Review: Backwoods horror drama 'Antlers' is deeply unsettling, but too serious to be scary

Oppressively atmospheric and more unsettling than scary, director Scott Cooper’s horror thriller “Antlers” made this viewer wince for all the wrong reasons.

In an Oregon town whose mine has gone bust, Julia Meadows (Keri Russell) is a middle-school teacher who notices one of her students, Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas) is particularly troubled. He’s underfed, and skittish about talking about what’s going on at home. Julia suspects abuse, and talks about it to her brother, Paul (Jesse Plemons), who’s the sheriff. Paul has gone out to the Weaver place too many times, usually to revive Lucas’ dad, Frank (Scott Haze), from an opioid overdose.

What Cooper, working off a script he co-wrote with Henry Chaisson and Nick Antosca (based on Antosca’s short story), reveals to us is how bad things are at the Weaver house. Lucas is bringing food to his little brother, Aiden (Sawyer Jones), and trapped animals to his dad, who must be locked in a dark room and seems to be turning into some sort of beast. Eventually, we get an explanation from Paul’s predecessor, retired sheriff Warren Stokes — who’s played by Graham Greene, a reminder that all movies are improved with Graham Greene in them.

Julia is heavily laden with a tragic backstory — we get elbow-in-the-ribs hints of an alcohol problem, and arch dialogue and flashbacks of abuse dispensed on her and Paul by their father. Julia’s troubles are suggested as an impetus for her desire to help young Lucas, but Cooper’s execution is clunky and strained.

Julia’s sorrows also slow down the story just when Cooper needs to be building up tension. Eventually, the horror kicks in, though in such underlit settings — everything here is at night or in dimly lit rooms — that it’s difficult to make out who’s getting torn apart. In the end, “Antlers” is a grim drama whose serious themes get in the way of delivering an effective scare.

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‘Antlers’

★★

Opens Friday, October 29, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for violence including gruesome images, and for language. Running time: 99 minutes.