[Editorial] The 9 Most Amazing Antler Deaths in Horror

May is Nature Month here at Ghouls, and I thought it would be the perfect chance to look at one of my favourite natural murder weapons - antlers. And while the thought of getting chased down and gored by an animal is scary enough, in most instances, people end up using severed antlers or whole deer busts as deadly weapons in these horror films. Well, it’s always nice to see people being more creative! 

So let’s take a look at nine of the most amazing antler deaths in horror!

Salem’s Lot (1979)

Mr Straker may look like a beatable old man when Bill Norton and Ben Mears come across him in the Marsten House, but Bill finds out the hard way that being the familiar of a very powerful vampire usually comes with some perks. And as it turns out, Straker has developed super-human strength, and he uses this to pick Bill up and impale him on a wall of antlers at the top of the stairs. 

Antlers (2021)

You may have guessed it from the title, but Antlers (2021) is full of antlers-related injuries, but my favourite death is that of poor policeman Daniel LeCroy. Daniel is stationed at fellow policeman Paul’s house to protect his sister and her student, Lucas. However, while looking for danger, Daniel comes across Lucas’ brother, Aiden, and is momentarily distracted. This is all it takes for the wendigo to sneak up on him from behind and brutally impale him with its antlers.

The Ritual (2017)

Antler imagery is rife in The Ritual (2017), with the group of friends coming across the body of a mutilated deer before things even start to get really scary. But Luke and Dom discover the real evil lurking in the woods is a Jötunn, an antlered god which requires regular sacrifices. Poor Dom is chosen to be sacrificed first and is tied up outside by the god’s followers. While Dom sees a vision of his wife walking out of the trees, he soon realises the creature has tricked him, moments before he is impaled on its giant antlers.

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Get Out (2017)

When Chris finds out the full extent of his new girlfriend’s obsession with him, he realises she’s not in love with him at all, but rather has lured him to her family home so they can use his body for their own purposes. Chris is tied up in the basement as he waits for the father of the family, Dean, to begin the surgery which will see someone else’s conscience be placed in Chris’ body. However, he manages to escape and sneaks up on Dean before impaling him to death with the antlers from a deer bust.

VFW (2019)

VFW (2019) sees a bar which is a popular hangout for V.F.Ws being attacked by a group of Hypers, drug addicts who are hooked on a new drug called Hype and will do anything to get their hands on the drug. While the bar is pretty well protected and full of ex-soldiers who can put up a good fight, the Hypers force their way inside and cause absolute carnage. In the fight that ensues, one of the Hypers has their head smashed into some antlers hanging on the walls by Shaun Mason as blood spurts down their ruined face.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Antler deaths pop up quite often in Christmas horror movies, but Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) has one of the best ones. After a whole bunch of trauma in his childhood, Billy is a serial killer who likes to dress up as Santa and also has confusing ideas when it comes to punishing people. This means when he breaks into a house and catches Denise and Tommy having sex, he decides to punish them. He lifts Denise up in nothing but a pair of denim shorts and impales her on a deer bust hanging on the. This is perhaps one of the most realistic-looking antler deaths, showing how slow the process is, and how strong Billy has to be to get them to pierce through Denise’s skin.

The Lost Boys (1987)

When Michael moves to Santa Carla with his mother and sister, he thinks his biggest worry will be making friends and finding a girlfriend. However, it turns out his big problem is being turned into a vampire by a vampire gang led by David. Michael thinks the only way he can stop his transformation is to kill David. The final showdown takes place in Michael’s grandfather’s house, and as the two vamps face-off, Michael pushes David into a table of animal horns, impaling and killing him.

Ice Spiders (2007)

Ice Spiders (2007) is a great example of why you shouldn’t build a secret research lab right up the hill from a luxury ski resort, and an even better example of why you shouldn’t breed huge, deadly spiders. Predictably the spiders escape and attack the ski lodge. The guests trapped inside are easy prey when one of the spiders makes its way inside, but luckily ski resort worker Dash is on hand to kill it with a deer bust.

Friday the 13th (2009)

Bree makes a couple of bad decisions in the Friday the 13th (2009) remake. The first of which is she sleeps with her friend’s boyfriend upstairs while on a group holiday. Then when the power goes out she decides to creep around in the dark. Finally, she decides to dramatically pull back the shower curtain looking for a creeping Jason, only for him to sneak up behind her. After clamping his hand over her mouth, Jason lifts Bree up and slams her into a set of antlers hanging on the wall.

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