Antlers is a horror movie about a small town in Oregon where a malevolent spirit escapes a mine and posses a father of two young boys. One of the boys Lucas(Jeremy T. Thomas) attempts to keep his father and brother safe and confined but his teacher Julia(Keri Russell) notices something as amiss while she attempts to reconnect with her estranged brother Paul(Jesse Plemons).
Thomas gives an impressively grave performance for a kid but is set up by the script as the creepy child trope and isn't able to go much beyond that. Russell is a pro and always a pleasure to see onscreen by the material is too plodding, too predictable, too underbaked for her to do much with. Plemons is given even less and with an actor of his talent and oddness it seems a woeful oversight. Although there are some incredible character actors in the supporting cast- Graham Greene and Amy Madigan- they are given virtually nothing to do.
A wonderful idea, a beautiful landscape, and a solid cast fail to lift what seems to have been a great elevator pitch that never got fully flushed out. There are some questionable choices made, chief among that the story incorporates Indigenous myth while being centered around white people, as well as attempting to draw a metaphorical parallel from the horrific events to abuse. Both ideas are intriguing but are executed so poorly that it comes across as ignorant and offensive. All in all, a mess.
The 2020 book The Only Good Indians covers similar ground with seismically better results on all fronts. Comparatively its a real shame.
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
Don't See It.
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