Meth labs, feral woodsfolk, a gruesome monster, and Felicity. That’s what make up the 2021 horror film “Antlers” and that’s also the problem. Save for Felicity. There’s too much going on. Too many storylines to be cohesive. It’s a bit of a mess.
At 99 minutes the pacing is good. And I enjoyed the nostalgia of seeing Keri Russell in the lead role. The setting; a gloomy rural town in Oregon is perfect. It lends itself to excellent cinematography. “Antlers” isn’t terrible. It’s just easily forgettable.
Felicity is great
Keri Russell’s performance proves she’s got a wide range of emotions and has the talent to carry a film like this. Felicity is an elementary school teacher who has a knack for caring too much for her students. We know she is suffering from her own personal demons of the past. It’s a poor rural town that’s losing jobs. And there’s a monster in the woods. And a lot of other things.
Felicity lives with her brother. Not only is he the town sheriff, he’s played by Jesse Plemons of ‘Friday Night Lights’ fame. I also noticed CSI Miami’s Rory Cochrane as an unlucky cop. And the school principal was played by Amy Madigan – Costner’s wife in “Field of Dreams.”
Nostalgia aside, the story goes all over the place. There’s nothing really scary, but the deaths are quite gory. The monster in the woods turns out to be one of Native lore. “This is a myth you’re talking about.” The sheriff scoffs at an old local when he explains that the killings are the result of the wendigo. “For you yeah.” The old local grins. Scary stuff.
Covid made me miss out on “Antlers” in the theater. I’m glad I saved the money. It’s fine. Watch it for Felicity. Or Landry. Or Speedle. Don’t expect to be wowed.
“Antlers” is currently only available to watch on Hulu.
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