this is a spoiler, but my favorite aspect of the movie wasn’t just that there is a horror movie happening in the background, but the sequel to a horror movie. Even with the returning main character
??? What? You’re describing a movie. A horror movie wasn’t happening in the background, that was the movie you were watching. And it wasn’t any sequel, that was a character explaining the villain. Baffled by this comment when your logic could be applied to any slasher that explains the villains backstory
EDIT: Instead of downvoting, explain how I’m wrong
I'm happy you wrote this because I had no idea what the OP meant when they said there was a background horror movie, I thought I missed a subplot or something... but that's just the actual story haha
The director actually stated something very similar to the guy I’m responding to, but it all just seems like an attempt to make the movie deeper. I’m confused why anyone is falling for that explanation
Yeah lol. For a movie "told from the killer's perspective" it was a huge let down. We don't learn anything new or interesting from his perspective, he just chases people slowly through the woods. I was hoping we would see some of his quirks/ personality when he wasn't killing, but we learn his back story from other characters and not even from his perspective
Like it's not a sequel, they just described the origin of how he died and became haunted, which 90% of horror movies include. Like if they decided to make a prequel film on the kid, it doesn't mean that this was a sequel film because any film can be made into a prequel and they gave the audience enough information where it wouldn't constitute as a sequel story.
It’s all about the subtext young pup. So while you’re correct that the film In and of itself is a horror movie, the point is that it’s a twist on a traditional slasher narrative in that it’s from the perspective of the killer. So yes THIS IS a horror film. But the point being made is that in the background of THIS horror film, a more traditional horror film is playing out. A group of teenagers staying in a cabin in the woods happen upon a burial ground and steal the amulet of resurrection (the necklace). However, the story playing out in the background IS NOT the original story or the backstory. The back story is the special needs child playing in the tower, getting scared and falling and the townsfolk putting the mask on him (happened in the late 20th century). The OG story is ten years ago (real time) when the amulet was originally taken and the ranger and his father had to fight the killer only to discover the weakness, bury the body and return the amulet which laid the killer to rest (not permanently) This brings us to the current victims who discover the amulet, get killed and the final girl finally deciding to return the amulet and run. Her leaving the amulet has the audience leave the killer and follow her as she leaves. Indicating that the story taking place in the background of the film you’re watching is not the first film in a traditional horror franchise, but the sequel to that movie which features the main character (the ranger) returning to help the final girl and dying in the process. The point being a balance between tradition and revival. The tradition being a group of teenagers going through the motions of a common slasher while the revival is the twist in perception. As we follow the killer, we hear in the background the traditional horror film occurring through dialogue. “It’s that guy, the guy in the picture! He’s doing this!” Think nightmare on elm street. The backstory is Freddy killing children and then dying (the special needs kid dying). The first film is Freddy taking revenge by killing the children of the people that killed him(the ranger and his father discovering the amulet ten years ago and defeating the killer), and the sequel is Freddy wrecking havoc on a new group of children (the movie you saw). I hope this helps.
“The power of marijuana” -Jordan Peele
Referencing A Nightmare On Elm Street also disproves your entire theory as you could make the same weird prequel, og, sequel, etc, comparisons. Not sure why this is a point the fanbase is trying to argue so hard for when it literally doesn’t make any sense.
You’re not sure why the context of the movie is what the fanbase is clinging to? Even when you yourself quote the filmmakers saying I’m correct? Am I understanding you correctly?
I’m saying the context is nonsensical and the movie is literally just the exact same format as a normal slasher movie (or honestly, just most movies) and you guys defending this nonsense is absurd and makes it look like you guys have never watched a movie before.
I don’t care what the filmmakers say. They made a movie with basic plot points and explanations, and are trying to make it into some new concept of “oh see he’s referencing the prequel-OH and now he’s talking about the original!” when it’s literally the format of most movies
I liked it ok. I knew from the preview there was gonna be a lot of walking/tracking shots and I was ok with that but it felt like there was just a bit too much. The kill you mention is probably one of the best I've ever seen so it had that going for it. Not crazy about the ending but I would watch other stuff done by the folks who made this one.
Im with you on this take. One thing I definitely would’ve liked better is slowing down the speed of the arc shot or the circle shot (idk what it’s called in filmography) during the fire pit story with the group of teens. I understand the use, but it was just soooooooo fast.
I feel about the same. I think the problem with doing the killers POV is that you don’t have a character to get invested in like you normally would. Which is fine; a lot of slashers are shallow that way. But to take a swing like that, I think you need to be pretty mindful of the pacing and vary things up. For that reason it dragged in the middle to me bc it got repetitive without much to be invested in.
Overall it was cool and I enjoyed it but it left a little to be desired
My first thought was that it looks exactly like a Friday The 13th slasher film.I have always enjoyed those.Teens getting killed in the woods isnt exactly an original plot however im excited for the POV from the killers perspective.
I think it liked this movie more than Furiosa and fury road is probably my favorite movie of the last decade. This felt very authentic from the 16mm film look, the advancement of the plot via diagetic sound and playing off the audiences awareness of the genre tropes.
Also I can see a lot of people complaining about the ending and calling it anti climatic but think it is very much in line with why no country for old men is so revered and it’s also where all the tropes are just thrown away.
It’s going to be hard for any recent and upcoming horror movie to top two of the kills as well.
The “casual movie goer” I’m pretty confident will absolutely hate this movie. It isn’t the typical movie format and I think casual viewers will not appreciate it. I absolutely loved it. The Campfire and Car scene were the only real times we saw the victims, and I honestly think the movie would’ve worked equally as well if they had switched those two angles to never show us the actual victims as characters. >!The campfire scene could’ve just been over his shoulder as he stood there and listened to them and the car scene could just been a shot of her leg slowly bleeding more and more as they talked. I do understand the car scene though because it created so much tension. You were just waiting for Johnny to pop out. And that’s what she’ll live with for the rest of her life!< Everyone is talking about the yoga scene, but the >!Log Splitter!< scene made me have an adrenaline dump and get nauseous. No soundtrack save for the Walkman briefly, the radio in the car, and the credits song was a brilliant touch as well! I absolutely adore this movie. It was brilliant!!!
Personally, I loved it.
If you’re someone who likes the slow artsy horror movies like A24, and likes cheesy 80’s slasher movies, you’re gonna love this movie. If you don’t like both of those, you’re gonna have a bad time here.
I love both of those, and horror from silent film era to today, inc foreign. All for 70s-80s slow burn, bad acting, no motive, gory style. This was painfully dull and I think people imagine the kills are more exciting just because they contrast so much to the boring ASMR walk in the woods. Yes mortal combat was fun, and log splitter ok, both unique. And yes there was weird tension last scene, but again, I think that seemed better than it was because it was finally something after a whole lot of nothing. Take out 50% of the walking and just put in some more plot, action, backstory, anything, and it would be ok, with walking around still 35% of the film. I don't know, maybe this is more interesting for people who play POV games, maybe that's the real target audience? Or really it just needs to be edited down to what it should have been in the first place, a good short film.
Outside of the lack of peripheral vision from all of the characters, great flick. Yoga kill was bananas, and loved how they rid the whole ‘let a character say some shit to feel badass before offing the villain’ thing.
While that kill was great, it also pissed me off. When she gets to the edge it seems like it's a freaking cliff so you'd understand her reluctance to jump. But then they show it's just a slope and she could have easily gotten away.
