Entertainment
Revolutionary Gorefest Reinvents The Most Popular Movie Genre Of All Time
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
You want to know the scariest word you can ever hear from an artist? “Deconstruction.” That’s the fancy term creators use when they want to tear something apart in order to understand how it was made. Done well, this can absolutely transform entire genres. For example, Alan Moore’s seminal Watchmen was designed as a deconstruction of superhero stories, and this unflinching glimpse into the psychology of self-proclaimed heroes has influenced the last four decades of tights-and-flights comics and movies. Done poorly, though, and a deconstruction falls apart, ultimately revealing why the original design was so effective in the first place. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened with In a Violent Nature (2024).
The movie serves as a deconstruction of the slasher genre and is a not-so-secret homage to the Friday the 13th series. It’s a film with a truly fascinating gimmick: we watch the entire story unfold from the killer’s point of view. Like, have you ever wondered what Jason Voorhees is doing whenever he isn’t dramatically hacking and slashing his way through horny young people? In a Violent Nature attempts to answer that question, and it gives us some of the most gruesome kills in modern horror. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for the gimmick of this movie to fall apart and leave you wishing you were watching a traditional slasher instead.
When Nature Calls
The plot of In a Violent Nature begins when a group of friends discovers a mysterious locket hanging from a fire tower. When one of them grabs the locket, he unknowingly awakens the corpse of a serial killer. As he hacks and slashes his way through the woods to retrieve the locket, we get some backstory: the killer, Johnny, was once a developmentally disabled boy who died falling from a fire tower when a prank went sideways. Over the years, mysterious deaths have been attributed to Johnny’s vengeful spirit. Now, he’s back and scarier than ever, leaving his victims to answer a chilling question: how do you kill someone who’s already dead?
Obviously, Johnny is a thinly-veiled stand-in for Jason Voorhees. Like the famous Friday the 13th killer, Johnny was a developmentally delayed kid whose death was caused by idiot teenagers. Like Jason, he has inexplicably risen from the dead on multiple occasions, and he’s nearly unstoppable once he gets to killing. Unfortunately, In a Violent Nature’s gimmick keeps Jonny from being as sympathetic or compelling as Jason. Movies like Friday the 13th: Part 2 helped to humanize Jason Voorhees, and his relatively limited screen time made him a mysterious character fans loved to speculate about. Here, Johnny is directly in front of the camera for almost all of the film, robbing the character of any real mystery.
The Man Behind The Mask
Jonny’s constant presence also makes it more difficult to put together this movie’s barebones plot. Keep in mind that we are seeing almost everything from a third-person POV centered on the killer, which means that almost all of the story that we get comes from seeing Jonny effectively eavesdropping on other people. It’s always hard to concentrate on what the other characters were talking about because I was waiting for our slasher to make his move. Like, remember the awesome campfire scene in Friday the 13th: Part 2, where we learn more about Jason Voorhees? Imagine how much worse the whole thing would be if we were just watching Jason watching the camp counselors.
Now, one area where In a Violent Nature really shines is in its gruesome kills. This is a Friday the 13th-style movie made for the post-Saw era, so our hapless characters almost never get an easy death. Early on, Jonny brutally garottes someone against a tree. At another point, we watch him methodically feed a living victim into a wood chipper, and the prolonged scene makes you feel every moment of this guy’s excruciating torment. In the movie’s most famous kill, we see him hook a poor girl and literally pull her head through her own torso and out her back before he sends her dead body careening down the world’s steepest hill.
The Real Reason You Watch Horror Movies
That brings us to the most divisive element of the movie. In a Violent Nature does a poor job of deconstructing horror movies, but it does help viewers discover exactly why they watch scary movies in the first place. If you’re just here for cool kills and buckets of blood, this film is very nearly perfect. Every kill is memorably nasty, and they are carried out by an iconically ugly killer. Personally, though, I prefer slashers with colorful, memorable victims. This helps us actually care about these people before they are turned into mincemeat. Here, everyone but Jonny is so forgettable that they are just one step above the nameless henchmen in a Marvel movie.
Going in, I really wanted to like In a Violent Nature. I’m a Friday the 13th superfan who is proud to have Jason Voorhees tattooed on my body. Since his franchise has been in legal limbo for so long, I was quite eager to watch a movie that served as a kind of spiritual sequel to the early Friday films. However, writer/director Chris Nash forgot the golden rule of making an homage movie: if you can’t do something better, you shouldn’t do it at all. In this case, all but the worst Friday the 13th movies are better than In a Violent Nature, and you’re infinitely better off watching one of those films instead.
In a Violent Nature is divisive, to put it mildly. Critics loved its bold new take on the slasher genre, while general audiences thought the movie was as slow and plodding as Johnny himself. However, the movie is a solid watch for gorehounds, and it deserves props for its memorable kills, practical effects, and the gallon upon gallon of blood that gets spilled by our creepy killer. If you’re looking for a film with thrilling kills and a chilling villain design, you should definitely stream this movie on Hulu. Otherwise, you should skip the genre deconstruction and just watch a film where you might actually care about one or two of the characters.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE SCORE
Entertainment
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Entertainment
Meta avoids another trial over social media harms as teen plaintiff drops lawsuit
Meta has skirted another jury over claims its platforms are facilitating a youth mental health crisis.
The company was set to go to trial in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles next week, but the 15-year-old plaintiff, referred to as R.K.C, has now dropped the lawsuit.
“In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta. He’s ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life,” attorneys for R.K.C. said in a statement.
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According to the lawsuit, R.K.C. said he became addicted to social media over the last seven years, and linked his anxiety and depression to extensive time online. Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube were also named in the initial lawsuit, but the companies reached settlement deals with R.K.C prior to going in front of the jury.
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“Days after settling with other social media companies, the plaintiff dropped his case against Meta, the only remaining defendant, without receiving any payment,” a Meta spokesperson said following the news. “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.”
Meta’s spokesperson said the facts of the case could not prove that the company’s platforms caused R.K.C.’s mental health struggles. Meta previously called attention to the fact that R.K.C. had not spent significant amounts of time on Meta platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, in a Motion for Summary Judgment. The company also said they could not verify that R.K.C. had a long-standing account history on Meta platforms.
In March, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million to another teen plaintiff who accused multiple social media companies of knowingly investing in design features that would hook users, despite knowing of their potential harm. The jury found the two companies liable for mental health-related harms caused by negligent design features and “social media addiction.” It was the first time a jury found social media companies responsible for the psychological effects of their platforms on teens.
At the time, Meta said it was appealing the decision. The company has faced multiple lawsuits brought forth by teens, parents, school districts, and state leaders. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a Meta spokesperson said following the March verdict. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 23, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a frequent flyer.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Rounded
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Green: Nervous Nancy
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Blue: Catch a flight
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Purple: Math words
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Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Spherical things
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Green: In an anxious state
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Blue: Parts of an airport
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Purple: Ending in geometry terms
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #1138 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Spherical things: BASEBALL, GLOBE,
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In an anxious state: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE
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Parts of an airport: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES
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Ending in geometry terms: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
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