Whistlehas a unique edge that might make it a better version of a recent well-received Stephen King adaptation. Directed by Corin Hardy,Whistlefocuses on a group of teenagers who find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious Aztec artifact that seems to be causing their eventual deaths to hunt them down and happen prematurely. The sudden bursts of violence and horror inWhistle’s teaser give the filma tenor similar toThe Monkey, which makes sense given that John Friedberg was Executive Producer on both.
However, there’s a clear focus on character interactions baked into the film’s premise, as it focuses on a group of teenagers dealing with the danger instead of rooting the story almost entirely around a man, his brother, and his son. This invites more opportunities for character interplay and interactions, including more emotionally driven subplots. This is actually the element ofWhistleI’m most excited about, especially afterstars Dafne Keenand Sophie Nélisse teased the undercurrent of the movie at San Diego Comic-Con.
Whistle Looks Like The Monkey With A Tighter Plot
Whistle Seems To Have A Clearer Character Focus
Whistlelooks functionally similar to Osgood Perkins’The Monkey, but witha romantic story for Dafne Keen’s character that might give it a more engrossing story. The teaser forWhistledoesn’t reveal too much about the plot, highlighting several teens contending with a mysterious object that causes unexpected and brutal deaths. However, there’s also romance in the air.
During the Collider Ladies' Night panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025,Dafne Keen and Sophie Nélisse teased a romantic arc for theirWhistlecharacters. When asked to tease the story ofWhistleduring the panel, Nélisse explained that the experience of trying to survive the whistle leads to Keen and Nélisse’s characters falling in love.
This givesWhistlea clear emotional plotline to focus on, giving it a strong skeleton to fall back on when it’s not indulging in gruesome death scenes. This tighter focus on a group of teenagers instead of the more sprawling approach to Hal Shelburn’s life inThe Monkeyteases a more straightforward storyline and emotional arc.
This could be a real boon forWhistle, which could otherwise risk losing tension by going too big or grim.The Monkeywas a blast, but (partly by design) never really feels too grounded. By keeping the focus on a more realistic setting and with an emotional throughline for the characters,Whistlecould improve on the elements that madeThe Monkeyso good.
Whistle’s Focus On Teenage Romance Could Be What The Monkey Was Missing
The Monkey Is A Blast, But Whistle Could Be More Emotionally Resonant
I really enjoyedThe Monkey, much in the same way I tend to have fun with theFinal Destinationmovies.My favorite beats ofThe Monkeywere the ones that took the premise toa darkly comedic extreme, whether that be a man being killed by a hornet’s nest or a bus full of cheerleaders being decapitated.
However, I was never fully engrossed in the main plot. Theo James is doing good work in the dual roles of Hal and Bill, butthe conflict between them is fairly one-noteand doesn’t leave much room for depth. Hal’s relationship with his son theoretically could be the emotional core of the film, but it also felt underdeveloped.
Whistleseems to be trying to have it both ways, establishing a clear emotional arc for the main characters while also indulging in some horrifying and gruesome demises. Leaning into the romance raises the emotional stakes even higher.
Keen and Nélisse’s characters aren’t just trying to keep themselves alive, they’re also going to be falling in love — which raises the threat that the whistle may pose to their loved ones. This could make the heroes more desperate, an always interesting angle for horror movies to embrace.
The teaser forWhistleis exciting for plenty of reasons, not the least of which is the haunting imagery and strong cast. I’m more excited for it now after hearing Keen and Nélisse discuss their parts, though, because I think that emotional core will makeWhistlea more compelling watch.
