We did not expect In a Violent Nature to hit the way it did. A near-silent slasher told entirely from the killer’s perspective, shot in the woods outside Sault Ste. Marie, with no score and a runtime that dares you to be patient.
It became one of the most talked-about horror films of 2024 anyway. So yeah, a sequel was always going to happen. We sat down with Ry Barrett, the man behind Johnny’s mask, and got him talking about what’s coming in In a Violent Nature 2. He was careful, as you’d expect, but he gave us enough interesting information that gets us hyped up for the sequel even more. Here is everything we know.
Johnny Picks Up Right Where He Left Off
The sequel does not do a time jump. Barrett confirmed that the film picks up directly after the events of the first one, which has some interesting implications for where Johnny’s head is at going into this new story. By the end of the original film, Johnny is moving at a faster pace, more motivated, more dangerous. The sequel essentially starts there.
He’s at that pace that he’s at the end of the first one.
Barrett said. “And he’s in that kind of rate for basically this [sequel] film.“
That means the slow, methodical build-up that defined so much of the first film is largely gone. Johnny arrives at his most vicious and stays there. If you thought the original was intense, Barrett is telling you directly that this one starts at that peak and doesn’t let up.
A Summer Camp Setting
The story moves into a summer camp environment, which Barrett was fairly open about since it’s visible in the teaser. It’s a deliberate shift in setting that leans into very specific slasher touchstones, and Barrett described Johnny’s relationship to the camp using a specific analogy: Bruce from Jaws.
He’s circling. He’s observing. He knows where his prey is, and he’s taking his time before the chaos begins.
He’s sort of like Bruce from Jaws in the beginning, where he’s kind of circling the camp.
Barrett said.
And then all of a sudden, when he attacks, it is just absolute chaos.
The Myth Stays Intact
One thing Barrett was clear about is that Johnny’s backstory remains deliberately murky. The unreliable narrator element from the first film carries into the sequel.
There’s more myth, more different angles on the character, but you still don’t get the full picture of who Johnny is or where he came from. Barrett said he loves that about the character. Keeping that mystery intact is part of what makes Johnny creepy, and Nash keeps that going in the second film.
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The Kills Are More Intense
Barrett confirmed that the sequel has kills that match or exceed the yoga scene from the first film in terms of intensity. That is not a small claim.
He estimated at least three kills at that level, with more that follow and build on each other. Steven Kostanski is back on prosthetic makeup effects, so the practical ambitions are clearly still there.
Expect him to be just at the highest level of viciousness.
The Story Has a Through Line
Barrett was careful to point out that the sequel isn’t just a gore escalation. There’s a reason everything is happening. There’s a narrative thread that connects the carnage, and Chris Nash has structured things in a way that keeps the story fresh without abandoning what made the first film work.
It’s not just about doing more gore. There’s reasons for it all happening. There’s a through line as to how it happens.
Barrett said. Nash also flips some things around to keep the story interesting, though Barrett wasn’t specific about what.
Barrett Had Minimal Creative Input
By the time the sequel went into production, Nash already knew exactly how Barrett moved and what he could do physically. Johnny uses his right hand for the axe, but Barrett is left-handed, so some of those established details carried over from the first film.
During kills, Barrett might suggest doing something a slightly different way if he could execute it better physically, but beyond that he largely deferred to the script.
I read the script and I’m like, this is great. I don’t need that, there’s nothing to add.
A Third Film Is Already Planned
Barrett confirmed that Nash and Shannon Hanmer already know what a third film would be. Each entry in the series is conceived as a different kind of arthouse experiment within the slasher format.
The first is the following-style film. The second shifts into something different. The third has its own distinct idea. Barrett didn’t elaborate on what that is, only that he hopes they get to make it.
As for a release, Barrett suggested late summer or early fall, though he was clear that this was not an official confirmation.