logo
Weather page
GET THE APP
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • Login
  • E-Edition
    • Marketplace
  • News
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • All Listings
    • Jobs
    • Place an Ad
  • SPECIAL SECTIONS
  • PHOTO GALLERY
  • CONTESTS
  • LIFESTYLE/ENTERTAINMENT
  • GAMES
  • CATTARAUGUS COUNTY SOURCE
    • NEWS
      • LOCAL
      • STATE
      • NATION
    • SPORTS
      • LOCAL
      • NATIONAL
    • OBITUARIES
    • OPINION
      • NEWS
        • LOCAL
        • STATE
        • NATION
      • SPORTS
        • LOCAL
        • NATIONAL
      • OBITUARIES
      • OPINION
    logo
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • All Listings
      • Jobs
    • E-Edition
      • Marketplace
    • Subscribe
    • Login
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • All Listings
        • Jobs
      • E-Edition
        • Marketplace
      • Subscribe
      • Login
    Titus Creek culvert project to close Broad St.
    Breaking News
    Titus Creek culvert project to close Broad St.
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 8, 2025
    SALAMANCA — A section of Broad Street in the city of Salamanca is to close between Hancock and Swan streets for the state Department of Transportation...
    {"daily-headlines-newsletter":"Daily Headlines", "newsletters":"Newsletters", "to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    Home Lifestyle
    Solid ideas don’t fully form in mythological horror ‘Antlers’
    Kimberley French/Searchlight Pictures
    Movie Reviews
    Kellen Quigley kquigley@oleantimesherald.com  
    November 4, 2021

    Solid ideas don’t fully form in mythological horror ‘Antlers’

    Another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, the new horror film “Antlers” was originally scheduled to be released in April 2020 but it is finally in theaters now. And in the

    Another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, the new horror film “Antlers” was originally scheduled to be released in April 2020 but it is finally in theaters now. And in the 18 months between its initial and eventual release, the world has seen the two hottest summers on record and more extreme weather events closer together.

    Meanwhile, more cultural awareness and progress has been seen for Native Americans in the previous 18 months as well with the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior and the second Monday in October being recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day. Unfortunately, since May, several thousand bodies of Native children have been discovered in unmarked graves at American Indian boarding schools across the continent.

    And so “Antlers,” a horror movie about the Native mythological creature the wendigo that explores themes about environmental issues and child abuse, the timing may be better now than it was in April 2020. And while its ideas and concepts don’t come together to make a great horror movie, it still has enough good performances and scary scenes to be worthwhile.

    From director Scott Cooper, best known for “Black Mass” and Hostiles,” and produced by Guillermo del Toro, the acclaimed fantasy and horror director, the film has the right creators involved to make a visually stunning and effective cautionary tale. However, there are enough clichés, unfulfilled moments and disappointing twists that make me wonder what they were doing in the editing room for the past 18 months.

    Set in an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher Julia (played by Keri Russell) is concerned about the wellbeing of one of her students, Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas), after she notices a sudden and worrisome change in his behavior and appearance.

    Asking for help from her sheriff brother Paul (Jesse Plemons), Julia begins an investigation and discovers her enigmatic student is hiding a dark secret about his home situation, notably the strange possession of his father Frank (Scott Haze) by a legendary ancestral creature who came before them.

    Now, in hopes of saving Lucas, Julia and Paul must work together after Frank escapes from the family home and begins killing locals. But there may be no stopping the creature after Lucas’s little brother Aiden begins showing disturbing signs of possession himself.

    The best thing going for “Antlers” is its setting and tone, which are dreary and hopeless from the start. Way out in rural Oregon where it’s constantly raining and overcast, the small town with vast forests and an abandoned mine make for a perfect horror location. There are long shadows and plenty of dark spaces that anything could be hiding in, which is only heightened by Cooper’s choice of using several long, slow takes to build that tension.

    But as the audience learns more about what’s going on, and the early discovery that it is indeed a wendigo that has possessed Frank and is making him go crazy while his craving for raw meat increases, it’s disappointing that another First Nations story is being used out of context for entertainment.

    Heck, even the always-incredible Graham Green is here playing the only Native character, but he’s been relegated to the “old Indian who knows the real supernatural reason why everything bad is happening” cliché, and it’s kind of sad to see even though he’s great.

    Thankfully the entire cast does a great job. It’s no surprise that Russell and Plemons are fantastic, because even though they are rarely the stars in the projects they’re in, they always nail the supporting roles, so it’s nice to see them excel again here. Newcomer Thomas also delivers a solid performance in his breakout role as a scared and damaged pre-teen who just wants to help his dad and brother.

