There have been reports of audience members getting sick while watching “In a Violent Nature,” an unrated slasher film opening May 31. Is it just hype? Or is the violence too hardcore to stomach?

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We’ll address that and take a look at Netflix’s unbeatable standalone series “Eric,” with Benedict Cumberbatch, and “Ezra,” a family drama that deals authentically with autism.

We also review a Beach Boys documentary and a shocking epic about a Jewish child’s kidnapping that’s tied to the Vatican.

Here’s our roundup.

“In a Violent Nature”: A primordial evil rises from the backwoods muck in northern Ontario and goes on a killing spree — garroting, beheading and dismembering unlucky park campers, one of whom snatched a coveted family heirloom that he wants back. Anyone unfortunate enough to cross bloody paths with Johnny (Ry Barrett, not uttering one coherent line of dialogue) most likely won’t witness a new dawn. Fueled by a rage festering over a decades-old injustice, Johnny dons a freaky old-time firefighter’s mask and cuts quite the memorable slasher figure — the subject of many scary campfire stories, one of which gets shared amongst unsuspecting victims in Chris Nash’s slasher debut.

This bracing, ultraviolent genre entry trumpets the arrival of a brash filmmaker whose bold vision alternates between caressable shots in nature to emotionally detached scenes of extreme, inventive carnage — disturbing sequences that will test the mettle of the most serious horror hound. Should graphic macabre deaths not be your thing, this is not your film. (It’s unrated for a reason).

Nash’s film won raves at Sundance where it debuted, but it doesn’t reinvent the genre so much as revitalize it with buckets of new blood. Nash’s unorthodox style is most welcome in a canon grown tired and lazy in its over-reliance on tacky jump scares and preposterous twists. What contributes in making “Nature” more distinctive is that much of it gets told from the viewpoint of Johnny, who lies in wait in in these ominous woods with the steely intent of an underfed crocodile.

Nash takes risks throughout his debut — the final 10 minutes with Lauren Taylor from “Friday the 13th: Part 2” more than proves that he knows how to feed on our apprehension, and I will reveal no more. But he’s not alone in making “In a Violent Nature” one of the best horror debuts in recent memory. Cinematographer Pierce Derks and sound designers Tim Atkins and Michelle Hwu share in that, making us feel like we are part of the disorienting sights and sounds of the woods. And Steven Kostanski’s prosthetics effects scream with unbearable realism. There’s no doubt character development isn’t the film’s strong suit — nor one of its goals — but Johnny slays his way into the league of unstoppable, unforgettable killing machines: Jason Voorhees (“Friday the 13th”), Michael Myers (“Halloween”) and Leatherface (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). Welcome to the club. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters May 31.

“Eric”: With a plethora of often salacious if formulaic true-crime series dominating the streaming charts, what a refreshing surprise to discover that this six-part mystery/drama series set in ‘80s New York is, in fact, the product of a fertile imagination. Benedict Cumberbatch bullseyes another role as hair-triggered “Good Day Sunshine” (think “Sesame Street”) puppeteer Vincent. He’s a disrupter who ushers in turbulence in the office and at home, an apartment he shares with his wife Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) and their creative 9-year-old son Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). When Edgar goes missing after another loud fight between mom and dad, desperate Vincent hits the skids and the bottle while searching for his child with the help of a monster-like character Edgar created.

Running parallel and later interacting with that search is another investigation by dogged detective Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, a rising star), a closeted gay man. He’s working on the missing kid case and staking out a disreputable nightclub. Initially, you can’t help but wonder where this story will take us, and it splinters off into directions that tap into homophobia, fear, AIDS, racism, homelessness, corruption and addiction. Above all else, it reflects the danger of oppression and not being true to oneself. Award-winning series creator Abi Morgan (“The Split”) and director Lucy Forbes (“This Is Going to Hurt”) bring their knack for authentic, ambidextrous storytelling to the table. The period details couldn’t be better, and the final episode weaves the many elements together with effortless poignancy. Details: 3½ stars; available May 31 on Netflix.

“Ezra”: An A-list cast — Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert DeNiro and Vera Farmiga (in a small part) — elevates this rewarding family-driven drama that sheds light on the anxieties that can trip up best-intending parents of an autistic child. As “Ezra” attests, flustered parents might need to work more on themselves before they can truly be present with their child. When 11-year-old Ezra (William Fitzgerald) gets bumped from school then gets into an accident, his quick-tempered but loving father Max (Cannavale), a struggling comedian, takes him on an impromptu and illegal father-son road trip. It serves another mark against him and leads to more exasperation from Max’s ex Jenna (Byrne) and his dad Stan (De Niro). Tony Spiridakis’ personalized screenplay rests in capable, warm hands with director Tony Goldwyn. Cannavale channels the emotional complexities and vulnerabilities of his character with compassionate clarity. Details: 3 stars; in theaters May 31.

