Searchlight And Scott Cooper’s ‘Antlers’ Sets Closing Night Of Beyond Fest 2021 As World Premiere

Searchlight Pictures has set the world premiere of Scott Cooper’s new horror thriller Antlers on Oct. 11, Closing Night selection of the 2021 Beyond Fest. The premiere will launch a series of events leading up to the Oct. 29 domestic theatrical release of the film, that includes a “Fantastic Fest Presents” Special Screening with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in San Francisco and Austin on Oct. 11; the International Premiere at the 54 Sitges International Film Festival on Oct. 13; Closing Night of the 12 Annual Telluride Horror Show on October 17 and a special Drive-In Screening at the 57 Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 15. Additionally, Cooper will host a horror retrospective in conjunction with Beyond Fest and the American Cinematheque this fall.

Antlers features intense scares, a spectacular creature, riveting storytelling, accomplished performances, and the thrilling vision of Scott Cooper at the helm,” said Beyond Fest Founder Christian Parkes. “We know our audiences will journey into the heart of the monster for this artful nail-biter. It’s an honor for us and the American Cinematheque to welcome Scott back, as we have celebrated his genre-spanning films from Crazy Heart to Out of the Furnace over the years.”

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Scott Cooper directs the pic with Guillermo del Toro, David S. Goyer and J. Miles Dale producing. Set in an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher (Keri Russell) and her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) become embroiled with her enigmatic student (Jeremy T. Thomas) whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them. Antlers is written by C. Henry Chaisson & Nick Antosca and Cooper, and is based upon the short story The Quiet Boy Antosca.

“I made Antlers as a communal theatrical experience for cinema lovers,” said Cooper. “I can’t think of a more apt series of screenings to launch our film before audiences across the globe –audiences whom I hope share an appreciation for horror films with a different perspective on our everyday fears and ancestral mythology.”

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