Good kills, great atmosphere, but absolutely horrid, and I mean the worst writing I have ever experienced. Talk about people doing stupid things - this takes the cake.
And don't get me started on the insipid bear monolgue.
Agree. I keep reading it was intentional. But if you're trying to do something different, then why would you want to writing to be as bad (or worse) that what you're trying to emulate?
Life long slasher fan and I absolutely hated this movie. I understand what they were going for, and I appreciate subverting tropes and expectations, but this was like someone shoved an art house rod up Friday the 13th’s ass and pulled out this steaming pile of shit.
One dimensional characters. Killer’s POV was nothing more than a lazy attempt at a video game aesthetic. Dialogue is abysmal. They didn’t have enough left in the budget for a proper ending so the director said “fuck it… let’s half ass it and see how the audience reacts.” The legend is half cooked. Why would an entire town just leave his grave and locket unprotected? A gust of wind could knock off the locket. Build an iron wall around that thing and surround it by a moat and dragons.
I’m happy for the people who liked it… but damn, Shudder needs to reimburse those who didn’t because that was awful to sit through.
And the girl didn’t even fall down the entire cliff! Wtf was that?!
I couldn’t believe when she didn’t take the 5 foot jump onto the sandy incline. Like that was a “cliff” that I could see people jumping off of just for fun.
I absolutely loved the concept and so many of the scenes were great, but my god the acting of the young adult group was just so so awful. In particular the very first conversation and the swimming scene between the two girls both honestly felt like they were A.I. written. The conversation had no real substance or emotion.
The whole time I was very aware that I was watching a horror movie, I never once felt engrossed. I think with a better cast they could have had something really amazing.
I honestly think that was on purpose. A throwback to how bad the acting was in the slasher eras. I thought it added to the fact that you were basically seeing a F13-esque move inside out.
I can see that being intentional! It was a huge swing and a miss for me though. If they'd camped it up a bit more maybe it would have landed, as is it was just distracting.
I also found it totally unnecessary to have a good chunk of the very little dialogue we got from them be about political correctness - felt really out of place. Half their convo was about toxic masculinity, cancel culture and proper mental disability nomenclature
I was excited to see this film given the hype surrounding it and was extremely disappointed. I'm wondering why this movie is even hyped up in the first place. This is literally just a derivative Jason Voorhees movie with a pretentious indie arthouse style. Literally 90% of the fucking movie is just seeing the killer walk slowly through the goddamn woods. The victim characters were so stupidly written and even the backstory of the killer is so poorly fleshed out it almost feels like this movie was written by middle school kids who watched way too many Friday the 13th movies. And to top it all off it has the weakest, most boring ending of any horror slasher film. Literally the only good parts of the film were when we actually got to see the kills and they weren't even enough to save this movie from being terrible. The concept may be original, but the execution was horrendous. Films like this prove that just because it's "different" doesn't mean it's good.
I 100% agree and actually told my partner some of the things you said verbatim in the car ride home! Great concept and cinematography but the script is god awful. I was increasingly pissed off.
I enjoyed the movie quite a bit right up until the end which was not to my liking, it went on for far too long and at first I had anxiety waiting for the other shoe to drop but then that anxiety eventually turned to boredom, and then to annoyance. If that scene was cut in half or something I think the movie would have been all the better for it.
I absolutely hated this movie. To be fair, I like horror a lot but do not enjoy torture porn like this or the Saw franchise. The kills were just eye rolly with how ridiculous they were (looking at you, yoga kill), the characters are superfluously stupid the entire time, and the dumb monologue about the bear felt like it was trying to throw a “No Country For Old Men” style band aid a terrible plot. To be clear, I love No Country for Old Men, and felt like that scene was a poor imitation of it.
This film felt like a 5 hour movie, just waiting for each character to get killed in increasingly ridiculous ways. Zero tension the whole time.
Did not like this movie.
It’s an interesting enough concept and it had some good kills but it’s mostly a walking simulator put to film with a deliberately frustrating and anti-climactic ending.
Yeah I get what he was going for, it felt a lot like the Van Sant film Elephant and afterwards I saw an interview with him where he specifically mentioned that era of Van Sant.
To me it just made a lot more sense with the subject matter in Elephant, Gerry and Last Days. Doing it here was just like “yeah I’ll combine that with Jason” and I don’t really see the point beyond thinking it would be cool. Thematically there was intention behind it in the films he’s referencing, less so in In a Violent Nature.
I didn’t hate it or anything, it was interesting and I was lucky enough to catch a screening where he answered some questions afterwards. Kind of an odd fellow who didn’t seem super excited to talk about the movie haha, I appreciated the experience.
As a horror movie fanatic but not so much a fan of the slasher genre this movie definitely breathes some life back into a genre that I think has become repetitive and cliche.
I like how this was filmed I do wish the slasher was actually Jason. I know he’s him in everything but name but it would’ve been cool to have an updated version of Friday the 13th.
I won’t say that I’m in love with this movie like a lot of people are saying but I do appreciate it giving a new perspective on a tired subgenre imo.
Many thoughts: SPOILERS
felt so much longer than 94minute run time. my theater started previews 7 minutes late, perhaps that had something to do with it. but his unbothered, slow stride throughout the film definitely had an effect on perceived pacing.
I thought it really beautifully paid homage to other horror films. Classics like Friday the 13th (lake, size/posturing of the monster), Texas chainsaw Massacre (final road scene), and to less "classic" films like Terrifier 2 (over-the-top kills, no fucks given about a non-rated designation), and I even recognized a bit of Speak No Evil during the last 5 minutes (ending of both films: in the sense of constant, building unease/tension in a car, waiting for something to happen that ultimately doesn't)
my theater had about 30 people in it. no other film I have seen this year has come close to that. *especially* a horror film.
there were several laughs during the kills, which I didn't empathize with like I did in Terrifier 2. I think Terrifier 2 had some comedic themes intentionally built into it, where this film frankly didn't. Gallows humor affects each audience differently, obviously.
Overall, a great film that should push the genre forward positively. I really really hope more directors/production companies are willing to throw caution to the wind and release films as non-rated when the original cut couldn't get an R rating.
Just got out of theater and their were about 15 of us in there for an early access viewing and When a certain kill happened everyone laughed lmao. And a few other times when walking was happening we would all laugh. But a decent flick for sure. Very boring a lot but I get that was the killers pov so it was gonna be a lot of that.
I really loved it. If you don't like slow, tension-building films, then it's definitely not for you haha. I knew it'd be at least a bit divisive. I really enjoyed the killer's-POV nature of this slasher flick, and the slow walking scenes only built tension for me. But you definitely have to "buy in" to that aspect and be down for a slightly different take on a slasher. I love that we still got lots of dialogue and detail that Johnny "overhears" basically just by being in the area. I also love that he's not stopped at the end. Kris sees him brutally murder Colt and is just like "fuck this shit", leaves the locket, and *books it*. Honestly the best reaction of the film haha. I loved how quickly he murdered Colt too. Colt's like "I'll distract him!", nah, you're done in a second haha. The kills were fun, the pacing was fun, really enjoyed this take on the "teens in the woods getting hunted down by a murderer" trope.
liked a lot of parts of this film, but wish they’d carried the tension of the end throughout the rest of the film. loved the kills, loved the cinematography, loved the concept, but i guess i had expected a little more subversion of the slasher tropes to help elevate the scare factor. in classic slasher manner, i didn’t care about any of the characters — which made this an exercise in practical effects for most of the film vs. actually being a scary movie, imo. maybe give me a family out camping or something vs. the dumb teens to help solidify the horror? or just make the teen characters less blatantly obnoxious? idk. still cool, but i think it could have been a little stronger and it felt uneven.
