Whistle [Movie Review]

Whistle [Movie Review] | I somehow missed the trailer, so I walked into the cinema knowing absolutely nothing about the film with no spoilers and no expectations.

Was that a mistake?

SYNOPSIS

Whistle (2025) Trivia

• Starring: Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Michelle Fairley & Nick Frost
• Director: Corin Hardy
• Producer: David Gross, Whitney Brown, Macdara Kelleher & John Keville
• Production Company: No Trace Camping & Wild Atlantic Pictures
• Distributed by: Elevation Pictures & Black Bear Pictures
• Release date: February 13, 2026
• Running time: 100 minutes
• Rating: MA
• Country: Canada & Ireland
• Language: English
• IMDb: 5.7/ 10
• Tomatometer: 61%
• Metascore: 55%
• The film’s whistle is inspired by a real Aztec/Olmec death whistle — a skull-shaped instrument found in Mexico that produces a chilling, human-like scream. While the movie expands the legend, the sound itself is real. 
• The final whistle being blown at school wasn’t in early drafts. It was added to leave the door open for a sequel and to reinforce the idea that curses don’t end, they transfer. 

The film opens with Mason “Horse” Raymore at his peak — leading the game, sinking the winning shot, the crowd erupting around him. But in the middle of that roar, he sees something no one else does: a burned man drifting through smoke at center court. Shaken, Mason bolts to the locker room and smashes a strange object hidden in his locker, begging for his life. The presence fades.

For a moment.

Hours later, in the showers, the figure returns — charred, silent, standing behind him. In a blink, it reaches into Mason’s mouth and sets him ablaze. He burns alive in front of his best friend Dean. Just like that, the town’s golden boy is gone.

Months later, Chrysanthemum “Chrys” arrives with baggage of her own. There's a rumour that Chrys is an addict and she kills her father. A rumour she didn't even bother to indulge in or react to. She moves in with relatives and starts at the same school and inherits Mason’s old locker. Inside it sits an urn. Inside the urn, a skull-carved whistle that feels older than the building itself. The whistle calls to her and she would have blown it, if not for the school bell. 

On her first day, Chrys lands in detention alongside Dean, his girlfriend Grace, Ellie and her cousin Rel. When she mentions the whistle, their teacher confiscates it, claiming it belongs to the school. Curious, he researches the inscription. It translates to something ominous: a call to death. That night, unable to resist, he tests it.

By morning, he’s dead. Officially, an aggressive illness. Unofficially, he was stalked by a decaying version of himself.

Before his death, Rel successfully steals the whistle and brings it to Grace’s gathering. Egged on, Grace blows it. They all hear the shriek.

So does something else.

Soon, Grace, Ellie and Chrys are plagued by visions and the sense that something is watching them. They return the whistle to Mason’s grandmother, Ivy, who reveals it is an Olmec death whistle. The inscription means “summon your death.” Anyone who hears it is marked and death comes as themselves to claim the fate already written.

When Ellie discovers Mason’s body had aged decades before he died, she and Chrys rush to the Harvest Celebration to warn their friends.

One by one, the visions begin. Grace ages to dust inside a hay maze. Dean sees a mutilated version of himself before a crash seals his fate. Rel foresees machinery tearing him apart. No matter how they run, their endings stalk them.

Can they evade death?

MY REVIEW

What I Like:  

• It has the old horror movie vibe - the kind that doesn't rely too heavily on jumpscares. 
• The twist at the end - GRANDEUR!

What I Don't Like:

• The first half was quite slow.

Will I Watch It Again: Sure, I don't mind watching it again.

Overall: 4.2/ 5.0

The pictures are taken from multiple sources on the Internet. Thank you.

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