What if you could find out exactly how and when you’re going to die? Tempting… until it’s not.
In Whistle, the new horror from Corin Hardy (The Nun) hitting theaters this week, the correct answer is absolutely do not ask questions and definitely do not blow the creepy ancient artifact.
Written by Owen Egerton, Whistle blends supernatural mythology with an emotional coming-of-age story. The film stars Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse (Heated Rivalry), Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White (Wednesday), Michelle Fairley and Nick Frost, and follows a group of high school outsiders who stumble upon a cursed Aztec Death Whistle. Once it’s blown, their future deaths begin stalking them in the present, forcing them to unravel the object’s history and figure out how to stop the curse before it takes them out one by one.
Add in girls falling for each other, teens making very bad decisions about ancient objects, and some of the wildest death sequences I’ve seen in horror, and you’ve got a film that’s as emotional as it is terrifying.
But for star Nélisse and director Hardy, the film was never just about the scares.
“I’m a big horror fan, but it’s important to balance the emotional component with the horror so that you can not only care for the characters that are going to be going through the trauma and the terror,” Hardy said.
That balance is what drew him to the project in the first place, particularly the emotional relationship at its center. Here, Chrys, short for Chrysanthemum, moves in with her cousin after her father’s traumatic death and forms a connection with Ellie (Nélisse), a sweet, ambitious student who becomes a steady presence in her life.
“I really sort of resonated to this story, this kind of quite gentle love story that’s evolving,” he explained. “If this death whistle hadn’t come into their hands and been blown, this would be a kind of cool indie love story.”
Sophie Nélisse Loves Meaningful Roles
Unfortunately, Whistle isn’t a romance. But for Nélisse, that emotional thread is exactly what made the project feel right. It aligns with the kinds of stories she actively seeks out, ones that offer connection, visibility, and a sense of belonging.
“I always loved movies and TV shows because they gave me a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging,” she said. “And to think that I have that chance to make, I mean not that big of a difference, but even if it’s 0.01% of a difference into someone feeling seen or understood or to give visibility to the people that have never seen their representation on screen, it’s definitely something that I seek out in my characters for sure.”
That perspective carries across her recent work, from Yellowjackets to Heated Rivalry and now Whistle, where audiences continue to connect deeply with the characters she brings to life.
A Cliffhanger?
Speaking of continuing… without revealing too much, both Nélisse and Hardy confirmed that the film’s ending leaves space for what could come next. As with most horror, the story is never really over.
“I feel like whistle ends without revealing any spoilers, but sort of on a little bit of a cliff where there is room where there is potential and hope for a second movie,” Nélisse said.
Whistle will hit theaters on February 6.
Watch our full interview with Nélisse and Hardy below.