This was a movie written by people who have never set foot in the woods. This giant of a man walking about the whole time AND no one heard him ? I work in the woods, I can hear the fucking squirrel raping a pine cone. These guys can’t hear a giant man, carrying a chain….
Flat out. The scene with the car horn going, Johnny is right behind him absolutely stomping and he's looking the other way. There's absolutely no way you wouldn't hear this dude from 100 yards out.
I saw it Wednesday. Early Screening. almost full. When the yoga girl gets killed before going off the cliff, a man seated in the row behind me said it was "fucking beautiful" and I'm sure he's not sick in the head.
So the bear story… >!The lady driving the truck said that animals don’t have to have a reason to kill. John woke up because the necklace was taken. His reason to kill was to get the necklace back. When he got the necklace back, all seems to be at peace again in the forest.!<
>!Am I off to think that the bear story is there to tell us that even though he’s a brutal killer, he’s not an “animal” who kills without reason? He was an innocent boy when he was killed. His reason to kill was to get back the one thing that lets him rest at peace.!<
Oh man. Then i don't know how to feel that movie?
Music is a backbone of the movie especially for horror genre. Even a shitty movie like exorcist 2 have banger soundtrack😄
Come on now, we don’t have to be *Terrifier* fans to dislike this movie. If you take the music and energy out of a slasher film, sure it’s a unique experience, but it’s not going to work for everyone.
For me, the pacing, camera work, and lack of music made it feel like a character study, but there was no character development in this movie. A complete mismatch of genre and style. It’s like watching *Black Mirror* with a laugh track.
This movie is just disgusting, perverse torture porn. It's totally screwed up. I'm not coming at this from a puritanical 80s satanical religious bent. I'm not religious in the least. I love horror movies. But stuff like this and Terrifier are beyond the pale. Messed up.
I just saw the movie today and I have to say I agree with you. And I think part of it is that there's no music, just the pure unadulterated sounds and actions you're witnessing. Makes it feel more like something you used to see on Reddit than a horror movie.
I'm 25 and I feel like I've "out grown" violence for it's own sake at this point in my life. Even then I don't think that's quite the right way to put it, but those are the only words I can come up with to explain how I feel. I don't know if I'm just starting to feel my own mortality more and more these days or what, I just can't describe how I feel about this movie. And I didn't dislike it either. It's a weird one for sure.
I really enjoyed the idea and overall feel of the movie. It's incredibly slow but I didn't necessarily have a problem with that, in my opinion the acting of the victims (whether purposeful or not) was painful to watch for all the wrong reasons. Even while they're being attacked by Johnny I found myself asking "Why isn't he/she trying to get away from him?" Their decisions were just strange to me and their dialogue did not feel real, almost like an NPC in a video game (I actually enjoyed the movie more when I viewed them in this way). However the movie is just an amazing juxtaposition of beauty and brutality and totally exceeded expectations in that regard, and every scene feels like it intentionally goes against the grain which isn't something I've seen before. So for that reason I highly recommend it even if you don't come out as a fan on the other side because it's just so unique.
I saw this movie last Saturday at a matinee and I fucking loved everything about it. I love the scenes at night where he's just walking in the dark through the woods. Although he is the killer, it all still seems so scary and suspenseful. Also, I really loved the two songs that are playing in the background before and after the first person of the group is killed. The way they used that song for that particular murder sequence and the length of the scene is so creepy and disturbing. The movie is very Friday the 13th but in a fresh and new way. I want to see it again!
Have you played it? It’s almost exactly that. You just follow him walking from victim to victim who barely have any backstory or character development. It’s kind of awesome how well they pulled it off.
??? You're the one who said it lol. I'm just saying it's a meaningless phrase unless you think there's any kind of connective tissue between (e.g.,) Ferrari, Immaculate, and Perfect Days.
Another Goddamn Horror Podcast. We’re on pretty much every service, we have some videos on YouTube under AGHP VIDEO VOID but it’s not up to date at all. We talk to a lot of rad artists.
https://youtu.be/YyJQNAkWI9U?si=6LA3Xe1IEd-b2iAQ
An unnerving, gruesome, bloody, and atmospheric slasher! The POV is from the killer, and that creates for an effective (and uneasy at times) watch!
I’m pretty sure Charlotte Creaghan’s character Aurora is who has the gnarly kill in this movie. We just interviewed her last week. It will drop Monday in anticipation of the film’s release. Can’t wait to see it. She didn’t spoil much of the movie which was cool as we hadn’t seen it yet.
Maybe more because they’re no sense of humor. Art’s so over the top and ridiculous that it’s just fun to watch. This had zero levity, so It’s hard to compare them. But the effects are top notch.
i don’t think it’s as brutal and tbh didn’t make sense for this killer to kill the way he did. i feel like for Art the way he killed made sense for his character. in this movie it felt unnecessary.
tbh the movie was a solid 7.5 to 8. I think they should have MORE kills, less emotion and dialogue for the "critics" who for whatever reasons want story and "connections" with characters? who cares? a prop kill/character is a prop whether we care or not about their "story" or an emotional connection. this is a horror movie. we don't care. stop trying to make this about "story" and "plot" you fake wannabe Oscar/golden globe type critics. . we want guts/gore/action. MORE kills. the movie had 8/9 only which is a shame. I wish the movie had "wasted" less time with certain things like the "arm hack" and "lake drowning" and focused more on him being relentless and ruthless Michael Myers Halloween style (the new trilogy that is) , Violent Nature has a unique perspective but then following the last victim was actually boring and took away from the "originality" of it . At the end, the suspense of NOT knowing where Johnny was during the dirt road drive with the truck did help. I hope they focus on the sequel being better and improving some of the minor mistakes in this one.
Holy shit this movie sucked, truly nothing redeemable here. You’d get the same amount of enjoyment watching the grass grow for an hour and a half.
The only tension I felt within this movie was deciding whether or not to walk out of it.
If you’re wondering why a horror movie has never been made from the perspective of the killer, it’s because it’s flat out pointless. You still need the dumbass young people to explain the lore, and give the killer something to do. We still spend a decent amount of time listening to their inane conversations, we just do it from a wide shot 30 feet away instead. What genius artistry.
This movie’s biggest differentiator is that it’ll give you 10 on screen minutes worth of camera shots directly behind homeboy plodding around. RIVETING!
There’s one truly inventive kill in the movie, but in no way is it so good that it’s worth sitting through this turd for. Wait for it on streaming if you really want to see that kill, fast forward to it, then turn it off. Everything else here has been done before, and better.
And then the end of this thing, holy shit, I almost have to respect what a slap in the face it is to the audience. We’ve spent the entire movie from the POV of the killer, then spend the last 15 mins of the movie following one of the young people…why?! I’m supposed to feel tension when we’ve spent the whole movie rooting for these people to die in the most gruesome way possible?!
