Diksha Sundriyal
A group of campers faces unspeakable horrors in ‘In a Violent Nature’ after they unwittingly raise a murderous man from the dead. Largely followed from the perspective of the killer, the movie begins with one of the campers taking away a locket that he shouldn’t have touched. It is the locket that lures the killer to him and his group, leading to their brutal deaths, but it also raises a pertinent question. Why was the killer so keen on the locket? Why did he want it back? SPOILERS AHEAD
The Locket Has Sentimental Value for Johnny
Early on in the movie, we hear the mention of White Pine Slaughter, which focuses on the story of Johnny. His developmental disability makes him an easy target for people, and it is one of their cruel pranks that leads to Johnny’s tragic fate, which feels even more heartbreaking when one considers the few things Johnny held close to his heart. In a scene from Johnny’s memory, it is revealed that the locket belonged to his mother, who most likely died when he was young. His father gave it to him to keep his mother close. This was the only way he could connect to his mother, who was long gone.
Apart from his mother, the locket also connects him to his father, who loved him just as much. Out of love, he gave his son the thing he probably held the dearest as well. This shows that he was considerate of Johnny’s feelings, which further proves that he was a good father. Thus, the locket had great value for Johnny, and it was the most prized possession and the only thing he probably held for comfort in his final moments.
Johnny was lured to the fire tower by a bunch of loggers who despised him and his father. They wanted to scare him, but their prank went a bit further than anticipated, and due to their actions, Johnny fell from the tower to his death. Having gone through such a traumatic series of events, only the locket made him feel safe because it reminded him of the only good thing in his life: the love of his mother and father. But he also holds immense anger in his heart, which erupts when his beloved locket is taken away.
Returning the Locket is Not Enough to Calm Down Johnny
When Kris and her boyfriend meet the local ranger and discover that the locket brought Johnny back from the dead, they think that simply giving it away will put him back to sleep. However, the ranger reveals that this is not how things work. The locket is dear to him, but he is no longer human. Getting it back won’t make him go back to his grave and sleep again until someone else takes his locket. He is a wronged soul who has turned into a brutal killer zombie. The locket is simply an excuse for him to kill. If getting it back was the only thing he wanted, he would have only targeted the person who stole the locket. But that’s not the case.
Johnny had his locket when he was killed, but that didn’t stop him from coming back a week or so later to exact vengeance on the lumberjacks. It was the ranger’s father who succeeded in subduing him. When Johnny went to sleep, no one disturbed him, and he remained asleep. But then, some years later, someone else took his locket, and it was basically poking him awake. The only way to put him down for good is by force. The locket only acts as a lullaby that keeps a sleeping baby asleep. When he is awake, getting the locket back will not do anything to slow him down. It will only rob his kills of any meaning if they had any in the first place.
Read More: In a Violent Nature (2024): All Locations Where the Movie Was Filmed
