[Film Review] Antlers (2021)

The pandemic has led to a lot of movies getting pushed from their original cinematic release, and alongside A Quiet Place Part II (2021) and Halloween Kills (2021), it feels like I’ve been waiting for an eternity to finally get my eyes on Antlers (2021).

Set in a small town in Oregon, Antlers is steeped in a cool colour palette which means you can almost feel the chill in the air the minute the movie starts. It’s also the perfect reflection of the gloomy mood in the remote mining town. The mines are closed, people are losing their jobs, and town sheriff, Paul (Jesse Plemons), comments that evictions in the town are as frequent as families struggle to pay their rent.

Paul’s sister, Julia (Keri Russell), is a school teacher, who recently returned to town after a long absence. While she’s passionate about teaching and cares for her students, she feels a little out of place in this close-knit community which she chose to flee from years previously. Having moved in with her brother after returning to town, she’s trying her best to settle back into her old surroundings.

Julia’s attention is soon drawn to her 12-year-old student, Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas), who is badly bullied while in class, and whose stories seem to suggest a difficult home life. We soon find out that Julia is so quick to notice something is amiss with Lucas because she  experienced abuse at the hands of her father. In fact, her father was the reason she left town the first chance she got, only returning after he died. 

And while Julia’s suspicions are correct, it turns out there’s something a little more complicated going on at home for Lucas. After an opening scene attack in the disused mines, Lucas’ father, Frank (Scott Haze), has become uncaring and violent. Along with his younger son, Aiden (Sawyer Jones), Frank has been locked in the attic by Lucas, who is now responsible for providing food for the rest of his family.

Perhaps one of the scariest things about the first act of Antlers is how Lucas’ situation is one that a child could easily find themselves in once you remove the supernatural element. At such a young age Lucas is thrust into the role of caring for his family, and because he’s so desperate to keep them all together, he doesn’t reach out for help, even when it’s offered to him. Since the death of his mother, the family has relied on Frank to keep them afloat, but after losing his job, things have only gotten worse for the Weaver family. 

Lucas feels the pressure to take on the role of man of the house, hunting animals or salvaging road kills to ensure his family are fed, especially Aiden, who needs the most looking after. Children can often find themselves thrust into the provider role when they’re far too young to understand the severity of the situation. Lucas is doing his best, still attending school, and trying to put a brave face on, but he should never have been put in this situation in the first place. 

Julia’s previous experience of abuse means she wants to do everything she can to help him, but others in town are less willing to act quickly, in a quite realistic depiction of how hard it can be to get people the help they need. The school’s headteacher wants to help, but she points out that other children in town have it much worse. Paul has tried before to reach out to the family, but worries what will happen to the children if Frank ends up in prison. While everyone is aware something isn’t quite right at the Weaver house, few are willing to actually travel to their woodland home and offer any real help.

As the film progresses, we move into standard monster movie territory, as we learn more about what happened to Frank in the mines, and what he and Aiden have been exposed to. Inevitably, there’s only so long Lucas can control his father, and soon the situation overwhelms him. The body horror is on point here, with the audience seeing just enough of Frank’s physical struggle as the monster fights within him, eventually winning. The sound effects also add a disgusting but beautiful layer to the bone crunching and skin twisting we see on the screen.

The final creature reveal is delightful, with most of the close up shots looking entirely practical. There are definite hints of producer Guillermo del Toro in the look of the monster, but it’s great to have a monster movie that focuses on something a little bit different from the usual horror fare. 

Overall, Antlers is the perfect mix of family drama and horror, providing a story that spans generations of a small town as Julia desperately tries to make sure Lucas is spared the horror of her own upbringing. While Lucas is determined to do everything he can to keep his family together, Julia is still dealing with the guilt of adbanonding her own brother with her abusive father. In the end, the two need to meet in the middle to ensure their survival, and help end the abuse Lucas has been suffering once and for all. 

However, my only negative point about the film is the ending. While I won’t spoil it here, I will say that it’s okay for horror movies not to have stinger endings. Sometimes it’s fine to let your characters live happy lives. This feels especially key in this story where the two groups of siblings have so much to deal with due to the deaths of their mothers and their abusive fathers. To taint the hint of a happy ending feels a little bleak at this point, especially when the first act deals with the family drama element so well.

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