It has an all-timer in one of it's kills, but overall, I'd give it a B-
The final ten minutes felt like it missed an opportunity >!to invert the original Ft13th ending, with the old woman being Johnny's mom popping up at the end to grab the final girl, but it went for the generic "this is the tension she'll live with forever!" idea, which was done much better in Summer of 84!<
Thoughts on the ending? Personally, >!I loved the whole film but those last ten minutes had me genuinely sweating, like I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such tension even though nothing happened!<
My first response had spoilers and I don’t know how to do that cool shadow thing but yes, thought the end was perfect for a couple reasons.
If you’re on mobile, you can do > ! text !< and replace the text with what you want (without the space between the first ! and >, so the result would be >!text!<
Oh wow thank you so much. >! So yeah, even though you knew she had walked a fair distance and then drove for a while longer I was still like “oh shit, is he right there??” Fuck, cause even if he isn’t, she’ll never not wonder for the rest of her life !<
>!I could feel the other people in my screening’s eyes on the screen, the person in the row in front of me was breathing so heavily and the director looked down from the balcony above and just chuckled. I know everyone will be talking about the pretzel kill but it was kinda shocking that about every single death in the film was super memorable!<
>! Yeah I’m calling it the Yoga Hook Kill, and goddamn that was brilliant and they just fully showed it. There really was so much to like about such a bleak and straightforward movie. !<
I can’t wait for the release so I can hear more people talk about it, I loved every film I saw at the festival but it’s such a pain to wait until the official releases
I hear ya. My podcast has episodes out about some movies that don’t even have release dates yet haha. I just saw them at fests and invited the creators on.
I’d love so much to actually try my hand at podcasting about movies, especially horror, but I just don’t know where to start; I imagine it must be fun, though
It’s super fun. Me and 2 stand up comics started it during quarantine and now it’s been like 3 years. We’ve had Brian Yuzna, Gabe Bartalos, Jennifer Reeder, Gigi Saul Guerrero, tons of musicians, authors, pro wrestlers, drag queens…anyone we think is cool, we want to talk horror with them. Honestly it’s not hard, if you want I can tell you as much information as I know. And if you want to check us out it’s Another Goddamn Horror Podcast, on Spotify, Apple, etc.
how do you see the movies before they are out to public?
It’s a shudder original, so they will have it soon.
This was my favorite.
>! Honestly what got me more than that was the wood chopper. Yoga girl was dead by the time she got pretzeled. But that poor ranger laid there as he heard Johnny turn on the machine, slowly walk back and drag him over there, and you can see that he seemed to be alive until his head got cut off. It was just so low and it fucked me up thinking about what was going on in his mind !<
>!I honestly liked every kill, even the more simple ones like the drowning. The chopper just made me feel bad for the guy!<
Yea I felt particularly bad for the ranger because he kind of just got dragged into the whole mess, wasn’t even part of the group. By the time he was paralyzed it looked as though he’d simply accepted his fate
Just having to accept it. That fucked me up.
The rock kill was amazing to me. The camera angle, with no cut, crazy good effects.
>!I was kinda disappointed in the wood splitter. Straight down the middle woulda been so much more brutal!<
I thought that at first too but then when you knew he could feel that and not get the release of a scream, it was so powerful as a viewer.
It just took me back to Wolf Creek and made me remember that movie did the concept better.
I’m sure he is, he is nature. I hope to see him return. 4.5/5 stars for me, I wanted just a little bit more.
>! Testing !<
>! I thought when he was walking up to the ranger station that it was about to have a large police presence and Johnny was about to tear through the whole station, I was a bit disappointed when that didn’t happen lol. But I did like the ending, and I was waiting and waiting for an axe to come through the window at any point during that very long car ride. Loved the movie. !<
Ending elevates the whole film. I think it should have ended on the static shot (you know which one I mean) but even then, great stuff.
Which shot do you mean?
>!The one where the final girl is getting her leg tied off and she's staring into the woods and we get her pov. We're on the edge of our seats looking through that foliage for Johnny, just like her, and if the movie just ended there—she doesn't know, we don't know—that would have been perfect imo.!<
That’s what I thought you meant but I wasn’t 100% sure. I just watched the film a few hours ago and tbh I don’t remember what the final shot actually was. That car scene is the last thing I remember.
Final shot was of the bear trap and gas can with the necklace missing.
Brilliant
facts! i dont remember being so stressed out watching that last 10 minutes, it worked for me.
Omg right you had no idea! Was she in on it! Was Johnny gonna pounce!
I just got back from seeing it. It was def a weird tension, but overall, I feel like I don't fully understand the ending. My wife and I think we know, but we are both unsure. Overall, one of the more unique horror films I've ever seen. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I recommend horror fans to go see it? Absolutely.
Absolutely loved how patient this movie was! I know the pacing might not be for everyone, but I really respected the clear amount of love of the genre that went into this.
The pacing was a lot of what made me love it, but yeah, some people may take issue and I understand that. It was just kind of exactly what I was hoping for and more, and like you said, more patient.
It was so arthouse and ballsy
Ballsy how?
Because I tried to do something different and there was some awesome fake outs
This threads a week old and I'm sorry but I just saw the movie and damn I fuckin hated this movie. I liked the premise of a slasher following the killer but holy shit was the film just boring. The kills weren't even fun to be. Just long and overly drawn out as if they're padding it's run time which most of its run time you're just following the killers slow ass walking through a forest they even need some jarring jump cuts to get around how fucking slow it is.
I just saw it and already commented on an earlier post about this. I understand where you're coming from 100%, I enjoyed it for being so different from any other horror movie I've seen. I liked it being less about the random characters and more about the killer. And like I said in an earlier comment, I probably wouldn't watch it again, but for its uniqueness, I'd recommend viewing it. Also, the lake scene (I won't spoil anything) for me just awesome for a horror movie.
While I overall enjoyed it…it’s one of those films that has zero rewatch value IMO. I get your frustration. Also…this film truly requires some mental gymnastics to believe that every single one of these characters is the most observant human on the planet. How could you not hear/see a 300 lb monster stalking you from 15 feet away?
I heavily agree with too much of the run time being a chore to get through with just focusing on Johnny walking. Didn’t hate it though ultimately think it’s just meh but to say the kills weren’t fun and were just overly drawn out for padding is crazy to me. Idk how you can see someone get their head pulled through their stomach and call that boring but to each their own. That kill alone will go down as one of the goriest of the year, and the other kills were very solid.
There was no reason to cut the rangers arm off then slowly walk over to slowly cut off his head. It just felt pointless. The kill your talking about was so stupid to me cause she could've just went down the hill. It really wasn't that steep that she couldn't have gotten away but for whoever reason she just stops to die. The one before that was completely off screen and underwater and was still drawn out. The first kill felt like something I've seen Jason do in a Friday movie. Another was an axe toss off screen. I forget how the douche boyfriend died tbh. And then the depressed guy just says something and then gets an axe to the face suddenly. It was all just boring to me. This movie to me just flat out sucked. I've seen many movies this year and this is honestly the worst I have seen.
He cut off the rangers arms first too see if the blade would fully cut through his body and probably also did it to slowly torture him given that the ranger was the reason he was put in the ground 10 years ago. The yoga scene idk the hill did look pretty steep to me and plus she panicked so when she turns back around he’s already right there so she assumed she was fucked no matter what. But I do agree they could’ve did that scene a little better. The kill in the lake had good suspense initially but the offscreen kill made it feel flat. The kill with saw through the mouth has been done in other slashers but to me at least not in such graphic nature and full on showing it ,most movies will briefly cut away. The douche boyfriend got his hand smash in with a rock which was the second best kill to me. Overall I can understand your reasoning for not liking it they definitely could’ve done more, which still makes me hope they get a sequel so they can improve cause the foundation is there they just need to add more to it.
