ANTLERS (2021) Ending Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- #antlersmovie #endingexplained
In Antlers, a young boy is harboring a dark secret that could lead to dangerous and deadly consequences. We're breaking down the story, including the important past trauma that unites our characters, as well as detailing all about the Wendigo, as well as explaining the ending.
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On the scene with the abusive dad crying and clutching the bear, there is a reason! In child abuse cases sometimes after each abuse episode the abuser will have a breakdown and/or be extremely apologetic to their victim. This builds sympathy and false empathy between the abuser and victim, making the victim see their abuser as a sort of 'victim' as well. It also helps prevent the victim from reporting the abuse, as they feel bad for their abuser as they must be a 'victim' as well. Despite the abuser being seemingly regretful, it is very important to note that the abuser will not cease the behavior
Definitely some self-loathing there.
Thank you for pointing that out
Good point
Spot on, I also think it can bring another aspect that abuse usually happened to the abuser before they became the abuser. Your idea is definitely correct but because of the complexities of abuse, it could also be the abuser reliving his abuse that he faced and realizing he is no better than what started it.
@@percfreak14 not only that people think that just bc the abuser is abusing their victim that they 1. Don't actually love them 2. Are not regretful. Which is actually wrong. They can love the person they abuse and still abuse them. And they can regret what they did to their victim but still continue the abusive behavior. It comes down to trauma, impulse control, power struggles, emotional maintenance on top of a heap of other mental things. Abuse as a lot more complex than most people think and it's makes it even more difficult to spot and prevent.
Despite the lack of full horror, this movie is amazing in terms of cinematography, child actors and the practical wendigo at the end looked phenomenal
A lot of people are up at arms because this film wasn’t a gory kill-fest from start to finish. Personally, I thought this movie was very well done and the true horror element was the sense of despair, depression, and overall dread that the town and main characters conveyed throughout. I also thought the Wendigo Monster looked amazing and who doesn’t like some good old fashion practical effects!? This movie is clearly not for everyone but those who get it, appreciate it. Like so many other commentators have mentioned, the short story; The Quiet Boy, which the film is based on is a really good read and depending on who are, they say it’s even better than the film. With that being said, I totally have to check it out. Anyways, I agree with your opinion and I can’t wait to read the short story so I can watch the movie again to compare. Cheers!
@@archangel5627 funnily enough, the main “outrage” I heard was people bitching about the whole antlered wendigo thing since that’s not what it looks like in native folklore. I can understand not liking that but at the end of the day it’s a movie and the antlered design is a lot more marketable and lets them give it a more creative/monstrous design. Plus, they did start off with the traditional wendigo anyway and he only gets antlers after his transformation which I think is a nice way to combine the original legend with the modern pop culture version, not to mention that this is adapted from a book which used the antlered design too so they couldn’t really change it and then call the movie ‘Antlers’ lol
@@YodaOnABender true. But like many legends there are different interpretations. Some have the antlers large while others have the skinny beast
@Wes & TKP 66-02 Imagine watching a movie you didn't like, then watching a video on that movie, then going to the comments and making not one but two whiny replies because someone likes that movie. Go back to watching Charlie Brown's Christmas mate if you're that upset
@Wes & TKP 66-02 You really take it personally that someone doesn't "hate" this movie as much as you? Yikes...maybe try a hobby? Painting? Coloring maybe? 😳
i didn't mind the way the narrative went. A Wendigo is much more than just a horror creature, they represent taboos and other traumas so this movie's theme does fit the creature. I'd have loved to see it for a bit longer but it was amazing while it was there.
This movie did better with the Wendigo than any adaptation of “Pet Sematary”
@@LucyLioness100 Agreed.
@@LucyLioness100 yeah but the wendigo aspect of Pet Sematary was more symbolic than anything else, it was about grief and not letting go to the point of self damnation
@@D0NU75 actually the Wendigo’s role in “Pet Sematary” is why the corpses buried in the Micmac burial site come back changed and the violent actions of Gage upon his resurrection
@@LucyLioness100 yeah but my point is that the wendigo per se isn't the subject of the movie, sure he is the one cursing people but it's the people who can't cope with death the ones dooming themselves. Also as far as i recall none of the resurrected present desires of consuming human flesh, they come back with a few memories and fully evil but that is as far as it gets.
Gotta say the kid who plays Lucas has to be one of the BEST child actors I’ve ever seen
believe it or not he's like 14
He was so good/ believable! Not to mention the scene where he was getting assessed by the nurse/DR and you could see his frail body :(
@@montyjohnn2826 Yeah such a good actor but he legit looks like 10
@@avabradford6830 The film was going to be released in 2020 originally but it stands to reason it was actually being filmed in 2019 or even as early as late 2018, so Jeremy T. Thomas (Lucas) would have been about 12 or 13.
He looks 7
It was produced by Guillermo del Toro. That should already indicate it was going to be using the supernatural to tell a dramatic family story. Based on this I knew it would be a drama and was relatively satisfied.
Oh Del Toro.
Now it made sense
Wish the ending wasnt so predictable
@@meganmichaels9510 if they stuck more to the original "source material" it was at this point very loosely based upon, there would be no bittersweet ending, just the bitterness... Though, for what it was and how it did with the concept of wendigo, it did quite well... Can only recommend to read the Quiet boy to get a different picture of what might've been
@Sean Ferguson Totally! Even on the drama it fell short
This movie was so good and not afraid to tackle some real human horrors. The trailers were selling more gore but this movie will stick with me for a long time
I've watched it 3 times. The trailer got me. Its spooky and interesting. Felt so much for the baby boy seeing his family so sick even though knowing there was no hope for them.
Wtf movie were you guys watching this movie sucked
@@heyyou66 people like what they want
Perfect, i love movies that haunt you after watching. Thank you.
I've already forgotten it. Had to watch this review as a refresher.
This movie honestly did instill some dread in me. Especially whenever Lucas was on screen. I was always so concerned with what would happen whenever he was there
Quick Edit: this may be a bit dark but there's some part of me that thinks Lucas should have killed his brother. I personally think that would have been more impactful.
Maybe social work is your calling?
True. I felt the same about Lucas.
@@wiliona1999 What the actual fuck is this?
The ending was underwhelming, but it's overall great!
@@stephanielee1261 the sex bots are everywhere dude....indeed....wtaf
I always appreciate your ability to differentiate between a "bad movie" and a movie that you just had extreme expectations for. A lot of people don't realize that they let themselves down by creating too much mental hype.
No it’s not a bad movie, but it’s not the movie it should have been.
Something worth noting is that, while not a perfect dad, Frank doesn't seem to be physically abusive. I kinda read the movie's symbolism as being more about using Frank's transformation as mirroring Julia's fathers descent into abuse but being far worse. He's also very protective of his sons, and he doesn't harm them after transforming. Which kinda solidifies my theory that it's less that Frank is also abusive, but whereas Julia's father was a human monster and scumbag, Frank becomes a literal monster.
The fact that he doesn't harm them after transforming may be due to a theorized trait Wendigos have overall.
Now I get my source from Until Dawn, so feel free to tell me that it's not valid for Wendigo fact-checks. But in the game, it is stated that Wendigos are sometimes able to retain memories of those whom they loved and/or had relationship ties with in any way, and thus can lead to them recognizing that person even as a Wendigo.
So if any of that is true, it could be that Frank recognizes his sons even as a Wendigo, and thus sees to it that no harm comes to them whatsoever, while everyone else is fair game.
The wendigo being used as an allegory for cycles of abuse, is especially disturbing when Paul only presents his symptoms once they are in care of the little boy.
i never caught that!
Damn you took it on the next level
It has nothing to do with that, he shows symptoms after the attack, that’s it.
**Just a friendly reminder for all fellow mandated reporters that you NEVER have to tell/ask permission from your superior to report suspected abuse. If you suspect it, REPORT IT.**
No shit lol
@@criminal-tc not everyone knows that. Find something other than preventing child abuse to troll on.
@@isattathecreator troll lol that 22 likes should keep her going for a while though
@@criminal-tc well...every...like counts?
@@criminal-tc There are hundreds of examples of people not reporting because their boss told them not to/they would do it/etc. SooooOoooO….. shoot. Happened in a school district in my county just last year with multiple teachers involved.
I loved how Julia heard the noises even though given "an invitation " to enter the house just decided to wisely leave like a bat outta hell. Too bad the Principal didn't have the same common sense.
Yea the principal lady was funny to me because as soon as she saw the conditions of the home help should have been called but instead she just had to go unlock doors and investigate shit 😭
Well remember the principle heard a boy crying but the teacher only heard growls
I took away a nuance that Chris didn't. At the end, when Paul asks if Julia could kill someone she loves, I took it to be him implying that he *had* done that before - namely, that their father's "suicide" was actually Paul removing dear old abusive dad from the picture and staging it as a suicide (made easier by being the sheriff). Which casts his actions in the rest of the film in a different light - all his interactions are colored by guilt and that guilt fuels the opioid addiction he displays throughout the film (which Chris glosses over).
Would’ve been a very good theory is he did staged it.
You’re assuming a lot there my man, with minimal evidence to boot. Lots of cops have opioid addictions from years of putting their bodies of abuse. I more so saw it as the drug problem has even permeated into the police force in this small town. People don’t normally turn to opioids to deal with guilt/trauma.
I took away the same thing. Plus, when Lucas asks Julia how her father died, she says "Well, he kind of did it to himself", which I thought was a slightly odd way to put it.. Someone else did it, but he *kind of* did it to himself by committing the abuse he eventually had to pay for.
@@alolandonaldtrump8368 people in small towns like this do. Im in Washington outside a reservation- most of the poorer people here are on opioids or meth. It helps you cope with living in a pit of despair while being helpless to change it. Hell this whole movie feels like this town im in now. You are right though that there could be another reason for it- but I also think he killed daddy dearest also I miss my home city lol, the NW is scary af
Who TF Is Chris?
This was one of my favorite slow burn horror movies. The one part where Lucas’ dad had the antlers come out of his mouth was particularly gruesome for me
Oh my goodness this was undeniably the best part of the movie. I wish more horror movies had this kind of gore, even with the lower budget- THIS part MADE the movie for me. Until the end brings it down again..
@@lifestream1689 I'd really like to see more Wendigo focused horror movies after this one
It Was Disgusting. But That's What Made It So Terrifying!
I Agree Whole Heartedly!
yeah when he bit off the lady's fingers was pretty disturbing
The concept of 'Beast Men' is really common around the world, but often treated so differently when it comes to modern movies.
For instance, European Werewolves are yet another version of the social fear of cannibalism, but modern stories tend to focus more in living with lycanism, as oppose to wendigo-ism being pretty much a game ender.
In the actual American Indian folklore, a wendigo is not a beast man by any means.
@@TrickyMMA That's why I put 'x'. 'Animal and man mixed tigether in an unnatural way'.
A Wendigo was once a man, and now the man is a beast, creature, animal, thing.
It's the fear of man changing into something that is not a man. A 'beast'.
Then you have aspects of cannibalism, as most 'creatures' we fear tend to eat people. No one ever told the story of the man turning into a squirrel. (Although you do get the odd woman turning into a wasp, or cow).
Creatures already born part man, part beast, are beastiality, and srparate from the 'man to beast' 'transformation' section.
But Wendigos do fall into the general 'beast man' section. It's just specific to the 'one way' transformation.
Werewolves and Lycans tend to be 'dual transformation', back and forth (to keep it spicy), but they also have aspects of 'spirits', 'curses', etc. That stuff tends to be put to one side for the lunar stuff, but brought out for Wendigos.
Werewolves are so saturated that you can just say "and there was a wrrewolf" and no one asks "why", but with a Wendigo they're always explained as being specifically due to mining, etc.
Like no, tell me why this werewolf came to be. Was he cursed by a witch? Did he destroy a Pagan temple? Is this a family curse brought on by greed? All the spiritualism has been stripped away.
@@rsmith6366 The mythology around werewolves is deeply ingrained in pop culture at this point. With the cgi and budget involved I can imagine studios aren't too into the idea of rewriting vampire mythology or something of that scale. Vampires and werewolves are basically "IPs with global recognition" in today's scheme of things. Re WBs monster universe.
On a positive note Gaia and Blood Red Sky have me very excited for the new trend of cosmic horror meets science. Hopefully more filmmakers take that route.
Because living with lycanism is more interesting.
@@TrickyMMA you say that as if "native" Americans are one people.
As someone from a small town in Oregon, sadly the drug thing is pretty accurate. I had a friend that that happened to. She left school and a couple days later her parents were busted
As someone from a small town in Pennsylvania, the entire story is ridiculously accurate for its depictions.
In regards to the initial Windigo attack; it was remarked by the Native American hunter that the body of the victim he found (the drug guy) was poorly and partially buried in the woods. I took that to mean that Lucas had hidden it there (he was nearby making an animal trap, maybe the woods were along his route home or otherwise known to him) and tried to bury it to hide it. How Lucas ended up with only half of the victim's body is anyone's guess, maybe his father came out dragging it after being wounded, not realizing he was pulling out only half a person. And as for the last scene, I read it as the siblings watching Lucas feed on a wild animal of some sort. I thought that fleck that gets wiped off his face was just a bit of gore from the animal he just fed on, already having to consume raw flesh.
Zactly 👍🏽
I'm still confused to where the first wendiboy went after attacking frank
No. The original Wendigo did before he got the hell outta dodge to escape the seal's influence.
I think the spirit of the W. Entered Lucas father, then he attacked his friend in the tunnel, that was the body in the woods .
@@johnnythepillpopper1974 Did u not clearly see something attack BOTH MEN TOGETHER??!! Lucas' father was right next to the guy as he was attacked n dragged away etc!
I loved the short story this was based on and couldn't wait for this adaptation to come out! The ending is different though so I totally recommend giving it a read if you can because the original is just so great. I mean, it's really gd _dark_ but great!
Right? I read the short story first and damn that ending was way darker
@@christianprobst6208 Seriously! I don't think I can remember another story that filled me with that much sustained dread throughout!
Where can i read it??
how about you actually SHARE the story instead of talking about it
@@samgarcia209 if you look up the movie on wiki it should have the original author's name, etc! 👍
Can I just say, Jesse Plemons (Paul) did a phenomenal job portraying the subtleties of trauma. You know that he was also abused, and it manifests differently in him than his sister, showing a different way that people cope with trauma
Yeah he was my favorite character and it's unfortunate what happened in the end
There's a book series called The Monstrumologist and the second book is titled "The Curse of the Wendigo." Not to spoil it for anyone, but the wendigo also has a penchant for wearing its victims' faces, and during the climax, it gets really wild. Seeing this one wear the father's face was a total holy shit moment for me.
I remember reading scary short-stories on reddit.
One was about a group of friends in a cabin and a Wendigo was hiding among them.
Didn't expect much first, but it freaked me out good.
The best story was an animated exchange of text messages.
Like the creature from IT FOLLOWS, the shapeshifter turns into people you know, to get close to you.
I wasn't able to sleep next to my husband for weeks.
I know it sounds insane, still that OCD like thought in my head wouldn't go away, especially after waking up in the middle of the night and having to use the toilett.
I love this book series.
I thought I had just imagined that series
These child actors are extremely impressive- plus the makeup and special effects team. They looked so sickly it made my stomach churn.
The little boy who acted as Lukas did so well, especially during that scream scene had me so emotional remembering times I’ve felt that helpless during my traumatic childhood
Fun fact:Wendigos in Algonquin folklore don't have antlers instead they look like the Wendigos from until dawn but way taller because Wendigos are giants that's why thier hunger is never satisfied.
The antlers come from a 2001 movie named "Wendigo" and it features a wendigo with a deer skull, that is why Wendigos are depicted to have deer skulls in pop culture.
But the algauqian people were very angry about that change and I understand why because it's like putting an ant head on a vampire.
Also Wendigos hearts are made out of ice and can only be destroyed by fire and they live in cold regions like Canada because They are lonely spirits of winter.
Was it really as recent as 2012 the deer skull began being associated with wendigos?
@@gavinf28
I meant 2001 movie.
Correct me if I'm wrong but isnt it like a HUGE no-no to even say the W word in the Algonquin folklore or am I confusing it with flesh pedestrians from Navajo folklore?
@@gudkush420
You mean the skinwalkers from the Navajo folklore.
Wasn't the Wendigo in Pet Sematary described having antlers?
Belief in the wendigo is not native to Oregon. It’s a belief held by the cultures that speak languages in the Algonquian language family. They live in eastern Canada and the great plains.
There are plenty of native folklore entities they could have used instead, but I guess they didn’t want to set it in Canada and they couldn’t BA to research indigenous folklore from Oregon like that of the Chinook or Kalapuya.
They could have set the story to Michigan if they wanted it to be in the US but overlap with there the Wendigo lore originated. Plenty of old mine towns in the UP.
@@missybees1104 That would definitely work. Apparently the original story it's based on is set in Oregon? I just don't get how someone can put so much effort into something and not even look it up.
This movie was filmed in British Columbia, so technically it is set in Canada… the wrong part of Canada, but still Canada. 🤷🏼♀️
It’s weird because the movie is filmed in Canada but the movie setting is in Oregon. I don’t know why that happened
In the mythology the natives believed that dreaming of the wendigo or even being in close proximity for too long cand acute turn you. Ofcourse the antlers wasnt part of the original windego myths but the burning skin and heart is pretty legit. There are even documented cases of natives banishing themselves because they would have dreams of devouring children and since dreams were taken almost as gospel they would start to go mad with the belief that they would turn and eat their own loved ones so they would have warriors of the tribe execute them
Also one thing about wendigo is that in actual folk lore about them they do not have antlers and are stated to be almost hairless humanoids. The wendigos we see with the deer skull faces and antlers actually comes from a movie about a wendigo from years and years ago. People just assumed that wendigos look like the way they’re look in that movie so it stuck.
Every time I hear wendigo I think of that game Until Dawn
@@davidatkins9793 until dawn is one game where they have actually somewhat accurate wendigos
Skinwalkers usually have antlers.
@@user-xj3mo2lx9z skinwalkers have whatever features they like
Skinwalkers were appropriated from Indigenous and First Nations. I'm ashamed that this is ignored, dismissed or mocked.
After watching it myself, i came to the conclusion that Frank was actually a good dad and genuinely wanted to protect Lucas, but as he become more and more unwell he also became much more aggressive which is why he locked himself away from the kids.
Idk just my initial thoughts from watching it
Watching the shed scene in theaters is an experience. I was honestly looking for criticisms at this point (couldn’t find many,you summed up my feelings perfectly of how I was disappointed because of how I’d built it up but I still enjoyed it greatly) and it’s like a good ten minutes of three adults falling for the same trap. The shed just gets destroyed more and more each time. The shots are almost the same each time of the people going up to the shed and it’s honestly hilarious watching it back to back. This movie for me highlights different types of abuse. Physical and of course the implied sexual abuse to male and female victims while also not being very explicit in the abuse which I love from movie’s nowadays for not going out of their way to film rape scenes or abuse and stuff like that. This movie also highlighted neglect and how it’s still a form of abuse. I don’t think Frank would smack around his kids but his wife did die at some point and they definitely used to take cute family photos which implies the grief and struggle to care for his family alone caused him to be distant and mean which led Lukas to take care of his brother more often than not. And it shows that even in its many different forms it’s all abuse. Even if they didn’t touch you,if they failed to care for you the way a parent should they abused you. And I like that a lot coming from a neglectful and verbally abusive family. I forced people to take me to see this film and I was a little disappointed but once I recognized why I enjoyed it even more.
Jeebus bro you just wrote a gd book
@@JOSH2625 sorry whenever I'm passionate about something I tend to write essays about stuff
I love the idea that the beast comes from inside, similar to how the werewolf was portrayed in Hugh Jackman’s vanhelsing. If any other films don’t follow that example it will always be below an 8/10 for me.
@@JOSH2625 Can i recommend you some good scary channel or is this offer too random to handle?
I, as a 22 year old girl who loves horror movies, watched this in a theatre completely by myself and was disappointed :/
Reminds me of that weird looking but badass looking antler monster on the movie the Ritual.
Thanks for saying that movie! I forgot about it!!!
Loved the Ritual, it's an amazing movie
It's a Jotun from Norse mythology i think? Like a child of Loki or some weird shit?
I think the dad with the teddy bear is meant to represent her trauma as a child but envisioning him in her position. Maybe it's her way of coping with it.
Truly had been waiting on this movie for like 2 years because I’ve always wanted to see a movie with a wendigo like creature. Gotta admit I was disappointed at how easily she was able to kill it but he did take out a lot of people and the movie had to end. Hopefully we get a sequel honestly I give it a 9/10 me personally I just enjoyed it.
At least they let us know that the wendigo was in a weakened state after feasting, made it believable she could defeat the creature.
@@charlesyoung3857 I feel like that was an after thought after they realized the end "battle" was terrible.
@@PrettyTigerlilly What was it?
@@PrettyTigerlilly I wanna know
@@brytonup1551 The teacher dies
Also with the bear story he reads where he mentions them having no food, in legends Wendigos are created by humans who resort to cannibalism so they don't starve.
I felt bad for the dad as he wasn’t a necessarily bad dude. He had no malice towards his kids and wasn’t abusive, he genuinely cared about them but was subjected to the Windego transformation.
And when him turn into a windego him never actually hurt they
@@g.n.a4871 I got the same impression, but it doesn't add up with the doctor mentioning Lucas was a victim of abuse...
And being a meth head. It was discussed in the movie that Paul (the teacher’s brother) figured he would find him dead some day with a needle in his arm. And it’s never discussed how the mother of the boys died.
@@texbex1468 Lucas was being neglected, which can be classified as abuse
Horror has always been about trauma. Classic horror pieces are ALL about killing and the trauma that happens afterwards. So I need horror bros to relax. The newer batches of horror piece are focusing on that more. And frankly, trauma IS
Horror. It's the mundane horror we deal with daily. Trauma is so horrofyibg, people avoid dealing with it entirely, which effe to their loves and the loves of people who care about them. And people who don't care about them honestly. This review was fine, but in the future keep your lamenting on how trauma and sadness isn't horror.
I really enjoyed the short story this movie was based on, and it didn't surprise me that they changed the ending. A bit disappointing but I like the monster's design here
What was the original?
How does the book end?
The story ends that the boy gets dragged away into the dark by the monsters his brother and father turned into. It's left ambiguous though there's mention of slaughtered animals and people missing, showing the monsters are out of control and tearing apart anyone that tries to stop them.
@@IWasaTeenageTeenWolf Something a sequel could still give us, kinda
@@eldritchmorgasm4018 Definitely. Especially with the implications that anyone who saw a wendigo becomes a wendigo, given how both Lucas and the sheriff are turning into wendigos.
I really liked this one! I definitely was expecting more horror and gore but I'm not disappointed by what we got instead. It gives me A Quiet Place vibes in all honesty. Tight run time, slower pace, more character focused than anticipated, etc. And the actor for Lucas, man! What a performance. Hope that kid is able to continue working if that's what he want, talented!
Idk how he glossed over the fact that the wendigo didn’t just happen to have Frank’s skin on it’s face
It wore the face mask to cruelly manipulate Lucas even more
Trying to make him think it’s still his dad
logical point, but still it was Creepy as Hell
Pretty sure it was just leftover from the shedding but go off queen
@@GnomeChompsky94 ? then why didn’t he jus kill him, bro was clearly using him to cover up his mess and how easily a kid can be manipulated
Um no it was trying to hold on to a piece of its humanity. He also didn’t try to hurt his children
I found Julia's flashbacks very disturbing to me, usually with abuse like that it's all very subtly hinted at. But with Julia it's RIGHT THERE.
This was more sad than scary. All I could think about was the boy being malnutrished and him loosing his father and brother.
You ABSOLUTELY need to read the short story this movie is based on, it's heartbreaking. Even with the long wait, I wasn't disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What's the name of the short story?
@@Amy-G-Dala- yeah I wanna know too
@@Amy-G-Dala- The Quiet Boy! Read it after seeing the movie. I loved it!
@@michellevandepol5116 Thank you so much!
It's free online if anyone's hesitating. I figured it would be a purchase
I think the ending refers to both Lucas and her brother. Like her brother is obviously gonna turn and does she have the strength to kill him. And the know what he’s gonna become refers to Lucas possibly becoming a bad apple as an adult due to the trauma of his life.
Just finished watching this movie, really liked it. I do wish it had more horror and more scenes with the wendigo, because when you do finally see him it’s really cool and terrifying. But the film definitely ends suggesting that Lucas is sick, and Paul 100% is as he starts to bleed from the eye and is coughing up the black shit too. Really brutal ending but true to the rest of the movie. The cycle would just keep going, since the wendigo will just continue to find new hosts
The short story is truly haunting & this film actually does a good job translating it to the screen. I felt terrible for Lucas and his experience caring for his father and brother as they transform into monsters. Even the ending almost got me tearing up when Keri Russell’s character tells Lucas his brother won’t be the same ever again and has to do what she knows must be done. I was honestly hoping the short story’s ending would be kept, but I was able to overlook it and found the cliffhanger pretty unsettling
Yeah, and the original Wendigo is still out there.
@@JustSomeGuywithEpicGrasses if they ever did a follow-up, it would be interesting to know where the original entity is hidden. Plus having more of a native presence from the Indians would add layers considering this legend is from their culture
Honestly you need so much more credit no ads just making content. How do you make money how can people support you, you really do deserve it!
He makes his money off of the views and people subscribing to the channel.
Happy New Years to Found Flix! Another awesome and thorough explanation of a flick. After watching the explanation I think I’ll have to add this to the list of must watch movies. Seems like an eerie watch. Eerie in Indiana.
I wonder if that Wendigo at the beginning and what ultimately possessed the father were two different spirits. Perhaps there can be several Wendigos, or with that Wendigo being down there so long it was rather weak and perished some time after. Last theory on that: perhaps the Wendigo saw an opportunity in possessing another, and so shed its old form and opted to possess a fresh, rotten to the core, individual. Who knows. I’m thinking that beginning scene was added in there as an opening hook last minute. Those fiery sparks should have been what possessed the father in a more subtle scene. That way the spirit was released by human exploitation of the environment (like it referenced in the movie) when it had remained dormant for centuries, and it can operate like it did in the rest of the movie without that contradiction.
Don't forget that the other meth guy who worked with the dad was dragged out into the forest. The initial Wendigo was sealed in the cave, which could mean it was too strong for them to kill it. Seeing how easily they killed the dad, he was probably weak from being freshly transformed.
It was great seeing Kerri Russell in a lead roll again. I loved her in _The Americans_ & I've always wondered why she wasn't in more serious film/TV roles, as she's a phenomenal actress who has so much to offer in terms of range & talent, rather than just being another pretty face. The child actors were all extremely convincing, especially the main kid that plays the character Lucas. Jesse Plemons is always top-tier in his roles, & is no different in this film.
Up Until about midway through the film, I assumed that the whole _wendigo_ aspect was going to be an imagined/coping mechanism that Lucas came up w/to explain the neglect & abuse that he & his brother were experiencing at the hands of their monstrous father after he'd fallen deep into a meth-addiction, & as a recovering addict myself, who's seen 1st hand what addiction can do to people, if they'd gone in that direction I wouldn't have been surprised, however I was glad that they tied the horror, trauma & addiction themes together in a way that it didn't seem forced, or unnatural. The transformation & the eventual Wendigo creature reveal was very well done as-well, as it's tough to convincingly blend practical effects & CGI & have it not look dumb or silly, & this monster was anything but. They could have easily fucked up the ending, & I had enjoyed the film so much up to that point, I was anxious that would be the case, but I was very satisfied w/how it all ultimately culminated. I may be a bit jaded from years of watching countless shitty & disappointing horror films, to the point that anytime I come across 1 that's even 1/2 way decent, I tend to appreciate them to a degree that might be slightly exaggerated, but either way, I thought this was a fantastic *original* (key word) horror film.
If I may I'd like to recommend a few of my favorite recent horror films that you have yet to review on your channel - _Haunt_ from 2019, _John Dies at the End_ from 2012, & _Ghostland_ from 2018. I'm suggesting these 3 specifically because I consider all 3 of them to be hidden gems, as I very rarely (if at-all) see any of them mentioned, or covered when discussing modern horror films. It's a shame, because I consider them far superior to 90% of the popular, well-known horror films & franchises i've seen garner praise & success in the last decade, & i hate to see such extraordinary works of cinema go (for the most part) relatively unnoticed. None of them have gotten the respect or admiration they deserve, & while I hate the term _"underrated",_ because it's more often than not overstated, misused, & applied to people or things that literally couldn't be more highly rated than they currently are, but in this instance, it's fitting, because they should be on every horror buff's top 10 list, yet I never hear them mentioned at all. These 3 films all stuck w/me long after viewing them, & are at the top of my list of go-to horror films I reccomend when the opportunity presents itself, & w/your channel's well deserved popularity, (aside from maybe James from _Dead Meat)_ there's no better person to recommend them to. Please consider checking them out, & possibly reviewing them 🙏 so that you could help bring attention to them & allow them the opportunity to garner the praise, & admiration they ultimately deserve? Thanks bro ✌
& if anyone would like to recommend any recent horror gems that are undeservedly not as well known as they should be, like the films I mentioned, I'm all👂🏻 👂🏻& thanks to anyone who reads my unnecessarily long ramblings.
I enjoy a good monster movie, and I've been fascinated with the Wendigo myth since the video game 'Until Dawn,' so I'll probably torrent this...even though it seems that the movie gets some stuff wrong about the way Wendigos work; Wendigos have nothing to do with 'the earth being destroyed,' for example. The myth was created by Native Americans as a warning against cannibalism, which an unprepared tribe could easily fall victim to. Nothing more.
Still, I guess you can't expect a modern American movie of any genre to _not_ include some nagging, social justice nonsense.
I'll check it out to see the monster.
When it comes to recommends, I love HP Lovecraft and have a very, _very_ deep seated fear of the ocean (and water in general) due to being exposed to 'Jaws' at a very young age - my own fault, as I snuck out to the living room while my parents were asleep and turned on 'the grownup channel' just as it was starting.
So I think the movie 'Underwater' is right up my Lovcraftian/ocean fearing alley. I know it's not very popular and stars the main actress from...sigh...'Twilight' (it hurts just typing it), but it's a cool little movie.
'The Legend of Boggy Creek' is an underappreciated classic. I think you can watch it here on TH-cam...
I also have a fascination with Giant Squids and Crocodiles (my water fears, along with sharks, obviously). Shark Horror movies are a dime a dozen, but there are no good Giant Squid movies, to my knowledge.
They made a TV movie based on the Peter Benchley book 'the Beast,' which is indeed about a killer Giant Squid. I won't recommend the movie but I love the book ('The Girl of the Sea of Cortez' by him is great, too, but it's not horror. I very much suspect you like to read tho).
There have been a few real good Crocodile movies on recent years - the best one is probably 'Black Water: Abyss,' which is set in a cave during a storm which is causing the water to rise. A bad situation for your victims...Uh, I mean 'cast.'
So there ya go.
Enjoyed your 'lengthy' comment.
Yeah...I have no issues with those, obviously.
Happy New Year!
She's a great actress yes. Love her even since her early days on the Mickey Mouse Club.
i watched the movie a while back and it left me literally speechless. i think the design of the wendigo was so cool, and the decision to not show it much created so much tension and anticipation.
the dark color themes fit the story very well, plus you could tell at points what was going to happen, but the slight delays before stuff actually happens made me so anxious
recommended it to my friend and cant wait to hear his thoughts lmao
He can't just be like, "Wendigo, case closed."
Yeah, what do you think this is, Supernatural? 😂
Yes, they “implied” she had a drinking problem. They implied the hell out of it. They put on implication brass knuckles and implied you square in the face over and over.
As painfully obvious as going into a locked attic with blood and scratch marks everywhere with your phone in hand and not calling the police
you're right but in the context of horror movies it was in fact very subtle. usually it's so damn on your nose you have at least 3 shots of the character having flashbacks to them being wasted, at least 4 visits of AA and one scene where they grab a bottle and then dramatically discard it
@@WankiTank nah it was pretty on the nose. They just used a different route to get the point painfully across
I felt so bad for the Ginger, if you slow it down and turn it up, you can hear him yelling “RUN LUCAS” just proving that he was just trying to look out for him.
Okay but like the dude still tried to make him eat shit....
@@nerdycurls6253 And I think was a closeted gay since he seemed so stuck up on homosexual jokes and slurs. Perhaps he was also being sexually abused at home and that’s where the behavior stemmed from. I found it odd for the writer to make that choice in the script for it to not be significant to the character
I think it wasnt RUN LUCAS but just a scream coz the first word the Kid shouts was LUCAS then continued to scream like AHHH then LUCAS again. He might just wants help but not really saying RUN LUCAS. That’s what I’ve heard.
While the movie didn''t meet my expectations, it was still a good movie. For me Lucas was the best part of the movie. I loved the design for the Wendigo
I actually liked it. It was not what I was expecting, but I wasn't disappointed. Especially as far as the shit that is being released in the horror/thriller genre these days. Compared to most of that, this was actually really good.
When me and my cousin saw the movie, we thought it was great. But the one thing we thought was the most bizzare was the backpack scene. Not the bully and the monkey, but the fact the backpacks waa just laid out on the porch outside the school. We just asked each other "what psycho makes the kids leave they shit outside?"
Yeah same I watched it with my family and was asking the same thing lol.
Maybe bc like the principal said, parents are using their children to move drugs and instead of having security they just make the kids leave the book bags outside? Lol
@@Thecoochincanoocheecreek good point
I agree with the other person that replied to this. I think it was because of the drugs being an issue in the town. That was just a way they could decrease the chances of drugs being inside the actual school.
When it comes to the ward that is put on the door in the house, i have 2 theories. Either the dad grabbed the ward when he got out of the mine or maybe the boy had a native friend who has since left or been evicted who made it for him.
Lucas had the book in his school desk, more likely to have found how to make it there, or from the cave like you said
@@evil_noodles i agree it was likely from the book but i just like the theory of him having a Native Friend not only because it would help feed into the origin of the Wendigo, but show why the he is a loner, not only because he is the "weird kid" but because all of his friends were either evicted or had to move.
The kid in this was great. I was quite impressed with his performance
Even if this movie was a bit of a letdown I still loved every second of it
Yeah. especially since they could've gone the "oh, dad turns into monster and loses every bit of humanity," but they kinda didn't. He didn't go for his son, but the bully.
@@Void_Sweets true, though I feel like they kept contradicting what kind of guy he was supposed to be prior to being infected. In the opening he’s shown to be a pretty warm guy with a good relationship with his son (despite the whole meth thing). But for the rest of the movie the characters describe him as some abusive drunk/junkie which doesn’t really add up with how friendly he acts in the beginning of the movie
@@YodaOnABender he was a junkie took his son out of school. That's all I got from the movie. He was doing really well against the infection until he ate someone.
@@JustSomeGuywithEpicGrasses I said he was friendly, not responsible
@@YodaOnABender I guess we as an audience see the warm side of him to his family but others outside his home only see the bad
It's pretty cool seeing Wendigos making an emergence in horror
The wendigo is one of my all time favorite horror creatures
I'd rather they not. That is not just a silly horror movie monster that you feel entitled to. Colonialism made our stories into nothing but a boogeyman to scare people. Our culture, beliefs and stories are never treated with respect and this movie is yet another example of it. Also it is spelled Windigo, not Wendigo. Educate yourself.
@@nicoleb695 it’s not that serious…and it’s wendigo
@@nicoleb695 you really trying to gatekeep a myth….💀💀 embarrassing
@@PeterTheAlien Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t they supposed to be confidential creatures in native American folklore and not supposed to be appearing in media of any kind? They’re not horror creatures actually.
My biggest pet peeve about the movie was after the midway point it seemed very rushed and I wished they would have done the demon wendingo portrayed in the short story that fed off of pain instead of food
Maybe Lucas &Aiden are their childhood selves &how each of them dealt w/the abuse&trauma of their monstrous father &how it changed them differently...? She wants to save her bro (which's mirrored in Lucas' story) so he doesn't succumb to the darkness w/in & follow in their dad's footsteps -breaking the "abused becomes the abuser" (maybe that's why they showed the dad crying w/a teddybear - he, too, was abused?) but no matter how hard she tries, it's sadly inevitable.
If this was turned into a series (amc terror) that looked like this then it would perfect but everything wrapped up so quick with a character killing the monster so easily
The kid actors were freaking amazing and I felt for the kid the entire time. He was amazing and hated seeing his little brother in pain
Remember that the dad was newly transformed. The original Wendigo, the one that dragged the other meth guy out into the woods, is still out there. Since they sealed him instead of killing him, that Wendigo's likely too powerful to be killed.
The wards were working
Just when they crossed them
They were basically a window for it get out
You’re not suppose to cross them
Or remove them
They’re there to protect or keep things contained
From what I was told
Idk if anyone noticed this but the most bs thing in this movie I've witnessed is that The dad attacked and bite the principle on her left cheek but when they discovered her body, her left cheek was completely fine compare to other parts.
Here’s a wild hypothesis; the Wendigo in the mine wasn’t a wendigo exactly, but an angry great spirit - these are referenced separately from the wendigo, & wendigos themselves are from people. The bags might have been wards, but they also might have been just normal offerings to the great spirit- if so, the mine might have been on sacred ground (now allowed due to the new law), & the taboo wasn’t just substance or physical abuse (seems like it would have targeted more toensfolk), but the further harm the drugs would cause being prepared on the sacred ground
I freaking love Wendigos. They are just so cool, and their representations of taboos and trauma stuff is just awesome.
Me too
Just got diagnosed with COVID and was feeling really crummy (headache, fever, body ache). This upload has made my day!
Feel better! ❤️
You'll get through it buddy. I just did. Sleep all day and drink tons of water. You'll be good. Good luck ✌
A nurse told me taking zinc helps
You'll be okay prayers to you stay healthy and well strong hearts and kisses my sister
If you are elderly or have pre-existing conditions be careful if not I hope you don't get too sick
Horror reflects our national mood. Cold war aliens were always hostile, stealing bodies to move undetected among us (like Commies). After 2 decades of serial killers there came the Super-Evil Humans, the Jasons and Freddys. Now it’s Human Greed Made Flesh. Scariest stuff yet.
You know, I was gonna watch this movie but then boom! You pulled through!
You should still watch the movie. Don’t go in expecting anything though.
What confuses me, is how the monster managed to put back on his own face completely intact, when the transformation severely damaged it. In the transformation scene you can see his jaw and lower face breaking apart.
The last act of the movie really killed it for me. It was laughable.
The scene of three separate people continuing to walk up to that fucking shed and her just murdering that little boy in front of his brother.
@@trialerrorsharer9398 I was crying laughing. It’s more upsetting this movie just sat for a year and no one was like reshoot? At least fix the ending mine scene.
wow glad I fell asleep maybe ill just not finish it lol
Original ending in the story is so much better and way more haunting. Idk wtf they were thinking with this
@@StevelyBruckShut can you elaborate on the ending?
Generational trauma and empathy for abusers/trauma-bonds were such powerful themes in the movie. I like the uncertainty of the ending.
My favorite thing about Graham Greene is that he always seems to the same role in every movie he’s in as the “elder indigenous man” it reminds me of Danny Trejo in a weird way lol
I honestly thought the trama of the school teacher was that her father was the drunk and touched her inappropriately and that's why she left town for so long, only coming back after her dad had passed away. The movie kind of hinted at this, at least to me as I watched, that she seemed really uncomfortable living in her father's house with her brother. Her brother seems to know what happened to her as well and trying to act like it wasn't as bad as she thought.
Every part of the movie was great except the battle at the end. I was immersed throughout but how she killed the Wendigo at the end was disappointing.
This was based off of a beautifully written but dark short story. I would recommend reading it!
Yeah
I Just Found The Part Where Frank Weaver Was Transforming In To The Wendigo Absolutely Terrifying! The Way He Was Bending His Bones, Jesus!
I wish they added the moment in the short story where the wendigo asks for Lucas at the main woman's house. That was really creepy.
And on the matter of Frank's children, they should've locked Aiden up somewhere. He's not a threat at that size when he becomes a Wendigo. Why risk letting someone else get cursed (Paul) by killing him?
Um. Aiden was clearly turning while in the mine. After the larger wendigo was killed, it’s spirit moves to another host, you can see that when she’s about to stab Aiden, antlers are starting to come out of his mouth.
I LOVED this movie! My Twin Bro, my sister and I got to see this in theaters and the real sense of dread and horror where super fucking intense. That scene where Lucas has to put his headphones on.. that hurt us all.
I haven't seen the movie, but the wendigo dont make sense. Why was it hot? Wendigos are cold. And im sure they dont spread through blood.
I love the Wendigo folk lore and was very hyped for this movie, the first 30 mins of the movie was so good but unfortunately it went down hill and sadly they ruined the movie. Quiet disappointing but the Wendigo monster design was amazing.
They immediately failed when they set it in Oregon, where the wendigo isn’t even an indigenous belief.
The movie was cool in certain horror aspects. The whole thing for me was just an experienced to build up for Antlers 2. The creature adaptation depicted from stories was very good and I enjoyed the fact that it didn't just trail off into some other Hollywood based bs instead of sticking with the lore. The only thing that gave me a let down was the final sequence with Keri Russell and the wendigo. This thing tore and flung other humans like nothing, took down a whole bear to feast on and took shots from a gun, but Ker Russell could just start bobbing and weaving and stab it with a sharp pole?! Then she proceeds to just cut it's heart out with a regular knife like it's nothing. I'm sorry but I don't care how little weakened that thing was, it shouldn't have been that easy for a 120 pound person to just fight and kill it like that. Should have taken a team of some sort to take this thing down. The movie was cool up until that point. It's rewatchable, then you think about the ending and know what's coming. I still give it a 7/10, would have been 8, it's just that last battle that wasn't well thought out. Nonetheless, worth watching.
My only takeaway from this movie is that how I wish we could’ve saw how Franks condition worsened over the weeks..would’ve been interesting to see when he decided that he needed to consume flesh/blood instead of actual food.. plus it would’ve been cool to see the son turn as well.. because in the book both of them had transformed, so that was a little disappointing but I still enjoyed this movie!!
I get what you mean because compared to the story we’re introduced to Frank and Todd as monsters already which gives next to no sympathy for them. But in the movie we see a father just trying to provide for his two kids and doing everything he can to stave off his very obvious and supernatural sickness that will lead to pain for his family.
Exactly!!!! I would’ve liked to have seen Frank once he returned home after being attacked to see how he and his son were actually infected and I would’ve liked to see the turning point of him disregarding food up until the point where we wanted to consume blood/flesh. Like you said, in the short story they had already turned.. so the movie left that out which made me a bit disappointed.
@@stephenishola6205 I appreciated they showed that part for the movie especially since the beginning was so different from the story that I knew things were changing but I feel like there were a lot more ideas than what was given time for. Regardless still overall loved the movie
@@stephenishola6205 well the dad was infected when he was stabbed with the antlers while in the mine. The youngest son was infected by breathing in the embers or being too close for too long. In the legends of wendigos, I’m pretty sure you can get infected by being too close for too long.
Edit: also, the story wasn’t about Frank. The story is about the teacher and Lucas.
I like that it stay close to the short story it's based until the end. The endings are different. I liked the story ending better. But that's just me.
This isnt supposed to be taken literally, this is symbolic. It shows the patterns of abuse. From victim to possible abuser, a monster has the potential to create another monster. Sad movie
That's true bud
The detail that the Wendigo "soul" possessing the son is kinda like the abusive behavior will probably affect the victim later on
Is the guy with the mustache "Todd" from "Breaking Bad?"
Yup
Just wanted to say, I've been watching you for ages. I'm neurodivergent and can't sit still through a whole movie, so these breakdowns are great. They keep me up to date on films so I don't feel excluded from conversations amongst my friends.
You do a great service to those of us in the neurodivergent community who cant sit still for long, thank you so much.
I can't remember the last time I just sat down and did only one thing for more than a few minutes.
As a teenager, I would read those huge books.
My eyes would burn, my whole body would ache, but my brain wouldn't allow me to stop.
Then I started to live on my own and had bills to pay.
These days, I have even more bills, but a loving family and two precious babys.
Doing just one thing at the time is no longer an option, the day has only 24 hours and I wasn't privileged enough to crawl out of 'wealthy' genitalia.
Watching content just for fun is a luxury I might be able to enjoy in the background.
My grandmother would iron a mountain of clothes and watch her soap operas.
I prefer TH-cam channels, but the responsibilities are still the same.
I'm also ND and I feel the same!
So what happened to the original Wendigo that attacked the dad & youngest son?
I was waiting for so many years for this to come out, and was soooo hyped when I finally got to see it. I did really enjoy it for the most part, & thought it did an amazing job with the atmosphere. But my biggest problem, is it really felt like it suffered from a lack of budget, especially in the last 30 minutes. Which is weird, given how much its budget was... I love films that only give you glimpses of the monster throughout, then have a big payoff. This did a really good job with the buildup, but unfortunately it kinda fell a little flat at the end imo. The practical effects for the wendigo were really good, but you could tell the full cgi model was incomplete, which was why that last bit of the film took place almost entirely in the dark.
I just don’t like how they easily just killed him off like he isn’t this mythical beast that claims to be frightening and powerful
Wasn't the whole wendingo thing actually about canabalism
Yes
this movie was fantastic. I know you came for the gore but it was just sooo good regardless. the execution and not having everything totally obviously overexplained about the characters was such a breath of fresh air in proper storytelling
I love the fact that horror can be blended so it envelops something larger than only slashers or paranormal activity (badum tsss), and now it can carry messages that were transmitted before with other movies that weren’t classified as “horror”
please do Silent Night 2021, i saw this movie in theaters with no context and it was a wild ride
It's all pretty much a metaphor for how abusive behavior is perpetuated through generations I guess
I think Paul won't turn on his sister and the boy even after transforming. Like what happened to Lucas's father, he never attacked his kids, rather just kept them with him.
I don't get why this movie has so low ratings, I liked it! A bit boring at the beginning but good overall
"In the small Oregon town that our story..."
Me: (living in Oregon) "ayoWHAT"
Been to Oregon beautiful State the Capital not so much
Perhaps the initial wendigos body deteriorated over time as it was trapped for years. It’s spirit likely keeps the host body alive long enough to pass its self on because while the bodies die the spirit will not. It only takes a single attack to transfer so I can see it fulfilling this before the original body crumbles away.
For me the horror was actually the air of hopelessness in that miserable little town. The lack of anything meaningful, drug addiction, and emptiness was just overwhelming.