Scott Cooper has directed some acclaimed dramas– ‘Crazy Heart’, ‘Black Mass’, ‘Hostiles’– but he is now turning his attention to the realm of horror. A frightening trailer has been released for his newest picture ‘Antlers’, which stars Keri Russell as an elementary school teacher, Julia Meadows, as well as Jesse Plemons as her sheriff brother, Paul Meadows, and Jeremy T. Thomas as Lucas Weaver, the latest in a long line of creepy kids in horror movies. The screenplay was written by C. Henry Chaisson and Nick Antosca, based on Antosca’s short story “The Quiet Boy.” ‘Antlers’ boasts both Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer among its producers.
While the new trailer is certainly bleak with flashes of gore, good luck figuring out what the movie is about based on it. Lucas is shown reading a short story to his class, including his teacher, Julia.
“Once, there were three bears that lived in a dark, wet cave up above a small town. Every day, Little Bear went to school, and at night he would come home and eat dinner. But, one day, Little Bear came home and Big Bear and Baby Bear were different. Big Bear got sick, and his insides turned black. Big Bear has become more angrier and meaner, because they had no food, no meat… But they had each other.”
There are glimpses of what could be bears, or bear-like monsters. But are they literal or nightmare images? If they’re bears, why is the movie called ‘Antlers’?
Watch for yourself and see if you can figure things out:
Antosca’s short story is quite creepy, but clearly it has been expanded for the film adaptation. That cast also includes Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan, Cody Davis, Sawyer Jones, and Arlo Hajdu.
A specific release date hasn’t been announced, but it is expected in 2020. Personally, I think this has “film festival” written all over it, so it’s likely it will make that circuit before a wider release.
Source: Variety
