Chris Nash's In a Violent Nature is an extremely gory horror film that, while it falls short of being a satisfying picture, displays promise. A group of youngsters partying in the woods find a gold locket in a disused shed and pocket it. This resurrects a long dead perp who arises from his grave to stalk and kill those he believes have stolen his beloved memento. That's about it plot wise and the film's longueurs are sure to alienate a lot of viewers. Long stretches of the flick are dolly shots with the camera positioned behind the vengeful fiend as he slowly comes upon his victims. This maximizes the film's mood of dread, we usually see the victims before they realize what calumny is about to befall them, but it also gives the film an uncannily meditative feel. The viewer is forced to follow the protagonist in his relentless quest, passing by and ignoring the gorgeous scenery of Ontario.
The victims are barely sketched as characters. There is a long circle dolly sequence around a campfire that gives us a glimpse of them and the back story of the legendary killer. The sequence may seem unnecessarily showy, but it serves a few purposes. It serves to camouflage the dramatic inadequacies of the cast of this B movie. More importantly, it serves as a contrast to the vertical tracks of the killer. The vertical movement of the camera behind the camera emphasizes his solitary single mindedness. The circular track of the young people around the campfire emphasizes their sense of community. It is Nash's attention to visual detail that intrigues me, though I will admit that Nash's direction of dialogue is mostly woeful. A long monologue that functions as the film's coda pretty much stops the picture in its tracks. Still, there is enough intriguing footage in In a Violent Nature to make me look forward to another feature from Mr. Nash.
No comments:
Post a Comment