Antlers is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Scott Cooper, and starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, and Amy Madigan. The screenplay was adapted from Nick Antosca's short story "The Quiet Boy". The film follows a school teacher who suspects one of her students is suffering from personal problems in his home life, not knowing that he is harboring an evil demon in his house.
Plot[]
In the small town of Cispus Falls in central Oregon, Frank Weaver runs a meth lab out of an inactive mine. While his 7-year-old son Aiden waits outside in his truck, Frank and an accomplice are attacked by an unseen creature.
Three weeks later, 12-year-old Lucas Weaver, Frank's eldest son and Aiden's older brother, spends his time roaming the town, collecting roadkill and killing small animals before taking them home. Lucas's teacher, Julia Meadows, is alarmed by his strange behavior and frightening drawings, and attempts to bond with the troubled boy. She begins to suspect that Lucas is being abused and becomes determined to help him, spurred by her own experience of childhood abuse at the hands of her mentally ill alcoholic father. Since her father's recent suicide, she returned to Cispus Falls to be with her brother Paul, who is the local sheriff, and whom she feels guilty about abandoning when she was younger. Julia visits Lucas' rundown home and hears strange sounds.
A flashback shows Frank survived the attack, and set up a locked room in the attic after returning home with Aiden, who was also attacked, demanding that Lucas should keep them locked inside no matter what. Lucas is feeding his sickly, and now-ravenously feral father and brother with the animal carcasses he retrieves.
Half of the remains of Frank's accomplice are found in the woods by former sheriff Warren Stokes. Paul and Warren later discover the other part of Frank's accomplice in the mine along with a part of an antler. Meanwhile, Julia pressures the school principal Ellen into paying Frank a visit. Ellen discovers the room where Frank and Aiden are locked up, which she unlocks and enters. Frank kills Ellen before antlers burst out of his body. Frank, now transformed into a savage antlered creature, kills Lucas' school bully Clint Owens when Lucas is harassed by the boy.
Ellen is reported missing and Julia visits the Weaver house, where she finds Ellen's car. The police arrive and discover Ellen's body along with Frank's, which is now a charred husk. Aiden is nowhere to be found. When Lucas returns home, he is taken to the hospital, where Julia and Paul are told he is severely malnourished, dehydrated, and shows physical signs of having been abused for years. Julia decides to let Lucas stay with her.
The next day, while Lucas recovers in the hospital, Julia and Paul pay Warren a visit and show him Lucas' drawings. Warren identifies the figure as the wendigo, a legendary Algonquin demon that appears as a ravenous, cannibalistic deer-like monster that passes from person to person. It can only be killed when it is weakest: as it is feeding and to extinguish its beating heart. Clint's body is discovered that night. Lucas is discharged and learns that Frank is dead. He tells Julia that Frank is coming for him, to take him down to the mine to be with Aiden.
The transformed Frank uses Aiden to lure Paul's fellow sheriff Dan out and kill him. Julia and Lucas hide while Paul is badly wounded. Lucas escapes to the mine and Julia and Paul follow, armed with a pistol. Inside, Julia discovers Lucas and Aiden, and sees that Frank has indeed become a demon, currently feasting on a dead black bear. After a fight, she kills the wendigo-possessed Frank with Lucas' help. The wendigo spirit passes into Aiden and Julia stabs Aiden to death, seemingly ending the curse.
Sometime later, Paul and Julia discuss keeping Lucas with them for a while despite concerns he may become possessed as well. As Julia and Lucas leave, Paul begins to cough up a black bile, as Frank did when he was first possessed by the demon.
Cast[]
- Keri Russell as Julia Meadows
- Katelyn Peterson as Young Julia
- Jesse Plemons as Paul Meadows
- Jeremy T. Thomas as Lucas Weaver
- Graham Greene as Warren Stokes
- Scott Haze as Frank Weaver
- Rory Cochrane as Daniel LeCroy
- Amy Madigan as Principal Ellen Booth
- Sawyer Jones as Aiden Weaver
- Dorian Kingi as the Wendigo
- Cody Davis as Clint Owens
- Lyla Marlow as Jasmine Drury
- Jesse Downs as Harrison Crawford
- Arlo Hajdu as Arlo Kebbins
- Ken Kramer as Dr. Gerald Ferguson
- Dendrie Taylor as Carol Reynolds
- Andy Thompson as Father Meadows
- Glynis Davis as Nurse Lorraine Byrd
- Michael Eklund as Kenny Glass
- Jay Brazeau as Dr. Francis
- Jake T. Roberts as Forensic Officer
- Charmaine Wilson as Market Cashier
- Lisa Cromarty as Ojibwei Narrator (uncredited)
- Emily Delahunty as Evie (uncredited)
