‘Antlers’: the Terrifying Horror-Mystery That Is Perfect to Kick off Your Halloween Weekend

Photo: ‘Antlers’

As October rolls around every year and Halloween gets closer in the United States, we always see the release of a variety of horror/scary films. This year, of course, was no exception coming to the big screens, October 29, is ‘Antlers.’ ‘Antlers’ tells the story of a middle-school teacher’s journey of figuring out the troubles a young boy in her class is going through. Little does she know there is way more to his story than she could have ever imagined. ‘Antlers’ is set in a small isolated town in Oregon that is hiding a very dark secret. That secret is what people believe to be a myth which is a creepy blood-thirsty creature that is no doubt about to wreak havoc on this small town.

Throughout the trailer, it is evident that the killings committed by this creature are extremely violent and definitely inhuman. What isn’t clear from the trailer, though, is how this middle-school-aged boy, Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas), has come to know the creature. Throughout the trailer, viewers can see Lucas feeding the creature a dead animal and hiding the secret from everyone else around him. The film is based on the short story ‘The Quiet Boy’ by Nick Antosca. Just reading through the short story is enough to give you the chills, so I am curious to watch the story come to life visually. Overall, ‘Antlers’ will be the perfect film to kick off your Halloween weekend this year and will for sure make you reconsider all of the mythological creatures that have been created for stories over the past centuries.

No Longer a Myth

Within the trailer, we see Lucas’ middle-school teacher, Julia Meadows (Keri Russell), try to uncover the mysterious secrets that her student is clearly hiding. Through this process, Julia’s brother, Paul Meadows (Jesse Plemons), who happens to be the small-town’s sheriff, gets involved as Julia continues to question the well-being of her student, Lucas. Without knowing it, Paul also gets intertwined as he does his job and begins to uncover mysterious inhuman deaths. It’s not clear from the trailer how the creature is summoned in ‘Antlers.’ Still, it seems Julia’s continued interest in the child’s secret life does not help and, in fact, may even be how the creature becomes more powerful and as a result killing people outside of the home Lucas interacts with the creature in.

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Still, it is not clear from the trailer how the creature goes from less than a threat to a complete nightmare. It is also important to mention that Lucas’ authority figures are not shown, but instead, we only see him interacting throughout with the creature. Is it possible his authority figure or figures has always been this creature, or did he somehow summon the creature on accident? Throughout the trailer, we see Paul, the sheriff trying to solve the mysterious deaths and running across another man along the way, Warren Stokes (Graham Greene), who quickly makes it clear to the sheriff that this creature is no myth. One thing is clear from the trailer, and that is the fact that this horrifying creature is no joke, and it is only a matter of time before everyone in the town will be a victim besides Lucas, I guess? I am curious to see how Lucas will fit into this story and what ties he might have with this creature where it makes him possible to interact with it freely.

The Film-Makers of ‘Antlers’

As mentioned before, ‘Antlers’ is based on a short story written by Nick Antosca. The director and one of the producers of the film, Scott Cooper, is known for his successful directing work with drama films such as ‘Black Mass’ and ‘Hostiles.’ Though he has had much success in the drama genre, he had actually had no experience directing a horror film such as ‘Antlers.’ This is why he called in ‘Antlers’ producer Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo del Toro has extensive experience in the horror genre. He has written horror genre television series and films over the years such as ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ and ‘The Strain.’ He has also worked as a producer for horror films and television shows such as ‘Splice’ and award-winning ‘Mama’.

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If you have the chance to check out the short story by Nick Antosca, I definitely recommend you do prior to watching the film because it will offer you a glimpse into what to expect from the film itself. I am excited to see how Scott and Guillermo decided to take the story and morph it into the film we will be able to watch this week. The film, without a doubt, will put everyone in the holiday spirit. Overall, based on Scott Cooper’s and Guillermo del Toro’s experience, there is no doubt that ‘Antlers’ is sure to be one of the best horror-drama films of the year.

What’s Next

If you’re looking for a simple and creepy way to kick off the Halloween weekend, I would definitely recommend you go watch ‘Antlers’ in theaters on October 29. The cast and filmmakers for the movie have ensured that this horror film will have you leaving the theater looking behind your back for the creature that we see in ‘Antlers.’

Jeremy T. Thomas will next be seen in ‘Antlers’ with Keri Russell, directed by Scott Cooper. Keri Russell will next be seen in ‘Cocaine Bear’ with Ray Liotta, directed by Elizabeth Banks. Jesse Plemons will next be seen in ‘Windfall’ with Lily Collins, directed by Charlie Mcdowell. Graham Greene will next be seen in ‘Afterwards’ with Shawn Roberts, directed by Stephen Wallis. Scott Cooper’s next project will be ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ starring Christian Bale. Guillermo del Toro’s next project will be ‘The Haunted Mansion’ starring Owen Wilson.

Cast: Jeremy T. Thomas, Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Graham Greene

Director/Writer: Scott Cooper

Producer: Guillermo del Toro

By Chelsea Black

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Chelsea Black

Chelsea Black is a writer and digital media content creator with a background in public relations and diversity studies. She strives to create and showcase content that emphasizes representation for all communities and overall diversity and inclusion. Her values and beliefs align with The Hollywood Insider as she believes that the power the media holds should be used in meaningful and uplifting ways. She believes in the capabilities of storytelling and that it can promote positive change in many aspects. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys reading and reflective writing.