Movie Review: "Whistle"; Dafne Keen and Sophie Nélisse Fail to Revive a Horrorless Horror Movie
3/12 ForReel Score | 1.5/5 Stars
Death comes for us all, no matter what. For the young cast of Whistle, death is summoned by the sound of an Aztec death whistle, an object supposedly built to frighten those who hear it. Unfortunately, neither Death nor his cursed object conjure any genuine fears in this shocking misfire from The Nun director Corin Hardy.
Image courtesy of Elevation Pictures
Hardy’s newest foray into horror is clearly meant to hearken back to the 1980s era of horror, stretching from the font of the opening credits to the film grain that paints every frame. This homage also manages to finagle its way into the story itself, telling a classic high school horror story, complete with every cliche you could imagine. Chrysanthemum (everyone calls her Chrys), played by Dafne Keen is new to this industrial unnamed New York town. Trying to escape her drug-and-death-riddled past, she’s not afraid to confront bullies head-on; an early incident attracts the attention of Ellie (Sophie Nélisse), who Chrys quickly develops a crush on. Keen and Nélisse have great chemistry together, but the supporting players surrounding them (including a short-lived cameo from Nick Frost) turn in pitiful performances. Chrys’ cousin Rel (Sky Yang) is the most excruciating character of the bunch to watch; his line delivery, facial expressions, and body movements feel like a kids’ cartoon come to life, an unnatural fit for a horror movie.
These bad performances are certainly not helped by the derivative script that fails to scare, excite, or conjure up any real reaction beyond the occasional eye roll. Needless to say, when the group of aforementioned high schoolers come across the titular object and they blow into it, Death begins to pick them off one by one a la Final Destination. Whistle takes a lot from the horror franchise, and even blatantly steals part of its climax from one of the films, but lacks many of the creative kills that cemented Final Destination as a classic. Setting aside the plethora of issues that plague this movie, Whistle just…isn’t scary.
Image courtesy of Elevation Pictures
What is so disappointing about this film is that there are small moments that hint at a sense of competence. Hardy’s direction, while mostly standard, does have its flashy moments, and he is clearly injecting his own sense of style into the story. One character’s death is surprisingly effective in its brutality, and is a rare example of great effects in a film riddled with cheap jumpscares. There is even a semblance of social commentary on illicit drug use and its impacts on not only the users but those around them. Despite the fleeting glimpses at a more comprehensible product, Whistle fails to achieve the low bar of ‘watchable’, and - despite a sequel-teasing post-credits scene that made me wish Death had come for me instead - is destined to meet the same fate as the Aztecs.
Whistle releases in the United States and Canada on February 6th.