In which the Mister joins me in reviewing ANTLERS (2021), from director Scott Cooper and a script from Henry Chaisson and Nick Antosca and based on the short story, THE QUIET BOY: A SHORT HORRORSTORY by Nick Antosca. The film follows the story of a young woman who’s come back home to a remote Pacific Northwest town and is a middle school teacher. She encounters a young boy, Lucas (in a luminescent performance by Jeremy T. Thomas). The teacher, Julia (Keri Russell) and her brother, the town sheriff (Jesse Plemons) soonget swept up in the darkness thatsurrounds this young boy and they’re in a race to figure out what exactly is at the heart of some unexplained and brutal deaths around the town and how they’re tied to Lucas. Great cinematography, solid performances and outstandingFX help but not enough to save a mediocre script on a topic that could have been so much more. The film has a run time of 1 h 39 m and is rated R and is available on HBO Max but also for rent on many other platforms. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library.