This interview has been edited for length and contains spoilers for In A Violent Nature.
In A Violent Nature is a unique take on the slasher genre that encompasses an art-house vibe. When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year-old crime, his body is resurrected, and he becomes hellbent on retrieving it. Johnny hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get the locket back.
For the release of In A Violent Nature, we chatted with actors Ry Barrett (“Johnny”) and Andrea Pavlovic (“Kris”) about the film’s standout kills, working with writer/director Chris Nash and more.
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BUT WHY THO: To start things off, how was it working with writer/director Chris Nash?
ANDREA PAVLOVIC: It was such a blast to work with Chris. He’s such a funny guy. He had such a clear vision going into this and also allowed for so much freedom. I remember chatting with him, and he was like, screw the words on the page, let’s just make it, and you bring as much as you want to the table. That freedom is such a blessing as an actor.
RY BARRETT: He’s such a tactile director. He’s hands-on with everything and knows so much about practical effects and cinema in general. It’s great to work with somebody like that because you know that they’re on the ball. You can ask them a question at any moment, and they’re going to know an answer, or they’re going to give you that freedom that Andy was just mentioning to throw something into the mix to see what works. It’s great to work with somebody who’s so talented, has a very clear vision, and knows exactly what their film is going to be and what direction it’s going.
BUT WHO THO: Throughout the majority of the movie, viewers watch Johnny walk nonchalantly through the woods. What was the process like in figuring out Johnny’s walk? Was there a science to it?
RY BARRETT: A lot of it is designed by what the film is itself, the structure of it, and the pacing. We had some meetings ahead of time and did some camera tests in a parkade to get the pacing down for how exactly Johnny would move and how he would switch from his walking mode into a violent moment or [how] a different motivation would send him in a different direction or a different speed. Much of it was pacing and finding those beats with Pierce Derks, our cinematographer.
It was very much a dance between us and everybody else and every other sequence because Johnny was there through everything. I didn’t want to go too fast or too slow, and I would often check in with Chris and Pierce to make sure the camera was the right amount of distance behind me and I wasn’t going too far ahead. Once we hit that certain beat, it was just maintaining that consistency.
BUT WHY THO: Andrea, you breathe a fiery energy into the role of Kris. Can you talk about the importance of your presence in the film without giving anything away?
ANDREA PAVLOVIC: My character, Kris, and Johnny have a very unique relationship. She is, as you get in every horror film, a specific trope. But the beauty of her is as you said, she is so fierce. She has this agenda. She listens to her gut. She knows what’s happening. She’s intelligent. She doesn’t take any s*** from anybody, and she was so fun to play.
BUT WHY THO: What were your experiences like working on set together?
ANDREA PAVLOVIC: It’s so funny because we were just talking about this! When Ry came on, we had already shot about three-quarters of the film. Then, due to many different reasons, we had to reshoot and that’s when Ry was brought on. I’ll let you take it away from here.
RY BARRETT: When I came onto the project, a lot of them had known each other, having worked together beforehand. I came on as this kind of unknown person. I wanted to use that if it was going to help anybody to be unknown and to be this hidden figure behind the mask, this guy standing back there in the woods who’s gonna do some scary things to you guys [Laughs].
So it was sort of a separation. Over time, we all became friends because that’s going to happen when you’re in the woods in a crazy place like that and experiencing all the crazy s*** that you do. Honestly, me and Andy didn’t really have a whole lot of screen time or scenes together until that third act.
BUT WHY THO: It’s not a shock that the kills are what really stand out in this film. Looking back, do you have a favorite kill? I’ll start; it’s easily the yoga kill.
ANDREA PAVLOVIC: Every time I watch it, a new one affects me differently [Laughs]. I do think I would choose the Walkman Kill.
RY BARRETT: There are so many magic moments in each of the kills, and each one kind of has its own cool element to it. But I have to agree with you [about the yoga kill]. When I first read the scene, I was like, oh, this is crazy. How are they going to pull this off? Are they going to do everything that’s on the page here? And they fully did! Being there and watching it, seeing how it all came together… I love special effects and practical effects, so getting to see them do this and pull it all together and be a part of it was really cool.
BUT WHY THO: Lastly, what do you think horror fans will be excited most about with this movie?
ANDREA PAVLOVIC: I think the kills, for sure. They’re so special and unique. Also, where the perspective of the film is coming from. I’m also really excited because I think this is a film you either really love or have a lot of thoughts about, but I’m so excited for both ends of that spectrum.
RY BARRETT: You’re getting a behind-the-scenes look at a slasher film from a different point of view. That’s just so cool as a horror fan and as a slasher fan to see a different perspective and a different way of presenting it. It’s also, weirdly, a hangout film with a slasher killer. There’s this chillness about the film where you can just sit back and hang with it until the crazy scenes happen. And that’s something that horror fans are going to lose it over. You’re going up that rollercoaster hill, and then you’re going down.
In A Violent Nature is now playing in theaters.
