Stephen King Compares Killer From Horror Hit to Minions From Despicable Me

Famed horror scribe Stephen King is back with another film recommendation, and this time it’s the recent genre hit, In a Violent Nature. However, while the 76-year-old author had nothing but good things to say about the film, he also couldn’t help but compare its killer to that of a Minion from the Despicable Me series. King is, of course, the author behind more than 60 novels of horror and suspense dating back to 1974 with the release of ‘Carrie,’ and his most recent collection of short stories called ‘If It Bleeds’ hit shelves back in April.

Using his preferred method of communication these days, King took to X (formerly Twitter) and sent out a post that told his more than 7 million followers that if they were in the mood for a slasher film, then In a Violent Nature was the movie for them. While he echoed the sentiments of others who have called the piece slow at times by referring to it as “leisurely” and “languorous,” he also praised its creative kills, making note of the films’ use of gore. Check out his comments below.

“IN A VIOLENT NATURE: If you need a slasher movie, this one will do the job. It’s leisurely, almost languorous, but when the blood flows, it flows in buckets.”

In a Violent Nature

4/5

In a Violent Nature is a 2024 horror-slasher film written and directed by Chris Nash that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. A group of campers in the middle of the wilderness stumble across a fire watchtower and discover a locket buried beneath its charred ruins. However, by unearthing the locket, they’ve invited the wrath of its prior owner and now must survive the rampage of a supernatural killer looking to retrieve his possession.

Release Date

May 31, 2024

Director

Chris Nash

Cast

Lauren-Marie Taylor , Andrea Pavlovic , Ry Barrett , Reece Presley

King would go on to mention In a Violent Nature’s killer, Johnny, commenting on the unique mask he wears throughout the length of the film. As others have pointed out before him, the resurrected monster resembles that of a Minion from the Despicable Me series of movies, and it’s something that King couldn’t help but bring up. Though, as he pointed out, this is no ordinary Minion.

Check out this post from user @realshawnhunt that gives a little more context to King’s words, and see if you can’t spot the comparisons for yourself.

In a Violent Nature Is a Huge Hit for IFC Films

Released on May 31, 2024, In a Violent Nature has managed to scare up an impressive $2.2 million dollars at the box office thus far, and while that might not seem like a lot compared to others, the low budget independent feature film has quickly become the second-highest grossing debut for IFC Films behind 2024’s Late Night with the Devil. The supernatural mockumentary took in $2.8 million during its premiere weekend back in April, and went on to gross over $12 million overall.

While it’s unclear at this point if, in the end, In a Violent Nature will find that same success considering its more niche appeal, the art house slasher film did receive a wider release than Late Night with the Devil, appearing on 1,426 screens compared to 1,034 for the latter. Still, as many IFC Films fail to even crack the million dollar mark on their opening weekends in North America, despite what its overall gross ends up being, In a Violent Nature is already ahead of the curve and has to be considered a huge win for the studio.

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Whether or not the success of In a Violent Nature leads to a sequel remains to be seen, but for now, audiences would do well to check out Stephen King’s latest recommendation on the big screen while they still can.