WHISTLE
***
Directed by Corin Hardy.
Starring Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Nick Frost.
Horror, US, 100 Minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in Cinemas in the UK on 13th February by Black Bear Pictures
If horror has taught us anything, one valuable lesson is if you ever come across an old whistle, turn around and walk away. You think people would have learned their lesson after M.R. James’ classic story Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad, and its own classic BBC adaptation from 1968 but here we are again; watching some unsuspecting victim discovering said instrument and giving it a good blow, signalling all sorts of unfortunate supernatural mayhem.
English director Corin Hardy locates this particular tale in a US steeltown, where young Chrys has relocated from Chicago, with a particularly impressive vinyl collection in tow. The pressures of moving across country are further exacerbated by discovering an ancient Aztec death whistle within her high school locker, which was previously occupied by the school's basketball hero, who months before perished in a mysteriously fiery death. Chrys, along with her cousin Rel, bullying jock Dean (Jhaleil Swaby), his girlfriend Grace (Ali Skovbye) and Chrys’s unrequited crush Ellie soon find themselves pulled into the inextricable clutches of the titular object, thanks in no small part to their meddling teacher Mr. Craven, played by Nick Frost proudly using his own accent to pleasing effect. The curse of the ancient artifact is soon discovered by the mismatched group as horrifying deaths strike them down, one by one.
How they try to evade these horribly gruesome deaths, and the mystery of the whistle itself, is neatly dealt with here in entertaining fashion. Hardy, working from a script by Owen Egerton, confidently plays out the story and adds a number of impressive visual flourishes, making this his most entertaining, and strongest, film since his debut THE HALLOW. The films premise and plot, may feel slightly unoriginal, particularly for fans of the FINAL DESTINATION franchise, but when the story is told with the skill and care used here by those behind the camera and in front of it, the otherwise familiar results bring a strange sense of comfort in seeing such a tale play out.
After making such a strong impression at a young age with her debut in LOGAN, Dafne Keen continues to impress here as Crys, a damaged heroine with substance abuse problems. She is ably supported by her peers, including YELLOWJACKETS star Sophie Nélisse as the object of her affection and Sky Yang as Crys’s cousin Rel. While starting off as a typically annoying sidekick, he gradually becomes a more tortured soul, at one point donning a costume, for the towns harvest festival with its inexplicably large maze, that is more than a little reminiscent of the tortured hero of THE CROW, a passion project of Hardy’s that never saw the light of day. With the doom laden atmosphere that he lays on here, you cannot help but think that his vision for that remake would have been particularly more impressive than the poor version we ended up with from Rupert Sanders.
There are a number of other films that are also recalled here, from THE BREAKFAST CLUB to FLATLINERS, that adds to the comforting feeling of familiarity. Despite the grisly set pieces, including one that seems to have been cut to secure a 15 certificate, there is very little here that will rattle the viewer. At the same time however, it is all executed to such entertaining effect that it is difficult to really hold anything against it. Also, plus points are to be rewarded for continuing the Iron Maiden horror soundtrack renaissance.
Iain MacLeod