Every year, it seems that the horror genre receives a token teen scare-fest, often focussed on a group of school friends coming across a cursed object and being plucked off one-by-one in increasingly grizzly ways. This years addition into this sub-genre appears to be Whistle, directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun) and starring the MCU’s own Dafne Keen (Logan). The story follows a misfit group of high schoolers who stumble upon a cursed ancient Aztec death whistle, which they soon discover upon blowing the whistle, that the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down. A completely middle of the road affair, the strong performances and inventive kill sequences help keep Whistle entertainingly afloat, but the story is bogged down by familiarity and predictability.
The best thing about teen slashers is that they’re usually pretty fun. Whilst Whistle doesn’t reinvent the wheel or offer up anything particularly fresh, it manages to consistently entertain from start to finish. The run-time is kept tidy at just 100 minutes, and there’s plenty of brutal kill sequences injected into those minutes. It kicks off with the scares fairly promptly, and aside from a somewhat lengthy mid-section without any gore, it mostly manages to stay on track with frequent death sequences. The characters certainly fit into boxes, from the new girl to the over-confident jock boyfriend, but they’re by no means bad. A central sapphic romance at the centre gives the familiar friendship group some much-needed flair, and there’s some characters that you’ll be glad to see meet their eventual demise which only adds to the fun factor. One element that crowds will most likely love is the autumnal, Halloween-esque setting. Mazes, pumpkins and costumes make up a large portion of Whistle’s visuals, and it’s highly effective.
Seasoned horror fans are unlikely to get huge amounts out of Whistle, as the Final Destination-esque approach feels tired, but that doesn’t mean to say its completely lacking in the scare department. The kills boast a brutality that often gets lost in PG-13 romps, and one death sequence in particular is gut-wrenching, gnarly and inventive, with an ability to impress all viewers. The gimmick here is that the deaths our teens endure are based on how they would eventually die in the future. Whether that be a car accident, cancer or simply old age, there’s plenty of creative possibilities where kills are concerned. Whistle may be best suited to a teen audience dipping their toe into horror for the first time, but there’s enough entertainment factor in here for those well-versed in the genre to enjoy.
From a filmmaking standpoint Whistle is fairly standard, with director Hardy doing a solid enough job bringing the story to life. The visuals are very CGI heavy which often takes away from the believability, but there’s still plenty of stomach-churning horror imagery to feast your eyes upon. The ancient relic itself, the Aztec death whistle, is a particularly intriguing prop. The cast are pretty competent, with a short-lived but welcomed performance from veteran Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and a sweet likability once again from Sophie Nelisse (The Kid Detective) that helps ground things. Leading the cast is Dafne Keen, who rose to fame at a very young age with her turn in Marvel’s Logan back in 2017. Keen may just be playing an angsty teen plagued by grief, but she adds some dark comedy and edge to her performance which helps her stand out.
The script is perhaps the least commendable element, as it’s the feature that feels the most familiar. Our characters are quite by-the-numbers, with the edgy goth, pretty blonde girl, annoying jock and nerdy outsider that wants to fit in making up our core cast. Whilst the characters themselves aren’t the worst we’ve seen, it’s tiring to see these tropes on our screens again, especially within the horror genre. The plot is not only familiar and predictable, but themes are introduced without being built upon. We know main character Chrys has endured a tough start in life centered on drug abuse, but the film rarely dives into her psyche and gives a one-note depiction of her past. The background and explanation of the death whistle is kept concise and avoids convolution which is of course a positive, but there’s a couple of exposition scenes centered around Michelle Fairley’s character that are extremely boring and fail to match the tone of the rest of the flick. Forced in for explanatory reasons, it’s worth considering if a better method could’ve been utilised. Perhaps the oddest misfire that Whistle posses is the soundtrack and score. Though it offers up funky rave beats, it detracts from any established tension and seems ill-fitting.
Whistle isn’t a completely wasted opportunity, as it offers up a competent cast, brutal kills, inventive gore and 100 minutes of entertainment factor. The Halloween visuals are the cherry on top of a fun, digestible time at the movies. Though the storyline and characters are nothing we haven’t seen before and severely bog it down, young adults are bound to love this new Final Destination-esque slasher romp.
Grade: C
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Whistle
A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.
