Everyone, even slasher villains, must learn to walk before they can run. That logic puts the delightfully meandering “In a Violent Nature” and its breakout star Johnny (Ry Barrett) in a great starting position as they pick up speed for a well-earned sequel, now in early development at IFC Films and Shudder.
Announced during the “Bold Voices of Contemporary Horror” panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the follow-up film is set to be written by original filmmaker Chris Nash. No director was announced.
“‘’In a Violent Nature’ demonstrated that there continues to be a yearning for new perspectives in the horror landscape,” Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks’ film group, said in a statement. “We knew immediately that this distinctive take on the slasher would enthrall fans and are glad to see the community embrace a new slasher icon in Johnny. With the sequel, we aim to prove that Johnny can be bigger, meaner, and his kills can only get more impressive.”
Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer will produce with Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo and Samuel Zimmerman handling development for Shudder. The first film is one of IFC Films’ highest grossing titles to date, and comes on the heels of other major genre successes like Damian McCarthy’s “Oddity.”
“‘In a Violent Nature’ was originally conceived as a meta-sequel within a fictional slasher series, so we were always imagining mayhem beyond the scope of the original film,” said Kuplowsky in the same press release. “That we now have the opportunity to continue following Johnny on his restless walk has us feeling incredibly grateful to our incredible partners at IFC Films [and] Shudder who believed in Chris’ vision from day one. We are thrilled to return for a new chapter and are excited to deploy Johnny as a conduit to further experiments in the genre.”
Debuted at Sundance 2024, Nash’s slow-burn, hyper-violent killing spree divided IndieWire critics. David Ehrlich gave the film a “C,” but for this writer and other genre fans, it’s become a kind of instant classic. IndieWire spoke with Nash and Barrett at the Overlook Film Festival in April. Asked then about the quiet lovability of Johnny — that intangible something that makes you want to see a slasher villain again — Nash quipped, “That’s going to destroy the human race. I think those kind of attitudes, I mean, you’ve just seen him fucking kill so many people! And then he’s just playing with a car and they’re like, ‘He’s not all that bad!’ No, he’s just playing with a car. He killed a lot of people.”
“In a Violent Nature” is still in select theaters and available through most VOD platforms. It starts streaming on Shudder on Friday, September 13.
