Antlers Is Pretty Lackluster
From the minds of acclaimed director Scott Cooper and king of horror Guillermo del Toro comes Antlers, a supernatural folklore film about a small town Oregon teacher (Keri Russell) and her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) who discover a young boy (Jeremy T. Thomas) is hiding a dangerous creature in his home.
Balancing trauma and abuse with this folk monster, Antlers’ big bad ends up falling flat compared to the failings of society. While there are some truly gruesome scenes and interesting concepts, the script is weak and it seems like they didn’t know how to organize the plot.
Much of the lore feels hollow and confusing as they try to deliver you shocking reveals that just lack stakes. Centered around the Native American legend of the “wendigo,” an elk-horned creature that eats human flesh, the story is severally lacking in any real Indigenous representation and wastes a unique myth. The battle between Keri Russell and this ancient evil is particularly lackluster, like the monster had already given up.