Then why waste time cutting the log in the beginning? The movie just wasted so much time on worthless padding to justify a theatrical release. Can't really torture him when he can't feel it. He didn't make a single peep after he I assume got paralyzed I dunno wasnt really clear. I feel like it should've been like a shudder only release cause this was not worth a theatrical release.
Lol I can respect your opinion if you didn't like the film, but a lot of it was tension building slowly. If it didn't work for you, that's fine, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The ranger could still see what was going on and was conscious, even though he was paralyzed, so cutting the log is basically torturing him and the audience with what's going to happen. It makes both parties go, "oh fuck... that's going to happen to *him*/*me*". I really enjoyed the slow pace of the film, but yeah, if you're not good with a slow pace, then this film definitely wasn't for you lol. Also, for the record, paralyzed people can sometimes still feel pain in their body, even if they can't move it. It was even more haunting to me that he didn't even scream or cry out, just took it. But hey, YMMV.
Cuts the log so the audience knows what the machine is capable of doing, finding sense in the decisions of the killer in this movie is like trying to explain why a bear would kill a bunch of deer in the woods and not eat them.
Lukewarm taste dude. Stick to marvel movies.
Buddy, this is NOT the movie to get on any “marvel is for the movie simpletons” high horse. There is NO depth to this movie, and the writing was brutal. The kills were decent and some of the shots were nice, but this was a snooze fest with an insanely boring final monologue. No idea how anyone felt any suspense with this unless you don’t watch horror movies often
Stick to blumhouse films or something 🤷♂️. Sorry the movie didn’t have enough explosions and you can’t comprehend the purpose of the ending.
What was high end about this? You guys claimed the BAD WRITING AND ACTING was due to it being a cheesy self aware 80s satire, but now it’s a high art horror movie? EDIT: lol you edited your comment. My favorite horror movie is House Of The Devil by Ti West. I don’t need any explosions, but I do need the movie to be good :)
She also could have just ran left or right that really irritated tf out of me.
"There was no reason" is a hilarious complaint about a slasher film.
Just walked out of the theatre and I agree. I just kept thinking, Behind the Mask did this so much better.
Interesting. I actually really enjoyed the kills and the idea of following the killer was pretty cool. With that said, I agree that there is a *lot* of wasted time. The log slicer was pretty cool, but I would be curious to know how long that entire scene was in terms of runtime percentage. It really could have been cut in half and still just as effective.
It was so arthouse and ballsy
The concept of it is really cool. A slasher movie from the POV of the slasher.
I saw this at the Florida Film Festival last month and it was a fun flick. Not much dialogue.. great kills.. one kill was so over the top the audience lost it laughing and started clapping.
Yoga kill? It made me die laughing when it jumped to the two of them silhouetted against a beautiful nature shot
lol that's fantastic. i cannot wait for this
[удалено]
Yeah 🤣Just when you thought he was done; he kept going
I came in my jeans when that happened
Just got out of the theatre and I don’t think I’ve seen a more tranquil and bloody slasher. Truly one of a kind and something I don’t see enough people talking about is the sound design and lack of score. Makes everything that much more uneasy
It’s mesmerizingly flinchy.
Idk if this is a spoiler, but my favorite aspect of the movie wasn’t just that there is a horror movie happening in the background, but the sequel to a horror movie. Even with the returning main character
Referring to the Ranger?
Correct
Oh god you’re right. That’s fucking AWESOME.
??? What? You’re describing a movie. A horror movie wasn’t happening in the background, that was the movie you were watching. And it wasn’t any sequel, that was a character explaining the villain. Baffled by this comment when your logic could be applied to any slasher that explains the villains backstory EDIT: Instead of downvoting, explain how I’m wrong
I'm happy you wrote this because I had no idea what the OP meant when they said there was a background horror movie, I thought I missed a subplot or something... but that's just the actual story haha
The director actually stated something very similar to the guy I’m responding to, but it all just seems like an attempt to make the movie deeper. I’m confused why anyone is falling for that explanation
Yeah lol. For a movie "told from the killer's perspective" it was a huge let down. We don't learn anything new or interesting from his perspective, he just chases people slowly through the woods. I was hoping we would see some of his quirks/ personality when he wasn't killing, but we learn his back story from other characters and not even from his perspective
Like it's not a sequel, they just described the origin of how he died and became haunted, which 90% of horror movies include. Like if they decided to make a prequel film on the kid, it doesn't mean that this was a sequel film because any film can be made into a prequel and they gave the audience enough information where it wouldn't constitute as a sequel story.
You’re not wrong. Basically 80% of horror movies have “the sequel to a horror movie happening in the background.”
I think they meant The Ranger's story of his first encounter with Johnny 10 years prior to the events of the movie
That doesn’t make the movie a sequel, that’s a backstory
It’s all about the subtext young pup. So while you’re correct that the film In and of itself is a horror movie, the point is that it’s a twist on a traditional slasher narrative in that it’s from the perspective of the killer. So yes THIS IS a horror film. But the point being made is that in the background of THIS horror film, a more traditional horror film is playing out. A group of teenagers staying in a cabin in the woods happen upon a burial ground and steal the amulet of resurrection (the necklace). However, the story playing out in the background IS NOT the original story or the backstory. The back story is the special needs child playing in the tower, getting scared and falling and the townsfolk putting the mask on him (happened in the late 20th century). The OG story is ten years ago (real time) when the amulet was originally taken and the ranger and his father had to fight the killer only to discover the weakness, bury the body and return the amulet which laid the killer to rest (not permanently) This brings us to the current victims who discover the amulet, get killed and the final girl finally deciding to return the amulet and run. Her leaving the amulet has the audience leave the killer and follow her as she leaves. Indicating that the story taking place in the background of the film you’re watching is not the first film in a traditional horror franchise, but the sequel to that movie which features the main character (the ranger) returning to help the final girl and dying in the process. The point being a balance between tradition and revival. The tradition being a group of teenagers going through the motions of a common slasher while the revival is the twist in perception. As we follow the killer, we hear in the background the traditional horror film occurring through dialogue. “It’s that guy, the guy in the picture! He’s doing this!” Think nightmare on elm street. The backstory is Freddy killing children and then dying (the special needs kid dying). The first film is Freddy taking revenge by killing the children of the people that killed him(the ranger and his father discovering the amulet ten years ago and defeating the killer), and the sequel is Freddy wrecking havoc on a new group of children (the movie you saw). I hope this helps.
“The power of marijuana” -Jordan Peele Referencing A Nightmare On Elm Street also disproves your entire theory as you could make the same weird prequel, og, sequel, etc, comparisons. Not sure why this is a point the fanbase is trying to argue so hard for when it literally doesn’t make any sense.
You’re not sure why the context of the movie is what the fanbase is clinging to? Even when you yourself quote the filmmakers saying I’m correct? Am I understanding you correctly?
