I was really excited to see an advance screening of WHISTLE, a new indie horror film, pop up on the Alamo Drafthouse Los Angeles schedule. With so many horror franchises lately, it’s nice to see something original. Unfortunately, WHISTLE wasn’t all that original, and the execution was a mess.
WHISTLE brings a familiar horror set-up to screens. Like the VHS tape in THE RING or the cursed hand in TALK TO ME, WHISTLE relies on a supernatural object to drive its horror. Even Gizmo from THE GREMLINS is an example, and making the magical object a living creature is a significant reason the movie is a genre classic. More recently, we’ve had the cymbal-banging monkey toy from THE MONKEY or the hand from TALK TO ME. One classic magic totem I always think of is from the episode of THE BRADY BUNCH where they travel to Hawaii, and Bobby finds the “cursed” tiki idol. This brings us to the whistle of WHISTLE, a supposed Aztec death whistle that has entered the lives of a group of unsuspecting teenagers. And who is more fun to terrorize than teenagers? If we’ve learned nothing else from horror films, we should all know that.
The best thing about WHISTLE is its strong cast, led by Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, and a young ensemble cast, plus Nick Frost. Keen’s breakout role was X-Laura in LOGAN and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE leads the cast as Chrys. She’s a great, young actress who I think can have a remarkable career in front of her. I’m not going to discount her for this; instead, I appreciate her taking on roles across a diverse range of genres. Not everyone gets their big break from a Marvel film, and when one does, they deserve to do whatever weird or interesting stuff comes their way. Another standout from the cast was Sophie Nélisse (YELLOWJACKETS, HEATED RIVALRY) as Ellie. Even though YELLOWJACKETS has fallen off a bit from S1, Nélisse continues to deliver an incredible performance as the teen version of Shauna. Although recently audiences may know her as Rose, Shane’s bestie in HEATED RIVALRY. Unfortunately, a talented cast can’t turn a mediocre screenplay into a better movie.
Where WHISTLE really fails is that it never differentiates itself from the hundreds (thousands?) of horror films featuring teenagers being tormented by something sinister. And when these tropes really do work in cinema, it’s because there’s something else helping it along the way. For example, in TALK TO ME, lead Mia is neck deep in grief over the death of her mother. Here in WHISTLE, we’re told that Chrys is also grieving the death of a parent, but it’s never deeper than some words in a story. We don’t ever see her deal with the grief. Additionally, I don’t know whether WHISTLE was filmed before or after SMILE 2, but there is a moment of similarity that feels ripped from the 2025 release. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, and WHISTLE’s bad luck to be released later.
Despite a talented cast led by Dafne Keen, WHISTLE never escapes the shadow of better supernatural horror films. Fans of cursed-object movies may find moments of intrigue, but the lack of emotional depth and originality keeps this indie horror from standing out.
WHISTLE is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in February 2026, beginning with select markets.
