In a Violent Nature: 5 grisliest scenes ranked

In a Violent Nature is the latest horror movie hit, with some of the most brutal gore we’ve seen since Terrifier 2. So, here are the five grisliest scenes ranked. 

If you’re into nasty, disturbing horror like I am (hey, it’s comforting for some people), then chances are you’ve caught wind of the In a Violent Nature hype. Directed by Chris Nash, the new horror movie has wowed audiences and critics alike with its unique brand of brutality while telling the story from the slasher’s POV.

Its slow-moving pace, replicating the style of Gus Van Sant, generates tension, and when the violence kicks in, it does so with full force. The film even earned the unofficial horror mark of honor: an audience member vomiting during an early screening. 

With In a Violent Nature out in cinemas now, why not celebrate by checking out our ranking of the five grisliest scenes, from gross to Terrifier 2 level gore. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

5. No stone unturned

Just because it’s in fifth place doesn’t mean Troy’s (Liam Leone) kill is easy to stomach. He’s one of the unlucky teenagers who went for a trip in the woods, discovering a locket hanging on the remains of the fire tower along the way. Troy pockets it, not realizing that he’s awoken the undead killer Johnny (Ry Barrett), who’ll stop at nothing to get it back. 

Midway through the movie, Johnny catches up with Troy and stabs him in the leg, but his pal Evan (Alexander Oliver) is able to shoot the killer. As they make their getaway, Johnny gets up and throws an axe at Evan, killing him instantly leaving Troy struggling on the floor, unable to stand due to his leg injury. 

In true slasher style, Troy writhes around as Johnny methodically picks up a massive stone, dropping it onto Troy’s head with ease. His bonce explodes like a watermelon, the gnarly sequence enhanced by the graphic sound design. In other words, it’s not a scene you’ll want to watch while eating. 

4. Bloody bait

Next on the list is Colt (Cameron Love), the last murder in In a Violent Nature. Not that any of these kills are lighthearted, but his death is particularly dramatic due to the fact that he dies trying to save Kris (Andrea Pavlovic). 

He comes up with a plan to trap Johnny, which involves distracting him and luring him back to his grave with the locket. However, their plans meet a slight roadblock when Colt shouts at Johnny; before he gets a chance to run for it, the killer’s reflexes kick in, and he smashes through Colt’s head with his axe. 

Oh, you thought he was done? Even though Colt’s in literal pieces, Johnny continues to hack at the poor bloke until he’s a human slushie. Kris, realizing their plan hadn’t quite worked out, decides to ditch the locket and run. Probably a wise idea. 

3. Barking up the wrong tree

What’s rule number one in a horror movie? That’s right: never split up. Unfortunately for Ehren (Sam Roulston), he didn’t get the memo. Earlier on in In a Violent Nature, after spooking his friends with a campfire ghost story about Johnny’s backstory, he decides to head out into the woods to listen to some tunes and enjoy a smoke, leaning back on a tree.

His chill time gets rudely interrupted; however, when Johnny comes up behind the tree, simultaneously ripping out his headphones and pulling a hacksaw around so it’s level with the edges of his mouth. Ehren’s got no choice but to listen as Johnny slowly pulls through his cheeks and skull (think a paper cut to the sides of the mouth times a million). 

The blood, the gargling, the mocking sound of the music in the background — it’s a truly visceral experience, the scene climaxing when Johnny successfully lops the top half of Ehren’s head clean off. He then drags his body to the nearby park ranger office, speaking of which…

2. The Ranger

The Ranger’s (Reece Presley) death is arguably the most terrifying, as it’s so drawn out. The sequence really begins when he offers to help Kris and Colt, knowing about the curse and how to stop Johnny. He explains that the only way to do so is with the locket. When the killer approaches, the Ranger shoots him and orders Colt to tie him up. 

But when he goes to hand the gun to Colt, Johnny awakens and grabs it. As the pair struggle, The Ranger orders the teens to escape, leaving him to suffer a fate you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemies. Johnny crunches his spin, paralyzing him… meaning he’s awake but unable to move. 

Johnny drags him over to the log cutter, where he proceeds to cut off his arm before finishing the job by decapitating him. It’s truly horrific knowing all the Ranger can do is lay there and wait to die. 

This scene is one of the reasons Nash believes In a Violent Nature was officially unrated. “It’s always hard to tell what exactly it is that’s perking up the ears of the ratings board,” the filmmaker told us. 

“One of the things that we did here was just the unrelenting violence, so I think that might be our Ranger death just going on and on and on. But that was by design. It was supposed to be long and unrelenting.”

1. The human pretzel

The award for In a Violent Nature’s grisliest scene goes to the killing of Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), aka the human pretzel. The reason being that firstly, it unfolds in daylight, making it so much clearer and secondly, it’s one of the most creative slasher murders ever seen on screen. 

It unfolds relatively early in the film after Johnny drowns her friend Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis). Aurora is blissfully unaware as she enjoys a spot of yoga by a cliffside. But her session is rudely interrupted when the killer approaches her. She does the right thing and runs in the opposite direction, only to come to a halt when she reaches the cliff edge. 

And here’s when the fun begins. Johnny punches his fist through her stomach, while still holding onto his hook and chain. When she turns around, he pulls the hook through and slams it into her head, before yanking the chain to spin her back around. Johnny then leans his foot up against her for leverage, pulling the chain through her stomach with the hook still attached to her head. 

Audience reacting to a kill from ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE’ during the Chicago Critics Film Fest screening of the film. An audience member also vomited during the screening.
 
The film, described as a slasher from the killer's perspective, hits theaters on May 31. pic.twitter.com/KGlyC3HFXa

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 6, 2024

This, in turn, causes her head to crunch down on itself. Johnny proceeds to pull Aurora’s head through her torso until she’s essentially a human pretzel. 

Speaking about the logistics of the sequence, Nash told us: “That was one that we planned out pretty meticulously — every shot was storyboarded. 

“We had basically three different stages of the body in three different positions to try to create the whole effect happening. And each body was just a torso with a head, and we had arms and legs that could be swapped on each one. The whole thing was played out on a stand.”

Told you it’s creative. Although it might not be quite as ruthless as Terrifier 2’s bedroom scene. Sorry, Johnny, but Art the Clown is a tough one to beat.

Speaking of which, be sure to check out everything we know about Terrifier 3. The same goes for Longlegs and MaXXXine. If you’re looking for something fresh to watch, here are the best new movies hitting streaming this month.