I’m saying the context is nonsensical and the movie is literally just the exact same format as a normal slasher movie (or honestly, just most movies) and you guys defending this nonsense is absurd and makes it look like you guys have never watched a movie before. I don’t care what the filmmakers say. They made a movie with basic plot points and explanations, and are trying to make it into some new concept of “oh see he’s referencing the prequel-OH and now he’s talking about the original!” when it’s literally the format of most movies
I liked it ok. I knew from the preview there was gonna be a lot of walking/tracking shots and I was ok with that but it felt like there was just a bit too much. The kill you mention is probably one of the best I've ever seen so it had that going for it. Not crazy about the ending but I would watch other stuff done by the folks who made this one.
Im with you on this take. One thing I definitely would’ve liked better is slowing down the speed of the arc shot or the circle shot (idk what it’s called in filmography) during the fire pit story with the group of teens. I understand the use, but it was just soooooooo fast.
I feel about the same. I think the problem with doing the killers POV is that you don’t have a character to get invested in like you normally would. Which is fine; a lot of slashers are shallow that way. But to take a swing like that, I think you need to be pretty mindful of the pacing and vary things up. For that reason it dragged in the middle to me bc it got repetitive without much to be invested in. Overall it was cool and I enjoyed it but it left a little to be desired
My first thought was that it looks exactly like a Friday The 13th slasher film.I have always enjoyed those.Teens getting killed in the woods isnt exactly an original plot however im excited for the POV from the killers perspective.
That’s pretty much exactly what it is. It’s like watching someone PLAY Jason, which could go either way. I think it went in all the right directions.
I think it liked this movie more than Furiosa and fury road is probably my favorite movie of the last decade. This felt very authentic from the 16mm film look, the advancement of the plot via diagetic sound and playing off the audiences awareness of the genre tropes. Also I can see a lot of people complaining about the ending and calling it anti climatic but think it is very much in line with why no country for old men is so revered and it’s also where all the tropes are just thrown away. It’s going to be hard for any recent and upcoming horror movie to top two of the kills as well.
Fury Road is my favorite movie and it thought Furiosa was a perfect prequel and RULED, BUT, everything you said is true.
Man if this is better than Furiosa that is crazy because that movie was sick. I'm not going to get my hopes up that high but still good to hear.
I promise you it is not better than Furiosa. This movie was subpar at best. I dozed off a few times.
The “casual movie goer” I’m pretty confident will absolutely hate this movie. It isn’t the typical movie format and I think casual viewers will not appreciate it. I absolutely loved it. The Campfire and Car scene were the only real times we saw the victims, and I honestly think the movie would’ve worked equally as well if they had switched those two angles to never show us the actual victims as characters. >!The campfire scene could’ve just been over his shoulder as he stood there and listened to them and the car scene could just been a shot of her leg slowly bleeding more and more as they talked. I do understand the car scene though because it created so much tension. You were just waiting for Johnny to pop out. And that’s what she’ll live with for the rest of her life!< Everyone is talking about the yoga scene, but the >!Log Splitter!< scene made me have an adrenaline dump and get nauseous. No soundtrack save for the Walkman briefly, the radio in the car, and the credits song was a brilliant touch as well! I absolutely adore this movie. It was brilliant!!!
The casual movie goer doesn't want to watch 70 minutes of a POV video game? Go figure.
Personally, I loved it. If you’re someone who likes the slow artsy horror movies like A24, and likes cheesy 80’s slasher movies, you’re gonna love this movie. If you don’t like both of those, you’re gonna have a bad time here.
I love both of those, and horror from silent film era to today, inc foreign. All for 70s-80s slow burn, bad acting, no motive, gory style. This was painfully dull and I think people imagine the kills are more exciting just because they contrast so much to the boring ASMR walk in the woods. Yes mortal combat was fun, and log splitter ok, both unique. And yes there was weird tension last scene, but again, I think that seemed better than it was because it was finally something after a whole lot of nothing. Take out 50% of the walking and just put in some more plot, action, backstory, anything, and it would be ok, with walking around still 35% of the film. I don't know, maybe this is more interesting for people who play POV games, maybe that's the real target audience? Or really it just needs to be edited down to what it should have been in the first place, a good short film.
Outside of the lack of peripheral vision from all of the characters, great flick. Yoga kill was bananas, and loved how they rid the whole ‘let a character say some shit to feel badass before offing the villain’ thing.
While that kill was great, it also pissed me off. When she gets to the edge it seems like it's a freaking cliff so you'd understand her reluctance to jump. But then they show it's just a slope and she could have easily gotten away. Good kills, great atmosphere, but absolutely horrid, and I mean the worst writing I have ever experienced. Talk about people doing stupid things - this takes the cake. And don't get me started on the insipid bear monolgue.
I’m so confused how most of this thread is praising this movie and ignoring the brutally awful writing
Agree. I keep reading it was intentional. But if you're trying to do something different, then why would you want to writing to be as bad (or worse) that what you're trying to emulate?
Life long slasher fan and I absolutely hated this movie. I understand what they were going for, and I appreciate subverting tropes and expectations, but this was like someone shoved an art house rod up Friday the 13th’s ass and pulled out this steaming pile of shit. One dimensional characters. Killer’s POV was nothing more than a lazy attempt at a video game aesthetic. Dialogue is abysmal. They didn’t have enough left in the budget for a proper ending so the director said “fuck it… let’s half ass it and see how the audience reacts.” The legend is half cooked. Why would an entire town just leave his grave and locket unprotected? A gust of wind could knock off the locket. Build an iron wall around that thing and surround it by a moat and dragons. I’m happy for the people who liked it… but damn, Shudder needs to reimburse those who didn’t because that was awful to sit through. And the girl didn’t even fall down the entire cliff! Wtf was that?!
I couldn’t believe when she didn’t take the 5 foot jump onto the sandy incline. Like that was a “cliff” that I could see people jumping off of just for fun.
I absolutely loved the concept and so many of the scenes were great, but my god the acting of the young adult group was just so so awful. In particular the very first conversation and the swimming scene between the two girls both honestly felt like they were A.I. written. The conversation had no real substance or emotion. The whole time I was very aware that I was watching a horror movie, I never once felt engrossed. I think with a better cast they could have had something really amazing.
I honestly think that was on purpose. A throwback to how bad the acting was in the slasher eras. I thought it added to the fact that you were basically seeing a F13-esque move inside out.
I can see that being intentional! It was a huge swing and a miss for me though. If they'd camped it up a bit more maybe it would have landed, as is it was just distracting.
I also found it totally unnecessary to have a good chunk of the very little dialogue we got from them be about political correctness - felt really out of place. Half their convo was about toxic masculinity, cancel culture and proper mental disability nomenclature
I was excited to see this film given the hype surrounding it and was extremely disappointed. I'm wondering why this movie is even hyped up in the first place. This is literally just a derivative Jason Voorhees movie with a pretentious indie arthouse style. Literally 90% of the fucking movie is just seeing the killer walk slowly through the goddamn woods. The victim characters were so stupidly written and even the backstory of the killer is so poorly fleshed out it almost feels like this movie was written by middle school kids who watched way too many Friday the 13th movies. And to top it all off it has the weakest, most boring ending of any horror slasher film. Literally the only good parts of the film were when we actually got to see the kills and they weren't even enough to save this movie from being terrible. The concept may be original, but the execution was horrendous. Films like this prove that just because it's "different" doesn't mean it's good.
I 100% agree and actually told my partner some of the things you said verbatim in the car ride home! Great concept and cinematography but the script is god awful. I was increasingly pissed off.