    Although the horror elements can be impressive, especially the practical makeup and special effects, my favorite thing to see in stories about supernatural monsters is that human beings are the real monsters. So when hints of things like drug addiction, child abuse and destroying the environment being the reason for the wendigo’s emergence came up, I was all here for it.

    Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t capitalize on those interesting and important topics, instead devolving into a run-of-the-mill scary movie with a monster and killing and an entity to defeat. It was still entertaining, but it could have been so much more.

    Tags:

    antlers cinema film horror film jeremy t. thomas julia paul performance show
    {"website":"Website"}

    Salamanca Press

    Local & Social
    Latest news for you
    Old Times Remembered for July 10–16
    Local News, News, Salamanca News
    Old Times Remembered for July 10–16
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 10, 2025
    150 Years July 15, 1875: (SALAMANCA —) Last Friday morning (July 9), Mr. T. Ingstrum opened his grocery store at the usual hour, and found that somebo...
    Read More...
    {"daily-headlines-newsletter":"Daily Headlines", "newsletters":"Newsletters", "to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    Cattaraugus County Source 07-10-2025
    Cattaraugus County Source, Special Sections
    Cattaraugus County Source 07-10-2025
    mkeim@oleantimesherald.com 
    July 10, 2025
    Read More...
    {"website":"Website"}
    Opinion
    Kellen’s Pressing Issue
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 10, 2025
    How many have you seen? A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times released its list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century (so far), compiled from...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    Opinion
    Deb’s Pressing Issue
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 10, 2025
    Remembering ‘Jaws’ “Jaws,” the 1975 thriller film classic, had its 50th anniversary in June. Steve Spielberg’s “Jaws” became the highest-grossing film...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    Out & About
    Featured, Local News, News
    Out & About
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 9, 2025
    To add an event, email the details to salamancapress@gmail.com. Include "Out & About" in email subject line. July 10 – Summer at Stone House Event at ...
    Read More...
    {"daily-headlines-newsletter":"Daily Headlines", "newsletters":"Newsletters", "to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ is no franchise savior, but it offers thrills and fun
    Movie Review
    ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ is no franchise savior, but it offers thrills and fun
    Kellen Quigley 
    July 9, 2025
    About 10 minutes into the runtime of “Jurassic World Rebirth,” a character is driving through New York City, where a long-necked sauropod dinosaur has...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To Print", "website":"Website"}
    Cattaraugus County Source
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Cattaraugus County Source 07-10-2025
    Cattaraugus County Source, Special Sections
    Cattaraugus County Source 07-10-2025
    mkeim@oleantimesherald.com 
    July 10, 2025
    Read More...
    {"website":"Website"}
    This Week's Ads
    Current e-Edition
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Already a subscriber? Click the image to view the latest e-edition.
    Don't have a subscription? Click here to see our subscription options.
    Mobile App

    Download Now

    The Salamanca Press mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the Salamanca Press on your mobile device just as it appears in print.

    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store

    Help Our Community

    Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!

    Get in touch with The Salamanca Press

    Submit Content
    Submit News Send a Letter to the Editor Place Wedding Announcement
    Advertise
    Place Birth Announcement Place Anniversary Announcement Place Obituary
    Subscribe
    Start a Subscription e-Edition Contact Us
    Illinois Hancock Journal-Pilot Iroquois Times-Republic Journal-Republican The News-Gazette
    Indiana Fountain Co. Neighbor Herald Journal KV Post News Newton Co. Enterprise Rensselaer Republican Review-Republican
    Iowa Atlantic News Telegraph Audubon Advocate-Journal Barr's Post Card News Burlington Hawk Eye Collector's Journal Fayette County Union Ft. Madison Daily Democrat Independence Bulletin-Journal Keokuk Daily Gate City Oelwein Daily Register Vinton Newspapers Waverly Newspapers
    Michigan Iosco County News-Herald Ludington Daily News Oceana's Herald-Journal Oscoda Press White Lake Beacon New York Finger Lakes Times Olean Times Herald Salamanca Press
    Pennsylvania Bradford Era Clearfield Progress Courier Express Free Press Courier Jeffersonian Democrat Leader Vindicator Potter Leader-Enterprise The Wellsboro Gazette
    © Copyright 2025 The Salamanca Press 639 Norton Drive, Olean, NY 14760  | Terms of Use  | Privacy Policy
    Powered by TECNAVIA