“Kidnapped — The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara”: This shocking slice of Italian history revisits how in 1858  the Catholic Church went into a Jewish couple’s home and swiped their 7-year-old child. It was done at the behest of Pope Pius IX and it was demanded the child be raised Catholic since a nurse decided to baptize him without the family’s blessing. There’s no reason, really, to embellish this story one bit but acclaimed filmmaker Marco Bellocchio does it anyway at times, turning “Kidnapped” into a melodrama. It’s a mistake and results in an intrusion that takes us out of the tight grip of this beautifully composed but far from subtle story. Bellocchio’s production — from its cast to its cinematography — works well enough, notably with an ending that hits you right in the gut. The cast — child actor Enea Sala’s as an unsettled Edgardo, Paolo Pierobon as a clueless Pope Pius IX and Barbara Ronchi as the distraught and then furious mom Marianna Mortara — all hit the right notes. “Kidnapped” has its problems, but it is gripping. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters May 31.

“The Beach Boys”: In this watchable but routine overview of the classic California band made up mostly of relatives, the more uncomfortable-making elements about the group get addressed rather than explored. So you’re left with a scratching-the-surface documentary that’s enjoyable for any fan but is less filling than you’d like. Director Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny divulge some darker elements – the abuse of Murry Wilson, the father and heartless music publisher for sons Brian, Carl and Dennis and Brian’s struggles with perfection and mental illness. But often it feels like there’s much more to the story than being divulged, even when it brings up Dennis being haunted by his association with Charles Manson. For Beach Boys’ legions of fans, not digging too deep into the sandbox might just be fine. Details: 2 stars; available on Disney+.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

Fresh strawberries abound at this time of year, so you can actually justify making this frozen treat using sweet, juicy strawberries in their prime — rather than going straight for the bag of frozen berries you might use the rest of the year. This frozen yogurt is so worth sacrificing — nay, elevating to a higher purpose — the pound of strawberries you bought or picked at their peak. The result is so intensely strawberry-y, made somehow even more so with a peppering of cardamom and a swirl of sticky balsamic glaze that just totally works.

Balsamic glaze can be bought in squeeze bottles at most major grocery stores and delicatessens. Use the ripest, juiciest strawberries you can find, although you can substitute frozen strawberries, if you must.

Strawberry Cardamom Frozen Yogurt with Balsamic Swirl

Makes 1 quart

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled

1¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup honey

¾ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic glaze

DIRECTIONS

Place the strawberries, yogurt, honey and cardamom in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.

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Chill until very cold, about 2 hours, before pouring into an ice cream maker and freezing according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Spread half the frozen strawberry yogurt in a freezer-safe container and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze over the top. Use a toothpick to swirl it through the frozen yogurt a bit. Spread the remaining frozen yogurt over the top and drizzle with the remaining balsamic glaze, again using a toothpick to swirl it through. Place the container in the freezer for an hour to firm up the frozen yogurt before scooping. If freezing for longer, you may need to leave it out on the counter for 15 minutes to slightly soften before scooping.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

Historical papers describe her only by her husband’s title — Mrs. Mathias Pitra — but the Austrian immigrant whose first name appears lost in time gathered with a like-minded Colborne Street neighbor, Augusta Raschick, on a mission of prayer and fellowship.

They were two church ladies with no church, so they started their own, alternating services between their homes in St. Paul’s West Seventh Street neighborhood.

By 1894, they had petitioned the German Lutheran Seminary in St. Paul for mission work, likely from seminary students. By 1898, they had called their first minister. And by the early 1900s the congregation of St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church — originally dubbed the St. Marcus German Lutheran Church — had bought their first chapel and had it moved to St. Clair Avenue and Duke Street.

Then, in the decades following World War II, the church truly came into its own, with more than 900 members filling out the modern church building at 550 West Seventh St. during its peak years in the 1950s and ’60s.

‘Holy closure service’

That’s no longer the case. The Ash Wednesday suppers and festive church rummage sales have come to a close at St. Mark Lutheran Church, where a final sermon on Sunday — a “holy closure service” — will mark the end of an era at least 126 years in the making.

“We probably have 20 people on a busy Sunday. We probably have 35 active members,” said Dianne Testa, vice president of the church council, who has been involved with St. Mark’s for 47 years. Some fellow members of the council, also of a certain age, were baptized there.

“We did it until we just realized we can’t anymore,” Testa said. “We’re all in our 70s.”

Constructed in 1956, the long, sloping walls of the sanctuary have opened onto St. Paul’s West Seventh Street — and Mancini’s Char House across the street — for 68 years. The mid-century architecture holds court at Seventh, Ann and Goodhue streets, spanning two levels and 12,000 square feet of worship space, which has been put up for sale. Conversations with at least one potential buyer are underway.

“We hope another church buys it,” said Nancy Larson, 76, who has been attending services at St. Mark since she was 5 years old. “We’ve got prospectives, but nothing has been finalized yet. We have a saying on the front of the church, ‘In the city for good.’ I’ve been going all my life. I’d hate to see something else take over. I want it to stay a church.”

Regular gatherings

In recent years, at least four other congregations, two Alcoholics Anonymous groups and a square dancing class have rented the church for their regular gatherings. In the 1960s, said Testa, the church hosted a Head Start children’s program. Membership, which launched in the late 1890s with a German-speaking congregation, has evolved with time to reflect the various cultures of the neighborhood. Larson recalled summer Bible school programs for kids that drew non-Lutherans looking for something to do.

An arson fire in 2014 displaced services for a year, but the congregation returned.

“We were strong with the West Seventh Street community,” Testa said.

For the past two months, a guest pastor has been winding down services. “She gets it, how we’re feeling,” Testa said.

The holy closure service will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.

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