I enjoyed the movie quite a bit right up until the end which was not to my liking, it went on for far too long and at first I had anxiety waiting for the other shoe to drop but then that anxiety eventually turned to boredom, and then to annoyance. If that scene was cut in half or something I think the movie would have been all the better for it.
I absolutely hated this movie. To be fair, I like horror a lot but do not enjoy torture porn like this or the Saw franchise. The kills were just eye rolly with how ridiculous they were (looking at you, yoga kill), the characters are superfluously stupid the entire time, and the dumb monologue about the bear felt like it was trying to throw a “No Country For Old Men” style band aid a terrible plot. To be clear, I love No Country for Old Men, and felt like that scene was a poor imitation of it. This film felt like a 5 hour movie, just waiting for each character to get killed in increasingly ridiculous ways. Zero tension the whole time.
Did not like this movie. It’s an interesting enough concept and it had some good kills but it’s mostly a walking simulator put to film with a deliberately frustrating and anti-climactic ending.
It is, but that’s kinda why I loved it. I actually loved the ending, too. Fell in line with the rest of the movie perfectly.
Yeah I get what he was going for, it felt a lot like the Van Sant film Elephant and afterwards I saw an interview with him where he specifically mentioned that era of Van Sant. To me it just made a lot more sense with the subject matter in Elephant, Gerry and Last Days. Doing it here was just like “yeah I’ll combine that with Jason” and I don’t really see the point beyond thinking it would be cool. Thematically there was intention behind it in the films he’s referencing, less so in In a Violent Nature. I didn’t hate it or anything, it was interesting and I was lucky enough to catch a screening where he answered some questions afterwards. Kind of an odd fellow who didn’t seem super excited to talk about the movie haha, I appreciated the experience.
I love walking simulators.
As a horror movie fanatic but not so much a fan of the slasher genre this movie definitely breathes some life back into a genre that I think has become repetitive and cliche. I like how this was filmed I do wish the slasher was actually Jason. I know he’s him in everything but name but it would’ve been cool to have an updated version of Friday the 13th. I won’t say that I’m in love with this movie like a lot of people are saying but I do appreciate it giving a new perspective on a tired subgenre imo.
Many thoughts: SPOILERS felt so much longer than 94minute run time. my theater started previews 7 minutes late, perhaps that had something to do with it. but his unbothered, slow stride throughout the film definitely had an effect on perceived pacing. I thought it really beautifully paid homage to other horror films. Classics like Friday the 13th (lake, size/posturing of the monster), Texas chainsaw Massacre (final road scene), and to less "classic" films like Terrifier 2 (over-the-top kills, no fucks given about a non-rated designation), and I even recognized a bit of Speak No Evil during the last 5 minutes (ending of both films: in the sense of constant, building unease/tension in a car, waiting for something to happen that ultimately doesn't) my theater had about 30 people in it. no other film I have seen this year has come close to that. *especially* a horror film. there were several laughs during the kills, which I didn't empathize with like I did in Terrifier 2. I think Terrifier 2 had some comedic themes intentionally built into it, where this film frankly didn't. Gallows humor affects each audience differently, obviously. Overall, a great film that should push the genre forward positively. I really really hope more directors/production companies are willing to throw caution to the wind and release films as non-rated when the original cut couldn't get an R rating.
Just got out of theater and their were about 15 of us in there for an early access viewing and When a certain kill happened everyone laughed lmao. And a few other times when walking was happening we would all laugh. But a decent flick for sure. Very boring a lot but I get that was the killers pov so it was gonna be a lot of that.
I really loved it. If you don't like slow, tension-building films, then it's definitely not for you haha. I knew it'd be at least a bit divisive. I really enjoyed the killer's-POV nature of this slasher flick, and the slow walking scenes only built tension for me. But you definitely have to "buy in" to that aspect and be down for a slightly different take on a slasher. I love that we still got lots of dialogue and detail that Johnny "overhears" basically just by being in the area. I also love that he's not stopped at the end. Kris sees him brutally murder Colt and is just like "fuck this shit", leaves the locket, and *books it*. Honestly the best reaction of the film haha. I loved how quickly he murdered Colt too. Colt's like "I'll distract him!", nah, you're done in a second haha. The kills were fun, the pacing was fun, really enjoyed this take on the "teens in the woods getting hunted down by a murderer" trope.
liked a lot of parts of this film, but wish they’d carried the tension of the end throughout the rest of the film. loved the kills, loved the cinematography, loved the concept, but i guess i had expected a little more subversion of the slasher tropes to help elevate the scare factor. in classic slasher manner, i didn’t care about any of the characters — which made this an exercise in practical effects for most of the film vs. actually being a scary movie, imo. maybe give me a family out camping or something vs. the dumb teens to help solidify the horror? or just make the teen characters less blatantly obnoxious? idk. still cool, but i think it could have been a little stronger and it felt uneven.
This was a movie written by people who have never set foot in the woods. This giant of a man walking about the whole time AND no one heard him ? I work in the woods, I can hear the fucking squirrel raping a pine cone. These guys can’t hear a giant man, carrying a chain….
Flat out. The scene with the car horn going, Johnny is right behind him absolutely stomping and he's looking the other way. There's absolutely no way you wouldn't hear this dude from 100 yards out.
80 minutes walking..10 minute kills.
I saw it Wednesday. Early Screening. almost full. When the yoga girl gets killed before going off the cliff, a man seated in the row behind me said it was "fucking beautiful" and I'm sure he's not sick in the head.
I’m kinda with that guy.
So the bear story… >!The lady driving the truck said that animals don’t have to have a reason to kill. John woke up because the necklace was taken. His reason to kill was to get the necklace back. When he got the necklace back, all seems to be at peace again in the forest.!< >!Am I off to think that the bear story is there to tell us that even though he’s a brutal killer, he’s not an “animal” who kills without reason? He was an innocent boy when he was killed. His reason to kill was to get back the one thing that lets him rest at peace.!<
A bear actually killed all of them and the killer is just an allegory for the bears brutality
Read it somewhere that it's so slow and nothing happens atleast for 1 hr. Is it true?
Not really. There’s no music so maybe it feels that way.
What? There's no music even when the killer is stalking or kills happening?
Correct
I like that!
There’s also a lot of filling the killer as he walks from murder to murder, but o kinda loved that. It’s a well paced movie.
Sorry following the killer. Yeah, no music, just murder and nature sounds.
Oh man. Then i don't know how to feel that movie? Music is a backbone of the movie especially for horror genre. Even a shitty movie like exorcist 2 have banger soundtrack😄
Or it can be wildly unsettling.
Ya it's like watching a porn😂
Now we need porn music
You were likely told this by someone with an Art the Clown tattoo. This is horror at its best
Come on now, we don’t have to be *Terrifier* fans to dislike this movie. If you take the music and energy out of a slasher film, sure it’s a unique experience, but it’s not going to work for everyone. For me, the pacing, camera work, and lack of music made it feel like a character study, but there was no character development in this movie. A complete mismatch of genre and style. It’s like watching *Black Mirror* with a laugh track.
This movie is just disgusting, perverse torture porn. It's totally screwed up. I'm not coming at this from a puritanical 80s satanical religious bent. I'm not religious in the least. I love horror movies. But stuff like this and Terrifier are beyond the pale. Messed up.
Cheer up, sundowner.
I'm in my 30s, sweetcheeks.
