In a Violent Nature (2024)

Most of In a Violent Nature is spent following a silent killer on a very long walk through the woods, and whether that sounds hypnotic or unbearable is your whole review. A group of friends at an old fire tower in the Ontario wilderness takes a locket they should have left alone, and Johnny, the subject of an old campfire tale, rises from his grave to get it back. Then the camera sticks with him, not them. There’s no music, only the forest, and long, patient shots that make the woods feel enormous. It’s a genuinely fresh angle, and critics loved the dreamlike mood, landing at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. But once the novelty wears off, the slow pace feels less like tension and more like waiting, and you may start wishing for an old-fashioned slasher. The quiet ending will split every room. A 5.8 because the idea is bold and the walk is long. $424.81 says you spend the first twenty minutes waiting for the music to start.

What works: Telling the story from the killer’s side, with no score and long unbroken shots, gives it a hypnotic, one-of-a-kind feel.

What doesn’t: The slow pace turns from eerie to tedious, and once the novelty fades there isn’t much else holding it up.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans who want an experiment, not a crowd-pleaser. Definitely not for kids.