Writing a well-crafted, mean-spirited film is harder than most people think. It’s not enough to just be cruel and nasty; you’ve got to add a little hope for your protagonists or a touch of justification for your antagonist, and you can’t be too cloying about either. It’s not about balance — that would imply some kind of fifty/fifty split. No, it’s about a sliver that gives the audience a reason to care about what’s unfolding on the screen. In A Violent Nature 2 gives no such reason, even if it does actually try this time.
Full disclosure: I was not one of the many enamored by the first In A Violent Nature. The gimmick ran dry quickly, and the impeccable sound design wasn’t enough to get me to tolerate what ultimately boiled down to one impeccable kill and an ongoing parade of many good ones. With that said, you’re not getting a “second verse same as the first” kind of sequel. This chapter ditches Johnny’s POV and instead opts for a full narrative. Don’t worry though, you’re still going to get a delightfully goopy massacre.
In A Violent Nature 2 follows Alex (Lucas Nguyen) after he accidentally summons Johnny (Ry Barrett). Or so he thinks. In reality, In A Violent Nature 2 takes place immediately after the first, and Johnny’s first undead killing spree just so happens to have taken place right next to Camp Puddingstone (my hand to the gods, that’s the real name), where Alex, his friend James (Ivano DiCaro) and his big sister Julie (Olivia Scriven) are finishing up another year of summer camp. The thing is, Alex is kind of a little shit. He bullies James, abandons him after he gets injured (also Alex’s fault) and then refuses to tell the truth when his sister and the other counselors see what happened.
James manages to escape camp with the other kids before the bloodbath begins. Alex isn’t so lucky. (He’s chased off the bus by other bullies who hack up his hair and style it with gorilla glue before tucking him back away in the trunk he was hiding in.) Shortly after he’s found by one of the kinder counselors and delivered to the care of his sister, Johnny begins the carnage.
Though Johnny’s butcher spree comes with its own pitfalls, we do get a better variation and a larger number of wildly impressive deaths. Torsos are ripped apart, eyes are popped out, makeshift harpoons are implemented and that hook is still as mean as ever! If you are solely looking for a film that offers a long string of murders, there is an hour of that at play here, and you’re probably going to have a grand time.
One thing these films are always going to have going for them are their practical effects. The clotty, sticky, gut-filled mess Johnny leaves in his wake is strewn all across the camp. Director Nate Wilson and the makeup department of Andrea Espinoza and Erin Sweeney go out of their way to offer the kind of creative slays that will keep fans talking long after the credits have rolled. There are several that rival the first’s yoga fatality, and one that even manages to exceed it.
Still, In A Violent Nature 2 has a significant pacing problem. The first fifty minutes fly by. The rest, on the other hand, is little more than a slog of kill after kill after kill with no hope or intrigue to speak of. All you have left to wonder is how Johnny’s going to murder his next victim, because you don’t care who it might be and you know with certainty that they aren’t going to escape.
Overstaying its welcome is In A Violent Nature 2’s primary sin, but finally giving us a story only to center it on the most milquetoast, listless child to ever grace the hallowed halls of summer camp doesn’t help. Chris Nash’s screenplay coupled with Wilson’s direction really set Nguyen up for failure here. The goal seems to have been to showcase a kid that’s so traumatized that he simply can’t form another reaction. Issue is, we don’t get much from him before the massacre begins, either.
In A Violent Nature 2 is smart enough to try something new (for it), and offers a story that at least attempts to develop a couple of characters this time. Unfortunately, that attempt is largely unsuccessful and results in an overlong film that doesn’t give you any real reason to care. The story fails to impress, but the impeccable practical effects and sound design will carry it through for the folks who just want to see some long-winded carnage.
Movie Score: 2.5/5
