“Death is unstoppable. Once it is called, it will not relent.” Those chilling words are more than a dramatic effect, but are the central theme of the film Whistle. In both an inventive and unsettling film by director Corin Hardy and written by Owen Egerton, death is put on full display as a group of teens wrestles with their own approaching mortality. Death comes for all of us. Its inevitability and unpredictability are the stuff of nightmares, and the film uses them to grisly effect. Whistle puts out a clarion call that is sure to appeal to horror fans, even if the story is at times derivative and predictable.
The discovery of a mysterious Aztec death whistle spells doom for a band of misfit high schoolers. Dafne Keen stars as Chrys, a troubled teen who moves in with her cousin, Rel (Sky Yang). He welcomes her into his group of friends, where she falls for his friend, Ellie (Sophie Nélisse). At first, they believe the whistle is an artifact and an incredible find. However, when at a party, one of their friends, Grace (Ali Skovbye), blows it, summoning death. Yet, the whistle does not summon death at random. It is for all those who blow it and all those in earshot: their future death is coming for them. As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the whistle in a desperate effort to stop the mortal chain of events they have set in motion.
and Shudder Release.
At points, Whistle feels like a spiritual successor to It Follows. Both channel a unique avenue for death in a horror movie as opposed to introducing a boogeyman or knife-wielding maniac. And like It Follows, this film does not concern itself with an over-explanation of details. The story provides enough information about the Aztec whistle. We see a grisly, fiery prologue resulting in a student’s (Stephen Kalyn) immolation. Later, some exposition from the whistle’s originator, Ivy Raymore (Michelle Fairley), gives us enough details and background.
From the onset, the story unfolds predictably. Anyone who blows the whistle or is within earshot of the sound meets their predetermined demise. Spoilers Ahead: The teacher character of Mr. Craven (Nick Frost) is shown to be a chain smoker, and after blowing the whistle, he is taken by an older version of himself who dies of stage four lung cancer. Whether a character’s fate is death by accident or old age, death is coming for each of them.
Now, the film’s setup is familiar, and the concept of characters discovering a source that summons evil or death is nothing new; the execution (pun intended) is exceptional, one could even say splatterific. This area is the film’s greatest strength. Much of the characterization falls to Keen’s Chrys. The rest of the cast essentially fills in the blanks as stock characters: the love interest, the rebel, the jock, etc.
There is an element of a deranged youth pastor (Percy Hynes White) that comes off a little undercooked. To its detriment, the film runs 90 minutes. This leaves little time to wrestle with and thoroughly explore the larger ideas at play here. Death as a construct is a fascinating creative exercise, and in terms of originality, this film scores high. There is also a coming-of-age/teen melodrama angle that, while never fully embraced, adds a unique wrinkle to what could have been a simple run-of-the-mill horror film.
There is an open door for a sequel, which is intriguing but also frustrating. The real meat of this story is left to throwaway lines about living as a choice and monologue exposition that feel more rushed than natural story points. And yet, despite those complaints, Whistle delivers. The escalation of death scenes becomes more brutal, and the intricate set design gives the film both depth and a dreamlike quality.
Death is something that will affect us all. While Whistle does not deliver as succinctly as other films in the genre, it is nevertheless a unique entry that does not blow it.
Whistle is currently playing in theaters courtesy of the Independent Film Company and Shudder.
Death comes for all of us. Its inevitability and unpredictability are the stuff of nightmares, and the film uses them to grisly effect. Whistle puts out a clarion call that is sure to appeal to horror fans, even if the story is at times derivative and predictable.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Revenge of The Sith.
