Whistle

Directed by Corin Hardy, Whistle follows a group of teens, including Dafne Keen’s Chrys and Sophie Nélisse’s Ellie, as they’re knocked off one by one after stumbling on a cursed death whistle. It’s an agreeably goofy premise that is, for the most part, employed to watchable effect by Hardy, as the filmmaker, armed with Owen Egerton’s screenplay, delivers an erratic yet mostly compelling effort that exploits its premise to satisfying effect – with the agreeably larger-than-life vibe certainly established by a brutal, promising pre-credits interlude. And while the movie’s midsection could’ve used a little tightening here and there, Whistle‘s recurring emphasis on inventive (and thoroughly disgusting) kill sequences paves the way for a satisfying (if somewhat frenetic) third act – which, when coupled with a gleefully mean-spirited final twist, ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a better-than-expected horror endeavor.

*** out of ****