All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. As an added bonus, I’ll be adding a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

#9 – IN A VIOLENT NATURE (2024)
Released on May 31, 2024, and streaming on Shudder from IFC Films!
Directed/Written by Chris Nash.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/WyXuRmXbS7U
When a group of campers inadvertently disturb the resting place of a long-dead killer, the murderer who has been the subject of many a campfire tale, rises and seeks revenge on those who wronged him.

If this premise sounds familiar, it’s intentional. It is the plot of many a slasher movie, most similar to FRIDAY THE 13TH, the difference being that IN A VIOLENT NATURE tells this tale from the perspective of the killer from the beginning to almost the end. While the slasher films of old have been accused of emulating the killer, this film literally hitches a ride on the back of the killer, forcing you to experience a typical FRIDAY THE 13TH story from Jason’s perspective, the victims playing minor roles in the killer’s path.

Now, while this idea seems like a good one while describing it, I have to admit that seeing the story play out from this perspective is both intriguing and occasionally quite tedious, if I’m being honest. There are long, and I mean long, portions of this film where we simply follow a few steps behind the killer as he walks through the dense forest in a direct path towards his victims. Early on, there is a wonderful scene where the killer is walking towards a road. A group of rowdy kids race by, screaming loudly and playing loud music. The killer reacts without emotion, simply changing direction to follow the campers once he becomes aware of them. While Michael Meyers and Jason Voorhees has been compared to a great white shark, always hunting and being drawn to blood from miles away, the killer in IN A VIOLENT NATURE moves in the same direct and unstoppable manner. Still, milage is going to vary. Each of these long stints of following the killer end in something that’s going to cause a gasp or a laugh, but I know some will lack the patience to get to it.

But if you are patient, you’re going to experience some of the most brutal and satisfying kills ever caught on film. While all of them are brutal and gory, one of the kills will go down in history as one of the most gnarly I have ever encountered. It garnered a round of applause from the audience I saw it with, and the applause was well deserved indeed. Ry Barrett has basically sealed his casting as Jason if and when a new Friday the 13th movie is made. While we only see a few shots of his face, Barrett channels his inner Kane Hodder my using his body and actions to communicate the rage the character contains within. And just when you thought it would be difficult to come up with new ways to kill people, writer/director Chris Nash delivers new and inventive ways to disassemble the human body.

Nash, Barrett, and everyone behind IN A VIOLENT NATURE seem to be uber-fans of the FRIDAY THE 13th films. Most of the tropes are there, but the movie never ventures into the realm of parody. Everything is taken seriously and while there are quite a few moments of intentional laughter, the movie never fails to remind you that death is a horrifying experience here as the killer chops, hacks, smashes, and pounds his way through these unfortunate souls. While basically this is every silent slasher from Jason to Michael to Cropsy, IN A VIOLENT NATURE stands on its own by giving the killer his own relentless and tragic backstory, motivation for killing, rules of how the evil within him works and can be resurrected, and of course, how to stop him. Sure, it all feels familiar because it is an amalgamation of many slasher films of old, but because the film seems to laud those movies so much, it is all taken seriously, and thus feels fresh and new.

And no killer is complete without his own distinct mask. This one dons an old fireman’s mask of old. Which I feel is the only critique I have about the design of the killer, as I feel the mask really isn’t that scary and the big, screened-over eyes make him almost look goofy. Luckily, when the killer is in action, the mask didn’t really distract me because the kills are so good, as well as the fact that most of the film shows the killer from behind anyway.

Director of photography Pierce Derks has a background in nature photography which is why the scenery around this heinous murder spree looks so gorgeous. The talented camerawork captures the greens, blues, and darks making the nature of IN A VIOLENT NATURE gorgeous as well as extremely violent.

Still, this film is almost an ambient experiment more than a slasher film. There are long scenes with no dialog and when there is dialog, it is muffled in the background because, again, this is a film from the killer’s perspective and who is sleeping with who or who has a beef with who is not really important to the killer. It definitely drives the point home that while the life of a killer seems exciting, much like any other profession, there are long periods of silence, boredom, and reflection. The sense of danger still, is ever present as the killer lurks in the darkness somewhere. This point is made abundantly clear in the final moments where the threat of the killer hangs like a dense fog around those who encounter this undead monster.

I highly recommend you go check out IN A VIOLENT NATURE, but don’t forget your patience. This feels like a slasher film for those who are able to reflect upon yourselves and appreciate the wait between kills. The payoff is absolutely amazing once the kills occur. One can only hope that the critical and hopefully financial success of IN A VIOLENT NATURE can spark a new resurgence of slasher films and maybe give a much-needed kick to those idiots who are dragging ass on the FRIDAY THE 13TH property and get them to bring Jason back. Until then, deftly made films like IN A VIOLENT NATURE, honoring the rich and still potent tradition of slasher cinema, are doing a hell of a job without them.

