Back in May, IFC and Shudder released the slasher flick In a Violent Nature. Directed and written by Chris Nash, the film’s big hook was that instead of following a group of teens avoiding violent death, the movie was from the POV of a just-resurrected mute killer named Johnny. A lot of people dug the movie and Johnny’s brutal kills, so if you were among those ranks, good news: more of Johnny’s cinematic violence is on the way.
During a San Diego Comic-Con on horror movies, Johnny himself (played in the film by Ry Barrett) stopped by. After attendees were properly freaked out, he revealed that a sequel to his film was already in the works. Nash was confirmed to be back in a writer capacity, but not director. In a statement, AMC Networks’ film group head Scott Shooman said the first Violent Nature “demonstrated that there continues to be a yearning for new perspectives in the horror landscape. We knew immediately that this distinctive take on the slasher would enthrall fans.”
In that same statement, IFC Films called In a Violent Nature one of its top highest-grossing films of all time at $4.5 million. The movie’s had a largely positive response, so it’s only fitting it get expanded into a larger franchise. All Shooman could say about the sequel is that Johnny (presumably played again by Barrett) will be “be bigger, meaner, and his kills can only get more impressive.” Given how gnarly the kills in the original film were, that should be exciting for fans to hear.
Now that you're hooked… come back for more. @IFCfilms and @Shudder present IN A VIOLENT NATURE 2. Coming soon! https://t.co/dlVrMUG4yV pic.twitter.com/KwxJpQtnwU
— IFC Films (@IFCFilms) July 26, 2024
According to producer Peter Kuplowsky, a sequel was always in the cards. The first movie was originally conceived as a meta-sequel for a nonexistent slasher franchise, so this is really just bringing things full circle. “That we now have the opportunity to continue following Johnny on his restless walk has us feeling incredibly grateful to our incredible partners,” said Kuplowsky. “We are thrilled to return for a new chapter and are excited to deploy Johnny as a conduit to further experiments in the genre.”
If you didn’t get a chance to see In a Violent Nature in theaters, IFC revealed it’ll be heading to Shudder on September 13. Hopefully it won’t be too long of a wait to see who Johnny kills next.
[via Variety]
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