It’s quite the accomplishment whenever someone is able to bring something new to slasher movies. I mean we’re talking about a horror sub-genre than has been around for 50-plus years and has spawned hundreds of feature films. It has fueled lucrative decades-long franchises and lined the shelves of video stores with cheap B-movies of every kind and quality. So when a slasher flick pops up with something new to bring, I admit to being impressed.

And that leads perfectly into “In a Violent Nature”, a fresh and ferocious Canadian slasher movie written and directed by Chris Nash. Unlike most slashers that view things through the eyes of its victims, Nash observes mostly from the perspective of the killer. At times his camera literally follows a few paces behind the hulking psychopath as he lumbers through the forest. Other shots provide something similar to a first-person point-of-view. Then you have these creepy wide shots that chillingly capture the killer’s interaction with the world. It’s such a striking concept and Nash mostly sticks with it throughout.

The film takes place in the Ontario wilderness where a group of college friends inadvertently and unknowingly awaken a grossly disfigured killer named Johnny (played in textbook Jason Vorhees form by Ry Barrett). Johnny, we learn, was killed by enraged locals ten years earlier after going on a killing rampage following some pretty sad circumstances. After clawing out of the damp, dark soil of his forest grave, Johnny sets out on a new spree, one-by-one targeting the group of loud and dingy campers in a number of delightfully inventive and insanely gory ways.

One of the most intriguing things about “In a Violent Nature” is how it manages to be both a high-concept arthouse film and an unashamedly traditional slasher movie. It’s both artful and unorthodox; built through the creative energy of a filmmaker who uses every facet of the cinematic form the make something unique. At the same time it gives a full embrace to the slasher genre, leaning on well-worn tropes and adding its own grisly sense of humor.

While watching the film you can’t help but feel you’re in familiar territory. Take the long-running history of insufferable teen(ish) victims who make you (in some subconscious and hilarious way) root for the killer. I’m betting you won’t remember any of the victims, but you’ll remember their demise. And that gets to the kills. Nash and his effects team have put to screen some of the gnarliest kills you’ll ever see. And that’s not hyperbole. They’re incredibly inventive yet proudly, shockingly, and (in some instances) hysterically gory.

Don’t go into “In a Violent Nature” expecting a meaty story or rich character work. At the same time, don’t go in expecting a conventional, garden-variety slasher flick. The sheer choices and craft alone is enough to separate it from the pack. The methodical pacing, the clever use of sound, the frequent moments of dark humor – they’re all vital components in realizing Nash’s unique and wildly entertaining spin on the well-traveled sub-genre. “In a Violent Nature” releases in theaters May 31st.

VERDICT – 4 STARS