Want to know the scariest word you'll ever hear from an artist? "Deconstruction." It's a trendy term creators use when they want to take something apart to understand how it was created. When done right, it can revolutionize entire genres. For example, Alan Moore's iconic comic "« Guardians"» was intended as a deconstruction of superhero stories, and its uncompromising look at the psychology of self-proclaimed heroes has influenced superhero comics and films of the last four decades. decades . However, when done poorly, deconstruction falls apart, ultimately revealing why the original design was so effective. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened with film "In the Cruel Nature" » (2024).
The film is a deconstruction of the slasher genre and a not-so-subtle homage to the Friday the 13th series. It has a truly gripping twist: we watch the entire story unfold from the killer's perspective. For example, have you ever wondered what Jason Voorhees does when he's not hacking and slashing lustful young men? «In the Cruel Nature» attempts to answer this question, and the film features some of the most horrific murders in modern horror. Unfortunately, the film's gimmick soon falls apart, and you start craving a more traditional slasher film.
When nature calls
In the Cruel Nature 2024
The plot of the novel «In the Cruel Nature» The series begins with a group of friends discovering a mysterious locket hanging from a fire tower. One of them, grabbing the locket, unknowingly awakens the corpse of a serial killer. As he makes his way through the woods to retrieve the locket, we learn the backstory: the killer, Johnny, was once a developmentally delayed boy who died after falling from the fire tower during a prank gone wrong. For years, mysterious deaths were attributed to Johnny's vengeful spirit. Now he's returned and even more terrifying, leaving his victims to answer a chilling question: how do you kill someone who's already dead?
Johnny is clearly a veiled replacement for Jason Voorhees. Like the infamous Friday the 13th killer, Johnny was a developmentally disabled child whose death was caused by foolish teenagers. Like Jason, he has inexplicably returned from the dead multiple times and is virtually unstoppable once he starts killing. Unfortunately, this trope in "Cruel Nature" »" doesn't allow Johnny to be as likable or compelling as Jason. Movies like «Friday the 13th: Part 2» helped humanize Jason Voorhees, and his relatively limited screen time made him an enigmatic character fans loved to speculate about. Here, Johnny is directly in front of the camera for almost the entire film, robbing the character of any real mystery.
The Man Behind the Mask
In the Cruel Nature 2024
Johnny's constant presence also makes the film's already rudimentary plot difficult to follow. It's important to remember that we see almost everything from a third-person perspective, with the killer at the center of the narrative, meaning that almost the entire story hinges on Johnny essentially eavesdropping on other people's conversations. It was always difficult to focus on what the other characters were saying because I was waiting for our maniac to make his move. Remember the amazing campfire scene in «Friday the 13th: Part 2» , Where do we learn more about Jason Voorhees? Imagine how much worse things would be if we simply watched Jason watching the camp counselors.
One of the film's strengths «In the Cruel Nature» — are his horrific murders. This is a Friday the 13th-style film set in the post-Saw era, so our unfortunate characters almost never die easy. Early in the film, Johnny brutally strangles someone while pinning them to a tree. In another scene, we see him methodically stuff a living victim into a wood chipper, a prolonged sequence that allows us to feel every moment of this man's excruciating torture. In the film's most famous murder, we see him grab a poor girl and literally pull her head through her own torso and back before dumping her dead body down the steepest slope in the world.
The real reason you watch horror movies.
In the Cruel Nature 2024
This brings us to the most controversial element of the film. «In the Cruel Nature» It doesn't really understand the horror genre, but it does help viewers understand why they watch scary movies in the first place. If you're only interested in spectacular kills and gore, this film is nearly perfect. Each murder is memorable and vile, committed by an iconic, deformed killer. Personally, though, I prefer slashers with vivid, memorable victims. It helps us truly empathize with these people before they're turned into mincemeat. Here, everyone except Johnny is so bland that they're just a step above the nameless henchmen of Marvel movies.
From the very beginning I really wanted to be liked the film "In the Cruel Nature"« . I'm a huge Friday the 13th fan and proud to have a Jason Voorhees tattoo on my body. With the franchise in legal limbo for so long, I was eager to see a film that would serve as a spiritual sequel of sorts to the early Friday the 13th films. However, writer-director Chris Nash forgot the golden rule of making a tribute film: if you can't do it better, you shouldn't do it at all. In this case, all but the worst Friday the 13th films are better than «In the Cruel Nature» , and you're infinitely better off watching one of those movies instead of Friday the 13th.
In the Cruel Nature 2024
Movie «In the Cruel Nature» To put it mildly, Johnny Depp has received mixed reviews. Critics praised its bold new take on the slasher genre, while the general public found it as slow and drawn-out as Johnny himself. However, for fans of gore, it's a worthy film, and it deserves praise for the memorable kills, practical special effects, and gallons of blood spilled by our terrifying killer. If you're looking for a film with exciting kills and a chilling villain, you should definitely check this out on Hulu. Otherwise, skip the genre analysis and just watch a film where you can genuinely empathize with one or two characters.