New movies: ‘Antlers’ is a great horror flick with a lot on its mind

If you like scary movies, prepare for the legit nightmare maker “Antlers,” coming to theaters Oct. 29. Another worthwhile release — though not as good — is Edgar Wright’s noirish “Last Night in Soho.”

And over on Netflix, the six-part series “Colin in Black and White” debuts and it’s a talker. The streaming service also delivers a nifty prequel of sorts to Zach Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” with “Army of Thieves.” There’s also a sad tale about mental illness that’s a tough but rewarding watch, “A Mouthful of Air.”

Here’s our roundup.

“Antlers”: One of America’s best modern chroniclers of the old and new West — Scott Cooper — joins forces with producer Guillermo del Toro for his entry into the supernatural genre. And oh how he delivers, crafting an intense, atmospheric folk tale that fillets the nerves from the ominous start to the violent finale.

Keri Russell reminds us of just how versatile an actor she is, wearing a heavy cloak of despair and strength as the emotionally wary Julia, a recovering alcoholic and teacher who returns to her small Oregon hometown that’s in the throes of an opioid epidemic. It’s hardly a harmonious homecoming as she stays with her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) in the same ranch home where her father had violated her as a child.

While teaching in the classroom, Julia spots something that’s not quite right with a shy, bullied, feral-like middle-school-aged kid (Jeremy T. Thomas, in a tough but vulnerable performance).

“Antlers” works on multiple levels. It’s not only an intelligently constructed creature feature with a genuinely freaky-looking monster at its center, but also a hard-hitting look at opioid epidemic and an angry critique on America’s disrespect of indigenous people and their land. Foremost, though, it aims to scare the hell out of you, and it does just that. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Oct. 29.

“Last Night in Soho”: Edgar Wright’s time-traveling noir takes hold at the start but starts to fall apart when he introduces weak horror tropes. But even 75 percent of a great Wright effort makes for an entertaining time at the movies, and “Soho” does have its thrills.

The inventive director of “Baby Driver” and “Shaun of the Dead” plays around in the Hitchcock, DePalma and Lynch toybox for a trippy tale about shy country lass Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) who beelines to the big city of London so she can enter a fashion school.

After being humiliated by a terrible roommate, she finds cheap-enough digs in an rundown apartment building managed by the cranky Miss Collins (Diana Rigg). At night, something surreal and disturbing starts to happen with Eloise getting whisked back to the ‘60s where she shadows and sometimes inhabits the body of ingenue Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman who’s dreaming big and running afoul of a charmer (Matt Smith).

Wright seems most comfortable whenever he’s recapturing the ‘60s fashions, styles, songs  and sets, and tinkering with the weird connection between these two women a la “Mulholland Drive.” But when “Soho” takes a stab at horror, Wright fuddles about, especially when ghosts who look they escaped from came “The Pirates of the Caribbean” set pop in. Then there are the cheap-shot jump scares.

The actors, though, are tremendous and the soundtrack sensational. And “Soho” delivers a killer ending. It’s definitely worth seeing. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Oct. 29.

“Colin in Black & White”: In this thought-provoking, unconventionally structured six-part series, former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick doesn’t hold back when relating his story, and that candor and insight serves the project well. But don’t expect to glean more perspective on his being a 49er or the national debate he crated taking a knee during pregame national anthems to protest racial injustice. to The 30-minute episodes instead cover his teen years in Turlock. It’s fascinating and incisive nevertheless, with Jaden Michael making a solid impression playing young Colin.

Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay and Kaepernick serve as executive producers, and he contributes some narration, as the story focuses on his growing up as a black kid of white parents (Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker) in a small town.

The series takes risks and doesn’t always succeed but it also challenges viewers by having Kaepernick shatter the Fourth Wall to levy criticisms that include how the NFL treats Black players in a series that probes the racism lingering within white people.

Some episodes are stronger than others, but all encourage talking candidly about race, along with pondering why Kaepernick received so many rejection letters — including from UC Berkeley and Stanford. Some of the most telling moments are the small ones: an episode on his getting cornrows is a standout, as is one on his going to homecoming and the winter ball with two different dates.

One can only hope that this will be just the first season. The final episode closes after the University of Nevada in Reno invites Kaepernick to play on their football team. It leaves you wanting more, especially when it’s told in his words. Details: 3 stars; available Oct. 29 on Netflix.

“Army of Thieves”:  in Zach Snyder’s zombiefest “Army of the Dead,” the prone-to-shrieking safecracker Dieter (played with hyperkinetic glee by Matthias Schweighöfer) managed to upstage an undead hound. That’s saying something. Now Dieter and Schweighöfer get to pick bigger locks in this prequel of sorts.

While an occasional zombie snarls every now and then, they’re largely sidelined in this clever heist thriller that taps Wagner’s The Ring Cycle as an essential plot device, with each safe that Dieter and his team pick inspired by that iconic opera cycle.

In the opening minutes, though, Dieter is actually Sebastain, a bank teller in Germany. His work status changes when Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel), the brains of this heist operation, watches one of Sebastian’s rather sad YouTube videos. She convinces him to be her team’s safecracker. Romantic complications ensue since Gwendoline is with buff Brad (Stuart Martin), who has watched too many Nicolas Cage films.

The action is swift and the romance is rather cute with Schweighöfer — who has impeccable comedic timing — and Emmanuel playing off each other quite well.

If you happen to love the “Ocean’s” films, you’ll want to cozy up with this pleasing diversion that is directed with a breezy touch by the talented Schweighöfer.  The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (the new “Dune”) helps, too. Details: 3 stars; available Oct. 29 on Netflix.

“A Mouthful of Air”: Film depictions of mental illness can range from outrageous and hysterical to terribly sad and tragic. Amy Koppelman’s adaptation of her praised 2003 novel falls into the terribly sad category, a beautifully acted love story about a troubled mother (Amanda Seyfried) afflicted with postpartum depression. Seyfried’s performance is a revelation. She expresses the inner turmoil tearing Julia apart with restraint and an awareness of the warring emotions her character is feeling. “American Horror Story” regular Finn Wittrock co-stars as her compassionate but sometimes frustrated husband, a man deeply in love with his wife. It’s a somber tale that does come with a warning that it could trigger someone with anxiety and depression. Other performances contribute in making “Air” a hard but vital watch, from Amy Irving to Paul Giamatti. Details: 3 stars; in theaters Oct. 29.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.