Long-Delayed Horror Film Antlers Gets New Release Date

The Keri Russell-starring horror film Antlers has had a tough go of things, as its first trailer debuted back in 2019 and it has undergone a number of delays for various reasons, with its new release date claiming it will land in theaters on October 29th. It’s entirely possible, of course, that as that release date approaches, it could be delayed once again, but with this new release date being nine months away, surely the studio is hopeful that they won’t have delay it further. It’s also unknown whether the film will debut exclusively in theaters or if it will be made available to rent on VOD on that same date.

In Antlers, a small-town Oregon teacher (Russell) and her brother (Jesse Plemons), the local sheriff, discover that a young student (Jeremy T. Thomas) is harboring a dangerous secret with frightening consequences. The new trailer reveals that dangerous secret to be that someone close to the young boy, perhaps his father, is possessed by none other than Wendigo, with the boy bringing them their meals (the other people in the town).

The film is inspired by the story “The Quiet Boy” from Nick Antosca, creator of SYFY’s Channel Zero. Antlers was directed by Scott Cooper, who previously delivered audiences films like Crazy Heart, Black Mass, and Out of the Furnace.

Antlers was originally set to be released by Fox Searchlight, with one of its initial release date delays being that The Walt Disney Company acquired Fox, understandably causing some complications with all of its releases. The swapping of studios wasn’t the only setback the project faced, as the coronavirus pandemic saw theaters around the world shut their doors, impacting the entire movie industry.

Despite these various delays, fans are still eagerly awaiting the horrors the film has in store.

“I was so influenced early on by the work of John Carpenter, like Halloween, or certainly The Exorcist which is a favorite of mine, or even Tarkovsky’s Stalker,” Cooper previously shared with Collider. “So I’m able to bring all of that into one film which is exciting.”

He continued, “[Producer Guillermo del Toro] said I’ve obviously never seen you direct a horror film, but there’s a lot of horrific moments in your movies, so I’m more interested in someone who doesn’t work in that genre to step into it. Which is I guess a bit like Friedkin in a sense, having not directing in that genre before he took on The Exorcist. So I find that exciting, I’ve made my musical of sorts and my personal film with Out of the Furnace and my anti-gangster gangster movie, and then the Western… [Guillermo is] fantastic and so supportive and wildly imaginative, so it’s really been a great collaboration. I’m very fortunate that he asked me to do this.”

Antlers hits theaters on October 29th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars.