329. Antlers; movie review

 

 

ANTLERS

Cert 15

99 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong gore, violence, threat, language

Those with a weak stomach need to keep their eyes permanently diverted from Antlers.

Yep, internal organs are to the fore during Scott Cooper's movie which may well please horror fans who don't need sick buckets.

That's because it has a rare spark of originality and a cast which are capable of making the audience believe even the most preposterous premise could be real.

It begins with a drug addict father (Scott Haze) encountering a creature in the darkness of the former mine in which he runs his meth lab.

Thereafter his son (Jeremy T. Thomas) becomes more and more withdrawn at school, prompting concern from his teacher (Keri Russell).

She passes on her worries to her headteacher (Amy Madigan) and her police officer brother (Jesse Plemons).

They shrug off her fears for the boy but, simultaneously, torn-apart bodies begin to be found in the town and the nearby forest.

Initially, there is no obvious connection to the young lad but gradually the true horror begins to emerge.

This is a movie without even a spark of humour. 

The teacher and her brother come from a bleak background and now find themselves immersed in an even darker one.

The characters are sullen and there is no let up from the violence after the very first minute.

So, if you are looking for rays of hope, you have really come to the wrong place.

However, Cooper keeps his foot on the accelerator well enough to keep ardent horror watchers engaged.

Others might find it much too far-fetched.

Reasons to watch: Horror with an original spark

Reasons to avoid: Lots of blood

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? Antlers is based on the story "The Quiet Boy", written by Nick Antosca.

The final word. Scott Cooper: "For me, the scariest thing in the film is the horrors of generational trauma and the “deaths of despair” that kind of sits over this small town like an invisible gas. There are a lot of towns in America, much like Cispus Falls, and I believe people tend to turn a blind eye to them." Fangoria

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