10 Movies You Never Expected To Have A Happy Ending
8. In A Violent Nature
In a Violent Nature takes an arthouse approach to slasher films by telling the story from the POV of a slasher villain, Johnny, while the youngsters being stalked are peripheral figures for the most part. It makes for an emotionally detached yet technically skilled and undeniably fascinating take on a well-worn subgenre, and its subversions go beyond its cinematic technique, too.
The flick also features an ending that intelligently upends slasher movie cliches. Normally, slasher films end with a 'Gotcha' sequel-bait ending, the villain jumps out of nowhere for one last kill, and then it cuts to black. Not here. The final survivor escapes the killer, and the perspective switches to her as she runs off.
She gets into a stranger's car, and In a Violent Nature carries on for another 15 minutes. All the time, audiences will be waiting for the murderer to jump out, and yet he never does. The final shot of the film strongly implies that Johnny has returned to rest and has found peace, making this a refreshing case of a slasher movie that actually feels wrapped up at the end, which is something of a rarity when it comes to such features. A sequel is in the works, but In a Violent Nature would've worked well as a standalone film, and to be honest, it's a shame it hasn't been left like that.