In a small Oregon town, a teacher and her sheriff brother try to help a
​young boy whose father and brother were taken by a supernatural creature.

HORROR

Antlers (2021)

Directed by Scott Cooper

Written by Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca, Scott Cooper

Starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas,
Scott Haze, Graham Greene, Amy Madigan, Sawyer Jones

Based on the short story "The Quiet Boy" by Nick Antosca

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Connor Eyzaguirre

November 2, 2021

7/10

The legend of the wendigo is so damn creepy and intriguing that I always get very excited when a film, TV show, or videogame decides to do something with it. I've been particularly anxious for Antlers because of how many times the film had been delayed. Now that it's here, I must confess myself disappointed. As good as the atmosphere, tension, and performances are, the film just isn't that scary. The wendigo creature design is incredible, but we only see it for about five seconds before it is dispatched way too easily. Most of the film is about abuse and how it infects and destroys families, which is a fine theme to carry. I just was hoping for more of a creature feature.

In a small Oregon town surrounded by woods and run-down mines, a young boy named Lucas (Thomas) finds himself in a pickle. Something odd has happened to his father and brother, and he's locked them in his attic because he doesn't know what to do. His teacher Julia (Russell) thinks Lucas is being abused, because Julia herself was abused a child and recognizes the signs. In her bid to help Lucas, she and her brother Paul (Plemons) become involved in something sinister. The creature that infected Lucas's family is a wendigo, a dark Native American spirit that can't be killed. Again, I had very high hopes, and I felt like most of them were dashed by the low amount of scares.

Antlers is a decent flick, if you know what you're getting into. I've often complained about how drama has infected horror in the past ten years, and it just seems to be getting worse. We still get the pure bred stuff like Halloween Kills, but its starting to get rare. I just wanted to see a scary-looking wendigo hunt and kill people in the woods for two hours. I guess I kinda got it.