After watching Antlers, I feel like I need a tetanus shot. Oh no, the kid isn’t stuffing a dead skunk into his bag, is he? Oh no no no, he’s not dicing up raw roadkill of another variety for … what the Hell has he got up there? Perhaps this needs saying: when you’re fighting carrion for snackage, your life is not going in the right direction.
Lucas is only twelve-years-old, so it’s not like he should have his act together as yet. But being in sixth grade and also being the family “bread-winner,” well … “offal-winner” is a better description, is not a recipe for success. One can only guess at the smell in the Lucas household. From the early clues, we gather that the house lacks women, power, electricity, running water, and heat. And Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas) lives very much without guidance not only to care for himself, but for whatever raw-roadkill-consuming beast he has locked in the attic.
This Oregon town has the benefit of bordering both sea and mountains, which is a neat trick, and yet prosperity has clearly avoided it like common sense at a MAGA rally. Is it the curse of the Wendigo, a mythological beast with Antlers known to Native Americans? Impossible to say; writer/director Scott Cooper Jaws-ed the Hell out of this picture. The directive: “Make sure the audience never gets a whiff of the monster 
until they already have an idea of what’s going on.:’”
Meanwhile, Lucas’ teacher, Julie (Keri Russell), has just moved back to town. Her brother/roommate, Paul (Jesse Plemons), is the Sheriff of this hole. He seems resigned to the fact that his town sucks. For Julie, however, this is upsetting. She wants class participation and gets … common sense at a MAGA rally. It’s probably only a matter of time before she and Lucas have a moment. On top of Lucas’ bigger problems, he’s also being picked on by the class bully. Eventually, the school abuse is going to conflate with the home abuse. That will bring all the boys to the yard – and by that I mean teachers and 
school administrators to Lucas’ house.
Try to imagine being twelve, having the responsibility of taking care of yourself, keeping several rabid dogs alive in the attic, and having a school bully to boot … all in the gloom of a house without power and a town seemingly without direct sunlight.
Antlers is in the category of mythological horror. I found it both inventive and derivative. This film correctly identified horror setting, theme, arc, and execution … and deserves to be rewarded on that account. It also made me wince several times over, including during the actual denouement, where a main character decides they have to do something unforgivable, even under the circumstances. I’m not sticking it to Antlers (“pronging it to Antlers?”); instead, I’ll call it a watchable horror if not a recommendable one.
I can’t tell you your rights from your wrongs
I can’t tell you your hits from your gongs
I can tell you this:
You don’t want to dismiss
If you look in the mirror and see prongs
Rated R, 99 Minutes
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca, Scott Cooper
Genre: Repulsion
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Lycanthropes
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who don’t like to cringe