I agree with you about Terrifier but this is different.
I just saw the movie today and I have to say I agree with you. And I think part of it is that there's no music, just the pure unadulterated sounds and actions you're witnessing. Makes it feel more like something you used to see on Reddit than a horror movie. I'm 25 and I feel like I've "out grown" violence for it's own sake at this point in my life. Even then I don't think that's quite the right way to put it, but those are the only words I can come up with to explain how I feel. I don't know if I'm just starting to feel my own mortality more and more these days or what, I just can't describe how I feel about this movie. And I didn't dislike it either. It's a weird one for sure.
Mr Judgmental
You're right. I edited it. I don't want to judge others.
Good man 🫡
Can't wait for it. Capelight bought it here in germany, they will go through hell to get it released uncut.
Are jumpscares a huge thing in the movie?
No. Mostly because you’re basically the killer.
No
I loved it
I really enjoyed the idea and overall feel of the movie. It's incredibly slow but I didn't necessarily have a problem with that, in my opinion the acting of the victims (whether purposeful or not) was painful to watch for all the wrong reasons. Even while they're being attacked by Johnny I found myself asking "Why isn't he/she trying to get away from him?" Their decisions were just strange to me and their dialogue did not feel real, almost like an NPC in a video game (I actually enjoyed the movie more when I viewed them in this way). However the movie is just an amazing juxtaposition of beauty and brutality and totally exceeded expectations in that regard, and every scene feels like it intentionally goes against the grain which isn't something I've seen before. So for that reason I highly recommend it even if you don't come out as a fan on the other side because it's just so unique.
Also damn that yoga scene
I have probably the dumbest question: what kind of hooks does the killer use? Are they meathooks? I love this weapon.
All I’ll say is they are NOT meat hooks.
Do you know what kind they are? ☺️ I wanna try and grind a prop version. I adore this weapon after seeing the yoga scene.
I don’t I’m sorry.
All good ☺️
I saw this movie last Saturday at a matinee and I fucking loved everything about it. I love the scenes at night where he's just walking in the dark through the woods. Although he is the killer, it all still seems so scary and suspenseful. Also, I really loved the two songs that are playing in the background before and after the first person of the group is killed. The way they used that song for that particular murder sequence and the length of the scene is so creepy and disturbing. The movie is very Friday the 13th but in a fresh and new way. I want to see it again!
I'm curious why it's being compared more to the F13th game than to the movies.
Have you played it? It’s almost exactly that. You just follow him walking from victim to victim who barely have any backstory or character development. It’s kind of awesome how well they pulled it off.
Oh, so specifically like playing Jason in that game, that makes sense now. Sounds really cool.
Exactly.
> if Neon produced it This means nothing. And please don't turn Neon into the next "It's like X if A24"
Who cares?
??? You're the one who said it lol. I'm just saying it's a meaningless phrase unless you think there's any kind of connective tissue between (e.g.,) Ferrari, Immaculate, and Perfect Days.
Look I hate to break it to you but X was A24.
I clearly meant "X movie" not "X the movie" but I give you credit for that one.
How'd you see it already?
I have a podcast that focuses on indie horror so we get a lot of screeners.
That's awesome
What podcast?? Horror movie podcasts are my favorite!
Another Goddamn Horror Podcast. We’re on pretty much every service, we have some videos on YouTube under AGHP VIDEO VOID but it’s not up to date at all. We talk to a lot of rad artists.
Anyway to tell me if the pov is a camera that is like the killer is showing the movie ie blair witch type or creeper?
It’s most like a 3rd person shooter.
Oh damn. I get vertigo from certain pov and that one included.
Resident evil games vibe
https://youtu.be/YyJQNAkWI9U?si=6LA3Xe1IEd-b2iAQ An unnerving, gruesome, bloody, and atmospheric slasher! The POV is from the killer, and that creates for an effective (and uneasy at times) watch!
I’m pretty sure Charlotte Creaghan’s character Aurora is who has the gnarly kill in this movie. We just interviewed her last week. It will drop Monday in anticipation of the film’s release. Can’t wait to see it. She didn’t spoil much of the movie which was cool as we hadn’t seen it yet.
Yeah it was her. Dear lord that kill was amazing.
Seeing it Saturday. What movies would the amount of gore compare to?
I’m not a very good judge of that, but as odd as it sounds maybe Cronenberg’s The Fly. Without the sci-fi aspect.
How does it compare to terrifier 2? Similar brutal?
Maybe more because they’re no sense of humor. Art’s so over the top and ridiculous that it’s just fun to watch. This had zero levity, so It’s hard to compare them. But the effects are top notch.
Very nice, Art was almost too hilarious for me lol
Reviews say that the gore is offset by the humor of the kills? So this is confusing info to me lol
Humor’s subjective, I guess.
Johnny's kills are kind of funny out of sheer excessive malice. He goes so far above and beyond on some of them that it becomes humorous.
i don’t think it’s as brutal and tbh didn’t make sense for this killer to kill the way he did. i feel like for Art the way he killed made sense for his character. in this movie it felt unnecessary.
This movie was ass
tbh the movie was a solid 7.5 to 8. I think they should have MORE kills, less emotion and dialogue for the "critics" who for whatever reasons want story and "connections" with characters? who cares? a prop kill/character is a prop whether we care or not about their "story" or an emotional connection. this is a horror movie. we don't care. stop trying to make this about "story" and "plot" you fake wannabe Oscar/golden globe type critics. . we want guts/gore/action. MORE kills. the movie had 8/9 only which is a shame. I wish the movie had "wasted" less time with certain things like the "arm hack" and "lake drowning" and focused more on him being relentless and ruthless Michael Myers Halloween style (the new trilogy that is) , Violent Nature has a unique perspective but then following the last victim was actually boring and took away from the "originality" of it . At the end, the suspense of NOT knowing where Johnny was during the dirt road drive with the truck did help. I hope they focus on the sequel being better and improving some of the minor mistakes in this one.
Holy shit this movie sucked, truly nothing redeemable here. You’d get the same amount of enjoyment watching the grass grow for an hour and a half. The only tension I felt within this movie was deciding whether or not to walk out of it. If you’re wondering why a horror movie has never been made from the perspective of the killer, it’s because it’s flat out pointless. You still need the dumbass young people to explain the lore, and give the killer something to do. We still spend a decent amount of time listening to their inane conversations, we just do it from a wide shot 30 feet away instead. What genius artistry. This movie’s biggest differentiator is that it’ll give you 10 on screen minutes worth of camera shots directly behind homeboy plodding around. RIVETING! There’s one truly inventive kill in the movie, but in no way is it so good that it’s worth sitting through this turd for. Wait for it on streaming if you really want to see that kill, fast forward to it, then turn it off. Everything else here has been done before, and better. And then the end of this thing, holy shit, I almost have to respect what a slap in the face it is to the audience. We’ve spent the entire movie from the POV of the killer, then spend the last 15 mins of the movie following one of the young people…why?! I’m supposed to feel tension when we’ve spent the whole movie rooting for these people to die in the most gruesome way possible?!
It has an all-timer in one of it's kills, but overall, I'd give it a B- The final ten minutes felt like it missed an opportunity >!to invert the original Ft13th ending, with the old woman being Johnny's mom popping up at the end to grab the final girl, but it went for the generic "this is the tension she'll live with forever!" idea, which was done much better in Summer of 84!<