Corin Hardy’s Whistle Acquired by Shudder and Independent Film Company

 

Horror fans, take note—there’s a new supernatural slasher on the horizon. Independent Film Company and Shudder have officially acquired U.S. rights to Whistle, the latest horror film from The Nun director Corin Hardy. The film is set for a wide theatrical release, with a date yet to be announced, and Black Bear is handling international sales.

Starring Dafne Keen (Logan), Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Percy Hynes White (My Old Ass), and Nick Frost (How to Train Your Dragon), Whistle brings together an ensemble cast for a chilling teen horror experience rooted in ancient mythology.

The screenplay, penned by Owen Egerton and adapted from his own short story, follows a group of high school outcasts who unwittingly discover a cursed artifact—an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. The relic emits a terrifying sound that summons the future deaths of those who hear it. As the body count begins to rise, the group scrambles to uncover the whistle’s dark origins and put an end to its deadly power.

Hardy describes Whistle as a passion project influenced by the heart-on-sleeve, disenfranchised-teen horror films he grew up loving. He was drawn to the eerie mythology of the Death Whistle, and used it to craft a story packed with imaginative kills and cinematic terror. “This film is built for the big screen experience,” Hardy emphasized, expressing excitement for audiences to see the final result in theaters.

Adam Koehler, Director of Acquisitions and Productions for Independent Film Company, Shudder, and RLJE Films, praised Hardy’s vision, calling the film “a vicious and bloody treat” that’s expected to stand out as one of the scariest horror films in recent box office history.

Whistle is produced by David Gross and Jesse Shapira for No Trace Camping, Macdara Kelleher for Wild Atlantic Pictures, and repped by CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. With Shudder backing the project, expectations are high that this terrifying tale will resonate with genre fans and deliver the kind of high-concept horror that finds both box office and streaming success.