Whistle summons gruesome kills but an uneven script

Dafne Keen as Chrys in Whistle - Courtesy of IFC/Shudder

If Whistle has a saving grace, it's that it has an intriguing premise about a cursed object and some gnarly kills that gore hounds should lap up. That said, the film, directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun), is mostly hampered by a lackluster script. There's a lot of promise here, but Whistle can't quite maintain its pitch. Its opening minutes also set up expectations that the movie never quite fulfills.

The cold open features a high school basketball team whose star player is incinerated just minutes into the runtime by a mysterious creature. It's an eye-popping start that ignites plenty of intrigue. After about 30 minutes into the runtime, it's fully revealed why said player was killed in such brutal fashion. Before that, however, we're introduced to the film's lead, Chrys (Dafne Keen), a recovering heroin addict who changes schools and lives with her cousin, Rel (Sky Yang), after her dad died. For whatever reason, Rel's family is completely MIA. It doesn't quite matter to the rest of the plot, but it is a bit head-scratching, since, like Chrys, he's a high school student.

During Chrys' first day of school, we're introduced to the rest of the cast, including Rel's long-time crush and popular girl Grace (Ali Skovbye), her jock boyfriend Dean (Jhaleil Swaby), and their friend Ellie (Sophie Nelisse). It turns out that Chrys is assigned the locker of the star basketball player who died in the opening, and not only is she harassed by Dean and the other jocks, who refer to her as a psycho and junkie, but she also finds a cursed Mayan object inside of the locker. It doesn't take long to figure out that this object is responsible for the gruesome death of Dean's teammate.

Fed up with Dean's harassment, Chrys knees him in the privates, which draws the attention of their teacher, Mr. Craven, played by Nick Frost. During detention, the origins of the object are slowly revealed, and anyone who has seen any horror movie understands that blowing the whistle probably isn't a good idea, but that's exactly what the teens do after they swipe it from their teacher and have a little pool party later that evening. Why they would do that is beyond reason and one of the first frustrating plot points. It's also unclear why Grace and company would invite Chrys and Rel in the first place. They're not exactly part of the in-crowd. Rel even refers to himself as a nerd early on.

Meanwhile, Chrys and Ellie strike up a relationship fairly early into the runtime, which is another befuddling plot point. They've only known each other less than a day before they start texting and confessing how much they dig each other. Yet, what do they even know about each other? That said, at least there's some interesting aspects to their characterization, especially Chrys' backstory and her struggles to remain sober, especially when the local drug dealer and Jesus freak, Noah (Percy Hynes White), constantly tempts her. Keen does a decent job in the lead role. Her performance makes the main character more compelling. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of her in future films.

It doesn't take long for the movie to reveal that by blowing into the cursed object, each character's death is summoned. In other words, it causes them to die prematurely. The movie's best sequences occur when death stalks its victims, and characters meet their fate in one form or the other. The movie contains some truly creative kills, and that's the real highlight that almost makes up for Owen Egerton's flawed script.

This is also a film that's more suited for fall as opposed to a February theatrical release. There are some great set designs featuring a haunted carnival and spooky maze. The foliage and pumpkin-adorned houses add to the autumn aesthetic. Hardy has a good visual eye, and the film's imagery certainly isn't its weak point. Hardy has a knack for establishing an effective setting and just the right tone, be it in The Nun or Whistle.

Overall, while Whistle has some entertaining kills that horror fans will absolutely enjoy, the film is hampered by its script. The teen angst and drama become tiresome, and too many of the characters remain static, other than the lead. Chrys at least has an intriguing and emotional backstory. The same really can't be said for her classmates. While the movie is generally a fun time at the movies, it's probably better to wait for its streaming release on Shudder later this year.

Whistle is currently playing in theaters.