Movie Review: WHISTLE

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: February 8th, 2026 / 09:05 PM

WHISTLE movie poster | ©2026 IFC/ Shudder

Rating: R
Stars: Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Michelle Fairley, Nick Frost, Stephen Kalyn
Writer: Owen Egerton
Director: Corin Hardy
Distributor: IFC/Shudder
Release Date: February 6, 2026

WHISTLE embodies the forms of both cursed-object and high school horror with such fidelity that it seems to be following an internal mandate. Written by Owen Egerton and directed by Corin Hardy, the movie even name-checks horror directors Wes Craven, William Friedkin (character surnames), Mark Pellington (the high school the characters attend), and Andy Muschietti. Sharp-eyed viewers will no doubt find more.

In the best subgenre tradition, we get a teaser, followed by the main story. New student with a secret arrives from out of town, is bullied by the popular kids (WHISTLE slightly diverges here by having a prom queen type befriend the outsider) but embraced by at least one cool one.

The protagonist and company come in contact with the cursed object. Somebody does something ill-advised, albeit without any way of knowing it, and triggers the curse. There is a horrific death. The survivors realize they are endangered and being doing research into what they’re up against and what, if anything, they can do about it.

WHISTLE begins with a startling blast from one, albeit not the titular menace, blown by a high school basketball referee. Star player Horse (Stephen Kalyn) is in full panic mode. He destroys the whistle, an intricately carved ancient artifact that resides in an equally ornate case. Alas, this is to no avail.

Six months later, Chrys (Dafne Keen) comes to stay in this steel mill town with her geeky but good-hearted cousin Rel (Sky Yang) and his mom. Chrys is assigned Horse’s old locker, where the whistle and its case have reconstituted themselves within.

The whistle seems to have a built-in supernatural ability to tempt people to use it. Chrys is interrupted before this happens by teacher Mr. Craven (Nick Frost), who immediately pegs the whistle as a valuable antique. While Mr. Craven is supervising detention with our five major characters – Chrys, Rel, Chrys’s crush and aspiring doctor Ellie (Sophie Nélisse), Rel’s crush Grace (Ali Skovbye), and Grace’s jock boyfriend Dean – the teacher is encouraged to do research on the weird-looking thing from the locker. It’s a pre-Mayan death whistle.

Exactly what the whistle does and other details are unique enough to give WHISTLE its own identity. The kills are varied and disturbing and the mythology is consistent (except for why the whistle keeps returning to the locker, since that’s clearly not its point of origin).

Performances are strong across the board, with Keen and Nélisse displaying charm and fortitude, Yang putting forth sincerity and Percy Hynes White conveying the proper balance of cool and creepiness as a local youth pastor.

WHISTLE doesn’t try to be more than it is. Instead, it injects originality and vigor where there are openings and lives up to the better aspects of its conventions.

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Solid cursed-object high school horror

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