Zo's Reviews: Antlers

 

Antlers was directed by Scott Cooper and is based on a short story written by Nick Antosca (Channel Zero). The film stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, where, in an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher (Russell) and her sheriff brother (Plemons) become embroiled with her enigmatic student (Thomas), whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them.

This movie has seen its fair share of delays due to the COVID crisis that has been plaguing our world, but with cinemas finally opening up to full capacity, I was extremely excited to see that this movie was going to see the light of day. I had seen the trailer I think back in 2018 or 2019, and it was slated for a 2020 release. But, alas, the world had other plans for us. Thankfully, it's out now, and we can all enjoy it for what it is; a thriller with an ancient creature from Native American folklore (one that I actually believe exists...for real). The film is based on a short story (The Quiet Boy) written by Nick Antosca. If you haven't read it, I implore you to check it out, it is fantastic. That aside, let's dive into this film.

For starters, the location used for this film really set the tone. The wilderness felt dark, gloomy, it was always enveloped in a fog, the skies were always grim and dark. It really did feel like I was isolated in a rural Oregon town...even though it was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, Canada.  In this small town, you can tell that times are tough, people are out of work, they're losing their homes. We follow Keri Russell's character battling her own personal demons, and this young boy named Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas) who is hiding his own actual demon (but not quite). On the surface you feel like it's going to be a typical creature feature, one that delves into the realm of Native Americans. But in reality, it's about family. Without spoiling too much, there is a reason Lucas is doing the things he does in this movie, and family is that reason. Jeremy T. Thomas was excellent as Lucas, you can see how haunted he is, that he is harboring a really terrifying secret that he doesn't want to let out. Keri Russell was alright, at times even great. Jesse Plemons was alright, but I don't think he was as good as the leads or even the supporting cast of characters. Not to say he's a bad actor, just that his performance felt a little flat at times.

Performances aside, this movie had a real strength in the way it looked. The location was perfectly chosen for filming and it felt alive. I know there was a monster in this movie, but it felt more like the town itself was the monster...a beast waiting to swallow us whole. The story itself was both tragic and terrifying, with some great scares that don't feel forced and they didn't bother to cheapen things with loud noise jump scares either. The creature design was one to behold, and looked like it had been taken straight out of a Native folklore book. There were a few scenes that had some pretty good blood and gore for those of you out there looking for kills, but I felt was ultimately a little subdued here, and it didn't cheapen the kills at all. There's one kill in particular that got under my skin and felt like it went on a couple seconds too long, meant to make the viewer feel uncomfortable. There's a transformation sequence in this one that is probably up there in my top-10 for body horror....you'll know it when you see it. The music was also something that added to the atmosphere of the movie, drawing you in and making you realize that you're not going to have a good time watching the horror unfold in front of your eyes.

In summary, I really liked this movie. It wasn't perfect but there were some very good child performances, a monster that I truly do believe exists, and some really creepy, chilling atmosphere to it. I think it's definitely worth watching in cinemas and should be seen by horror fans everywhere.

FINAL SCORE: 4/5