After carving a bloodied path through the 2024 horror landscape, Johnny — the undead backwoods behemoth at the heart of In a Violent Nature — is rising again, with cameras set to roll on the sequel this September deep in the Canadian wilds.
Chris Nash’s original In a Violent Nature (our review here) stunned audiences with its daringly stripped-back, slasher-in-reverse perspective and retro-fitted brutality. A throwback with a twist, the film trailed silent killer Johnny — a lumbering, undead spectre of vengeance — as he stalked a group of unlucky teens who disturbed his resting place by nicking a golden locket. The cast featured Ry Barrett as the masked menace himself, alongside Andrea Pavlovic and Friday the 13th Part 2 alum Lauren-Marie Taylor.
Following its May 31 theatrical release, the film earned both acclaim and cult cred, fast-tracking sequel talk at San Diego Comic-Con last July. That’s where IFC Films and horror streaming giant Shudder (under AMC Networks) dropped the killer news: In a Violent Nature 2 was officially in the works.
“In a Violent Nature demonstrated that there continues to be a yearning for new perspectives in the horror landscape,” said AMC Networks’ Film Group head Scott Shooman at the time. “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.”
The man behind the machete, Chris Nash, returns to pen the follow-up, with producers Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer once again onboard. And by all accounts, this won’t be a rinse-and-repeat affair. “In a Violent Nature was originally conceived as a meta-sequel within a fictional slasher series,” Kuplowsky revealed, “so we were always imagining mayhem beyond the scope of the original film. That we now have the opportunity to continue following Johnny on his restless walk has us feeling incredibly grateful… We are thrilled to return for a new chapter and are excited to deploy Johnny as a conduit to further experiments in the genre.”
Shudder’s Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo and Samuel Zimmerman will oversee development — and if the original’s blend of art-horror and arterial spray is any indication, In a Violent Nature 2 might just take Johnny from cult favorite to full-on horror icon.
Watch this space… and don’t touch anything you find in the woods.
