Movie Breakdown: Antlers

Pre-Screening Stance:

Writer/director Scott Cooper really exploded out of the gate with Crazy Heart back in 2009, but he’s been hit or miss since then (see: Out Of The Furnace, Black Mass, and Hostiles). Maybe a foray into horror by way of Antlers will serve as a good change of pace for him?

Post-Screening Ramble:

Antlers has all of the right pieces, but it doesn’t do a lot with them. The film largely follows two people. One is Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas), a young boy whose home life has gotten super weird and dangerous ever since his father encountered an entity deep in an abandoned mine. And the other is Julia (Keri Russell), Lucas’ teacher. Since the kid looks malnourished and routinely draws absolutely horrific images, Julia astutely realizes that something is all kinds of wrong. This then gets double confirmed when people throughout the town start getting mangled.

You know what would have really elevated Antlers? A twist, or a big discovery, or just something extra. This is a thoroughly streamlined film, one that doesn’t at all try to throw you any curveballs whatsoever. There’s even a scene most of the way through it where some folklore gets spewed and it’s done so matter-of-factly and without suspense that I wondered if writer/director Scott Cooper wanted to include it at all. It’s too bad, really, because he didn’t craft a bad film – it’s very much fine – but there’s just not anything at play here that makes it memorable or noteworthy. If you’re going to give it a whirl, I’d wait to watch it at home. Antlers will hit theaters this Friday, October 29.

One Last Thought:

Spoilers here. Or maybe not, as this is pretty obvious from the get-go. Anyhow, has there ever been a great horror movie centered around a Wendigo? It’s such a creepy bit of folklore, and yet – as far as I know – no one has managed to pull off a worthwhile story that’s based on it. Stop messing around, Hollywood.