by Eric Brown
Released in 2021 after having been pushed back twice due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The film was successful enough to recoup its budget at the box office but certainly didn’t rake in the cash. It was might with lackluster reviews by critics and flew under the radar of many, even horror fans. All that said, Antlers remains a film that is both disturbing and wonderfully atmospheric.
The plot centers around a teacher, Julia, and her brother, Paul, who is the local sheriff. A student at Julia’s school is drawing horrid pictures and acting very strangely. Concerned, Julia suspects the child is being abused. As things unfold, it turns out his father has been claimed by the ancient spirit known as the Wendigo. Julia and Paul must find a means to stop the Wendigo to save not only her student but perhaps even the entire town.
Antlers draws the viewer in with its opening scene as the Wendigo claims its human host, a methhead dad named Frank. The film descends into even more gruesome darkness from there as his young children are left caring for both him and themselves during Frank’s long transformation into something both more and less than human. Surprisingly moving at times, Antlers may be rough to watch for some as it depicts a parent’s worst nightmare, failing and hurting their children. Nonetheless it’s a film worth watching for those enjoy the Wendigo myth or simply those who like smalltown style horror.
