The Gist
While trying to fit into a new school a teenager finds a relic that will start her and her new friends on a path to death.
The Review
Do you remember back in the 90s and the early 2000s where there were a bunch of horror movies hitting cinemas that were made for teenagers and younger horror fans? Even if you were older they were still enjoyable films.
Films like The Faculty, Disturbing Behavior and Valentine – they were simple horrors with some great mystery and no political agendas. Now you flash forward to 2026 and most horror films either see directors trying to be all artistic and different which often gets in the way of the plot and tripping up the film badly. They throw in a supernatural horror that makes no sense in the end and worse still the characters are so unlikable you don’t really care when the killing starts.
Sometimes that’s all you really need from a horror film – relatable characters that you don’t want to see fall victim to the killer next. That is exactly what director Corin Hardy (The Nun) and screenwriter Owen Egerton (Mercy Black) have achieved with Whistle – a basic horror but with characters you actually care about.
Whistle centres around a High School student named Chrysanthemum (Dafne Keen – Deadpool & Wolverine). After the death of her father, who was her only parent, she has to move to another town and live with her cousin, Rel (Sky Yang – Last Days)l who is a bit of a misfit like her.
On her first day at the new school she finds an Aztec Death Whistle in her locker and quickly discovers that it belonged to a student who recently died in a horrific way. She also learns that his best friend, jock Dean (Jhaleil Swaby – White Dog), is not happy that she has been given the locker. The resulting fight results in teacher Mr Craven (Nick Frost – Paul) giving Chrys, Rel, Dean, Dean’s girlfriend – Grace (Ali Skovbye – Breakthrough) and her friend Ellie Gains (Sophie Nelisse – The Book Thief).
During the detention Mr Craven confiscates the whistle and makes the mistake of blowing it. Later in the night the teens steal the whistle back and Grace blows it where all can hear. That sets the wheels in motion and soon all ‘their deaths’ are coming for them.
The plot for Whistle sounds pretty basic but to the credit of Hardy and Egerton have found a way to bring some pretty intense horror and suspense to the film. Some of the teen’s death are creative and have been brought to the screen with the same amazing special effects that Hardy got to work with on The Nun. One of the deaths is actually so creative that it is likely to stay etched in the audience’s mind for a long time.
Egerton’s screenplay is also something special. It feels like he is constantly a few scenes ahead of the audience and nothing has been placed in this film to be filler. For awhile I was wondering about why they had introduced a drug dealing Youth Pastor, named Noah Haggerty (Percy Hynes White – My Old Ass), had been introduced into the mix. But as the plot plays out he becomes an important part of Egerton’s jigsaw puzzle – and when all those pieces fall into place you realise that nothing in this film happens by chance.
While the characters of this film do remain relatable to anyone that has been through High School it also delves into some deep topics and themes. Chrys is actually a recovering drug addict who is proud of the fact that she has got herself sober so when she sees her ‘death’ coming for her is depicted with a syringe in her arm the screenplay explores what it is like for a recovering addict to face the fear of relapsing. At the same time she is battling her feelings for Ellie which sees her exploring her sexuality – something many teens find themselves facing these days.
That’s why this film is so relatable. As I watched Whistle I found myself thinking things like – I had friends like that at High School or I’ve found myself in that situation. That relatability is what makes this film such a great watch – you love the characters and you don’t want anything to happen to them.
The Verdict
Whistle is one of the best horror films to surface over the past few years. It reveals Corin Hardy as a director to watch while transporting its audience back to the good old days of 90s horror – it is a must see for all horror fans.
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