The buzzy slasher In a Violent Nature carved up critical acclaim and an impressive run at the box office. Thanks to a surprise exclusive Letterboxd announcement and the “The Bold Voice of Contemporary Horror” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, sequel In a Violent Nature 2 is officially confirmed to be on the way courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder.
In a Violent Nature is now available on Digital/VOD outlets, including Amazon and Fandango at Home, if you need to catch up.
While no plot details have been revealed just yet, the very nature of the slasher’s killer means that he can be revived to slaughter again. Maybe even in outer space?
In the first film, “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back – along with anyone in his way.”
Chris Nash wrote and directed In a Violent Nature. Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor star in the slasher film.
Currently, Nash is listed as the writer on the sequel, though it’s assumed that he’ll return to direct as well.
Sequel producers include Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer, and the first film’s writer and director, Chris Nash, will return as screenwriter. Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo and Samuel Zimmerman are overseeing development for Shudder.
“‘In a Violent Nature’ was originally conceived as a meta-sequel within a fictional slasher series, so we were always imagining mayhem beyond the scope of the original film,” Kuplowsky also said in a statement. “That we now have the opportunity to continue following Johnny on his restless walk has us feeling incredibly grateful to our incredible partners at IFC Films / Shudder who believed in Chris’ vision from day one. We are thrilled to return for a new chapter and are excited to deploy Johnny as a conduit to further experiments in the genre.”
I wrote in my review for Bloody Disgusting, “In a Violent Nature may offer slasher thrills and a delightfully gory rampage across the wilderness, but Nash’s approach captures the carnage through ambient realism. It results in a fascinating arthouse horror experiment that plays more like a minimalist slice-of-life feature with a grim twist.”
While we wait for news on casting and plot, one thing is clear: Nash and prosthetic effects lead Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void) will have the tough task of finding new ways to top that epic centerpiece kill.
