Independent Film Company and streaming platform Shudder has just announced their acquisition of the US rights to Whistle, a new horror feature from filmmaker Corin Hardy (The Nun, “Gangs Of London”). The film, penned by Owen Egerton (Mercy Black, Blood Fest), adapting his own short story, boasts a talented ensemble cast including Dafne Keen (Logan), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Percy Hynes White (My Old Ass), and Nick Frost (How to Train Your Dragon).
This acquisition comes on the heels of a significant success for IFC Entertainment Group, with their recent release Clown in a Cornfield shattering opening weekend records and surpassing their 2024 box office performance for Late Night With the Devil. Whistle is slated for a wide theatrical release.
The film’s premise centers around a group of high school misfits who inadvertently come across a cursed artifact: an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They soon discover the horrifying truth – the whistle’s eerie sound summons their future deaths to relentlessly hunt them down. As the body count escalates, the terrified friends embark on a desperate investigation into the origins of the deadly object, racing against time to break the horrifying chain of events they have unleashed.
Hardy expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “Whistle is made with the same heart-on-sleeve, disenfranchised-teen-spirit found in my favorite genre movies that I grew up watching. I was drawn to the mysterious mythology surrounding the ‘Death Whistle’ and how it presented me with the opportunity to create a variety of cinematic, imaginative and terrifying deaths. This film is built for the big screen experience, so I can’t wait for audiences to blow the Whistle with Independent Film Company and Shudder in cinemas!”
Echoing Hardy’s excitement, Director of Acquisitions and Productions Adam Koehler commented, “Corin Hardy is a master of his craft and we’re overjoyed to be bringing this horrifying vision to audiences across the country. With Whistle, he’s created a vicious and bloody treat that will stand tall among the best and scariest horror films in recent box office history.”
WHISTLE is produced by David Gross and Jesse Shapira for No Trace Camping, alongside Macdara Kelleher for Wild Atlantic Pictures. The deal was negotiated by Adam Koehler for Independent Film Company and Shudder, with CAA Media Finance representing the filmmakers.
