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Dafne Keen enters the horror world with ‘Whistle,’ a nightmarish film through and through. That very first imaging shot of the film already sent chills down everyone’s spines. A group of students finds an ancient Aztec Death Whistle and in horrified realization: whatever sound it emits with thunderous force calls for future deaths of those unfortunate enough to hear it. Now that is horror.
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The thought is enough to feed nightmares: one layer of supernatural dread, topped with one of ancient mysticism. An Aztec Death Whistle does exist-the bloodcurdling scream that it generates is associated with signals for human sacrifices and acts of war. Setting that up in a supernatural horror scenario? Either genius or an absolute curse for anybody who wanted to sleep tonight.
The response was a mixture of excitement and sheer terror. One commenter, Ava Vava, compared it to “Final Destination meets The Ring,” and I think she nailed it perfectly. Another user, caffeinemilktea, gave the following dark wish out for his hypothetical death: “Oh no, I hope my liver doesn’t get violently attacked by a tidal wave of Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur.”
Some doubted the logic, like Loveless asking bluntly: “Why would they keep using it?” Good point. If a whistle calls up death, then… maybe… don’t blow it? Then again, horror movies really enjoy characters making questionable decisions, so let’s let it slide.
Dafne Keen, practically unknown but having her breakout role kind of stitched as X-23 in ‘Logan,’ would seem a perfect choice for a high-stakes horror concept such as that. TheCinemaGru even threw forth the wild idea of her being the villain in ‘Stranger Things’ instead of Vecna. Honestly? I am not against it.
Having Corin Hardy direct, who’s also done a horror turn with ‘The Nun’ and ‘The Hallow,’ those with experience in spooky atmospheres, this suddenly spells majestic potential for Keen and ‘Whistle’ to be a favorite fodder for horror this year.
Of course, not everybody was buying it. Abhay put it into the same possible category as The Monkey, another horror film that evidently did not quite sit well. And MartinezOnChain decided that this was the best time to promote Bitcoin because…why not?
But the general consensus? This movie sounds terrifying in every good way. Whether it be the eerie premise, Keen’s intense presence, or just the sheer audacity of a death-summoning whistle, ‘Whistle’ is right at the cusp of becoming a must-watch for horror buffs. Just maybe don’t watch it alone. Or with the lights off. Or in the proximity of any mysterious whistles you happen to come across.
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The movie is not yet slated for release, but with the release date finally confirmed, the theaters will be thrown into a frenzy of half-excitement and half-fear. And the strange scream-like howling from afar-whoosh-might just be your cue to sprint!