Just in time for Halloween, Director Guillermo del Toro delivers Antlers, a horror film for true horror fans.

Whether it’s a horror film or other genre, del Toro always weaves hidden gems into his films. He did so with Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Crimson Peak (2015), and The Shape of Water (2017) which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018, and he does so with Antlers.

Antlers takes place in in a small town in Oregon. The main character is schoolteacher Julia Meadows, played by Keri Russell. Julia becomes concerned about one of her students, Lucas Weaver, played by Jeremy T. Thomas, after he becomes overly quiet and Julia discovers disturbing materials in his desk depicting monsters and someone being held captive.

To learn more about Lucas, Julia enlists help from the town sheriff, her brother Paul Meadows, played by Jesse Plemons. Julia believes Lucas has been abused, but it is actually much worse than abuse. Lucas’s father has an infection that is turning him into a ravenous supernatural monster and Lucas has his father locked away in a room. Julia and her brother must put the pieces together to get Lucas out of his dangerous situation before time runs out on not just Lucas, but potentially the whole town.

I went in to Antlers with mixed expectations, but it didn’t disappoint. Antlers is well worth a watch, if only for the climatic scenes. No one does these better than del Toro, and the climatic scenes in Antlers leave you breathless. Antlers also felt different from most horror films—somehow more realistic and original. With Halloween right around the corner, Antlers should not be missed. Three and a half stars for Antlers.