Antlers

As he recalls a twisted variation on a fairy tale involving three bears, the troubled protagonist in Antlers really needs to fear the deer.

This slick and stylish thriller from director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) establishes a creepy atmosphere but struggles to maintain suspense while digging into a mostly familiar bag of disturbing themes and genre tricks.

The story takes place in a decaying Oregon town, where Lucas (Jeremy Thomas) is a 12-year-old social outcast at his school whose harrowing sketches draw the attention of his teacher, Julia (Keri Russell).

She starts asking questions about his home life and parental intervention, without much success. Are the monsters in Lucas’ head, or are they real?

Julia has a checkered past of her own, having recently returned to her hometown after fleeing a family in crisis years earlier. She raises her concerns about Lucas to her brother (Jesse Plemons), a local police officer who might be her only hope to discover the truth.

In an effort to portray two people drawn together by unresolved mental wounds, the film creates an unsettling dynamic. Even if she means well, Julia’s obsessive snooping tests the boundaries of student-teacher relationships and inhibits our emotional connection.

Lucas is understandably guarding a dark family secret and it stretches credibility that Julia seems to be the only person concerned about it. We’ve seen plenty of variations on this youngster before — a bullied introvert haunted by a past tragedy and trapped by family circumstances. However, an expressive performance by newcomer Thomas anchors our rooting interest.

Varying degrees of tension simmer throughout the slow-burning screenplay co-written by Cooper, Henry Chaisson, and Nick Antosca, whose short story provided the inspiration. At least it makes an effort to tap into the psychology of childhood trauma and abuse rather than relying on jump scares or gratuitous gore.

The film turns muddled when it tries to provide context for its big reveal, attempting to tie together an obscure indigenous legend about mythical beasts and evil spirits with issues such as the opioid epidemic and the effects of generational strife.

Antlers manages some genuine chills along the way — appearances by the titular horns are perhaps the most disturbing of all — yet seems to fall short of its intended level of terror.

Rated R, 99 minutes.