Whistle

Ironically, the varying ways that kids are murdered in “Whistle” is its most compelling and under-utilized conceit. Anybody who hears the whistle also prematurely faces the end that they would have otherwise encountered later on in their lives. Sadly, only a handful of these characters’ deaths reflect back on them. If anything, the best kills in this movie are the ones that throw that central premise out the window and focus on delivering more graphic splatter.

Whistle is the kind of all-guns-blazing genre flick that will do just about anything to get a reaction, from creepy stalking sequences to moments of inventive splatter. A show-stopping opener sees school basketball ace Horse menaced by a scary, scorched-out figure during a game. Fast-forward six months and new girl Chrys finds his whistle in her locker. Even when things threaten to turn silly, Hardy and his team really sell the danger.