The ‘fascinating’ new horror film that completely flips genre on its head

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A new horror film is making waves for completely flipping the slasher genre on its head.

The first trailer for the film – titled In a Violent Nature – has been released online, proving why exactly the film received a rapturous response at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024.

In a Violent Nature screened in the US festival’s “Midnight” strand, which is where films including The Blair Witch Project, Hereditary and the controversial Dashcam, first premiered – and early word-of-mouth has branded the film as “fascinating” and “impressive”.

The detail that is exciting horror fans is the fact the film is a slasher told through the killer’s eyes. The synopsis of the In a Violent Nature reads: “Delve into the wilderness where an undead horror awakens. In a Violent Nature flips the script on traditional slashers, inviting you to witness the rampage from the monster’s eyes.”

At the time of writing, the film has a score of 93 per cent on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes after 28 reviews.

Bloody Disgusting called the film “a fascinating arthouse horror experiment that plays more like a minimalist slice-of-life feature with a grim, gory twist”, with Polygon adding: “It’s a rare treat and a fantastic exercise in taking a genre in the opposite direction that everyone else has tried.”

However, it’s worth noting that those who enjoy faster-paced filmmaking might be left somewhat frustrated: those who saw the film at Sundance have said the film is inspired by slow cinema, and features longer takes and has no musical score.

Canadian writer-director Chris Nash, who named Tree of Life director Terence Malick as an inspiration, described this as a “slower, more methodical, more deliberate” way to “follow characters through a scene.”

In a Violent Nature will be released in the US by IFC Films on 31 May before being added to horror streaming service Shudder later this year. No UK date has been announced.