Whistle: A Horror That Literally Blows

Death can be a fickle thing when it comes to horror. Either we run towards it, or try to escape it, but either way, it comes for all of us in one way or another. Perhaps the ‘Final Destination’ franchise is the first thing that comes to mind regarding the literal role of death in horror films, however, there is always something coming for the unfortunate souls who happen to come across it. The essential bread and butter of the genre, this basic premise has been presented countless times in countless different ways. After a certain amount of time, the feeling starts to set in that filmmakers have ran out of ways. Nevertheless, they keep going back to the same well, employing no so subtle variations of the same thing over and over again, and Whistle is no different. It is no different because, in no uncertain terms, audiences have seen it before. Even just looking at the trailer and any other promotional material, that determination should come rather easily. Offering up yet another silly derivative story tied together by even sillier dialog delivered by yet another group of questionable cardboard cutout characters, the film, for better or worse, is an absolute drag that only serves to insult the intelligence of audiences. Having the title it has, puns are inevitable since they are right there so suffice it to say, this blows.

Set in your cookie cutter middle class town, Whistle is centered around a group of misfit high school students who stumble upon a run-of-the-mill cursed object in the form of an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. Following the aftermath of a mysterious death that continued to haunt the school, its next target was Chrys (Keen), a new student with a troubled past who just happened to stumble on the whistle. From there, its discovery would set off a deadly chain of events that the high school students would themselves unleash after using it, putting them in the crosshairs of their own future deaths. Being chased by their own downfalls in the form of supernatural manifestations that only they can see, they can do nothing but try to survive. However, that was clearly never going to happen, at least for most of them. The characters, each fitting the required archetype to make up the usual dynamic that we have seen countless times before, all merely conforming to the patterns we expect them to. Bringing their own circumstances to the table, the specifics matter no more than to explain their behavior as it relates to advancing the story. Regardless of the flaws in the story and the writing, their lack of likeability simply makes it difficult to become invested in them as they are picked off one by one.

As they hear the whistle, whatever personalities the characters may have had whatever allusions the film may make about their personal lives are dropped, taking a backseat in favor of a predictable tale full of underdeveloped twists and turns that amount to throwing beat after beat at the wall and hoping that one would stick. Trying to insert stakes and ground the story through the plight of its characters, the little concern the film shows towards them kind of works against it. Showing signs of life with Chrys, and her troubled past, the possibility is dangled there without ever being explored. Hoping that audiences would follow along with the journey of its bland, one-dimensional characters, the film fails to reach the impact it so badly wanted to have. Ultimately, it is at its best when it is killing teens in often gruesome ways, from the dramatic snapping of limbs, to straight up liquefication. A bloody CGI extravaganza, the sequences stand out in terms of theatrics and are the only element in the film that leaves any impact.

While the performances are fine, the film leaves its impressive young cast handcuffed by truly awful dialog. Not having the best of chemistry, the film’s core dynamic accentuates its flaws, rather than make up for them. Committing to the silliness, it’s just silliness when there’s no reason to care for any of them. At the end of the day, none of these characters are that complex to begin with so the film sees the cast going through the motions as a means to facilitate their own deaths. Other than the actual deaths, the film offers nothing new on the horror side of things, the predictability of the story basically eliminates any chance at tension.

Whistle is yet another by-the-numbers horror starring cardboard cutout characters that merely goes through the motions, not earning every step along the way.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.