Plus – HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2022)
Released on April 15, 2024 and is streaming on Tubi!
Directed by Mike Cheslik.
Written by Mike Cheslik, Ryland Brickson Cole Tews.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/wxkutAg_Cms
It’s the 19th century in the great Canadian wilderness and everything was going hunky-dory for simple cider farmer Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) until disaster struck and his cider distillery was destroyed by the local wildlife. This unfortunate event leaves Jean Kayak alone, in his skivvies, and hungry for the cold winter months. Through a long series of trial and error…mostly error, Jean Kayak learns how to live off the land and trap animals in order to survive. But once Jean Kayak catches the eye of the daughter of a fur trader, in order to win her hand, he must infiltrate the beaver stronghold and capture the furs of hundreds of beavers.

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS is a black and white slapstick comedy that uses plenty of goofy sound effects, but never utters a single world. For the duration of the film, director Mike Cheslik tells this tale of harrowing wilderness survival through action alone and it’s absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. Cheslik is one of the warped minds behind THE LAKE MICHIGAN MONSTER, which utilized a lot of the same comical elements as HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, but with this new film, Cheslik and his co-writer/star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews are able to make movie magic like few dare to do, bringing to life a story with equal parts Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, and Tex Avery.

Now, I understand the era I’m in. I tried to show my niece and nephew a Three Stooges short, and they had absolutely no interest in it. A lot of modern audiences are extremely literal and, more importantly, lack a sense of humor that is a) self-aware enough to be self-depreciating, b) confident enough about the world around them to be nonsensical, and 4) comfortable enough to laugh at the dumb stuff. Now, in order to appreciate HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, you must be able to embrace the odd, the eccentric and the absurd. It’s the kind of person who can watch an almost two-hour movie featuring all of its animals running around in mascot and furry outfits. Where seeing a guy getting attacked by a woodpecker every time he whistles, and he does so often in this movie, causes compounding laughter. If that’s you, then awesome! This one’s for you!

But for the most part, HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS could have been released during the silent era and fit in perfectly. Aside from one scene where the lead gal dances on a stripper pole in her undies and garter belt, there is nothing in this film that wouldn’t make it okay for all ages, though modern kids might find it all dated and lame. But if you’re a kid at heart, who grew up with those slapstick episodes of the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Little Rascals and cartoons by Tex Avery, Rube Goldberg, and Mel Blanc, they you’re bound to recognize the skill and talent Cheslik and Tews put into this film.

And you can learn something from HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS too! The film serves as an intro course in economics, business , and finance as Jean Kayak must learn to negotiate with the fur trapper in order to work his way up in wealth by turning furs into gold and then gold to get the tools to make his job of getting more furs easier. The film walks the viewer through the many defeats and minor victories Jean Kayak experiences as he learns this system, puts it to use in order to get what he wants, and soon become such a master that he wins the hand of the fur trader’s hot goth daughter! So it’s not just a time waster…you get a remedial course in econ as an added bonus.

I love to laugh almost as much as I love the macabre and HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS made me downright giddy with excitement, not only to watch it, but by being able to share it with someone who needs a laugh. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, so enjoy HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS for the previous gem that it is. If you really must find something horrifying with HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, it does have many, many deaths of animals or more accurately, people wearing furry mascot animal costumes and has its own kind of gore in a Tom and Jerry sort of way. Cheslik and Tews have put together a wonderful little film here, overflowing with the kind of creativity that you don’t often find in modern cinema. Tews gift for physical comedy is gold and it looks as if he really spent quite a lot of time in the snow with barely a stitch of clothing, so his dedication to the role is commendable. It’s a joyous throwback to a simpler time in cinema and if you’re a fan of that off-kilter style of humor, you’re bound to match the number of beavers in this film with your own laughs.

I highly recommend HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS for that rascally kid in all of us!

The Best in Horror Countdown 2023-2024
#31 – HERE FOR BLOOD (DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS)
#30 – THANKSGIVING (THE SACRIFICE GAME)
#29 – MILK & SERIAL (LOWLIFES)
#28 – PROJECT SILENCE (FROGMAN)
#27 – THE SEEDING (DARK HARVEST)
#26 – BEEZEL (THE FRESH HELL TRILOGY)
#25 – ABERRANCE (COLD MEAT)
#24 – OUT OF DARKNESS (ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH)
#23 – ARCADIAN (A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE)
#22 – YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (GHOSTS OF THE VOID)
#21 – NEVER LET GO (LOVELY, DARK, & DEEP)
#20 – ABIGAIL (BLACKOUT)
#19 – SPEAK NO EVIL (EIGHT EYES)
#18 – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (LISA FRANKENSTEIN)
#17 – MAXXXINE (SHERYL)
#16 – CUCKOO (AMELIA’S CHILDREN)
#15 – 15 CAMERAS (MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW)
#14 – DO NOT DISTURB (KILL YOUR LOVER)
#13 – WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS (HELL HOLE)
#12 – ALIEN: ROMULUS (INFESTED)
#11 – HELL HOUSE LLC ORIGINS: THE CARMICHAEL MANOR (V/H/S/85)
#10 – STOP MOTION (MONOLITH)
#9 – IN A VIOLENT NATURE (HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS)

Help me out at my Patreon page here – https://www.patreon.com/MLMiller
Read written reviews and my comics news at https://mlmillerwrites.com/
Follow me on Twitter @Mark_L_Miller

Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
(I do not own this music)