The Nun Director Breaks Down Dafne Keen’s New Death-Cheating Horror [Exclusive]

by

In the horror film Whistle, directed by Corin Hardy (known for The Nun), a group of teenagers accidentally unleash a terrifying curse. They find an ancient Aztec Death Whistle, and when they blow it, they unknowingly summon the entities that will hunt them down and cause their deaths. As more and more of them fall victim to the curse, Chrys (Dafne Keen), Ellie (Sophie Nelisse), and their friends must uncover the whistle’s sinister history if they want to survive.

In a recent interview with ComicBook, Hardy and Nelisse discussed the story’s basis in reality, the intense violence depicted, their approach to playing characters who are struggling rather than thriving, and the theme of escaping fate.

How does making the Death Whistle feel more frightening by grounding it in reality – the idea that this object could actually exist in the real world?

Corin Hardy believes grounding a story in a real, historically significant object adds a lot of depth. While creating fictional narratives is fine, connecting them to something ancient and with a rich mythological background—like this object—makes it even more compelling. He wasn’t familiar with the object’s history when he first read the script, but quickly became fascinated. He was particularly drawn to the idea of telling a completely new story, especially within this genre.

Honestly, scary movies already get to me – I’m a total scaredy-cat! If a character in a film is warned not to go somewhere, like down the stairs or open a door, I’m instantly on edge. So when Corin brought that whistle to set for ‘The Whale,’ I was really hoping we wouldn’t actually use it as a joke. We did have to blow it a lot for filming, of course, but every time it just gave me this unsettling feeling, like something bad was about to happen. It just triggered that ‘what if?’ anxiety in me.

It’s similar to the Candyman legend – even though everyone knows what happens, people still try it, just to see if it’s true.

Whistle doesn’t shy away from violence and bloodshed. We were curious about what makes a kill truly stand out, and how the team approached creating those impactful moments.

That’s a complex question! We’ve all seen a lot of horror movies, and a common theme is how people deal with death. This film really focuses on the idea of death approaching and the experience of grief, exploring it on many levels. I wanted to create a movie that was both captivating and thrilling, like a rollercoaster, but also unique. I didn’t want the scares to feel repetitive. The core of the story comes from Owen Egerton’s idea that your future death will actively pursue you. It’s about accepting your fate and the unsettling thought that from the moment we’re born, our death is already determined. The characters are forced to confront their own deaths, and each experience is different and personal.

Developing the scares for each death was really exciting, but also a creative puzzle. We aimed for variety – some shocks were quick and sudden, while others built tension slowly. I love that challenge! We focused on practical effects like prosthetics, animatronics, puppets, and stunts whenever possible. That’s a big part of what makes creating horror fun – crafting an immersive experience that takes the audience on a thrilling ride, which is ultimately why people go to see these movies. Beyond the scares, there was a strong emotional core to the story, exploring grief and a developing romance amidst all the terror.

Putting spoilers aside, is it more enjoyable to play a character who survives to the end of a movie like this, or one who has a spectacularly awful and memorable death?

I felt like I got the best of both worlds with this role. My character gets to experience death and then come back to life, becoming a hero and overcoming it. There was also that intense final fight scene with Chrys, where I had to convincingly portray a seizure – it was physically demanding, involving a lot of awkward poses, and I was covered in water, blood, and dirt. Plus, I wore special contact lenses that temporarily made me unable to see. While my character’s death wasn’t as graphically violent as some of the others, she went through a lot. I really appreciated the opportunity to play both sides of that experience.

You appeared in the movie 48 Meters Down: Uncaged. What scares you more – a real, physical threat like sharks, or something you can’t see, like a ghost or other supernatural creature hunting you?

I get scared easily, so pretty much everything feels frightening to me. I’ve always been uncomfortable in the ocean – even though the divers in 48 Meters Down kept saying there were no sharks, you just never know. Sharks could be traveling through, and you can’t predict where they’ll be. That’s why I never felt safe. When the other divers started swimming and left me alone… yeah, that’s when the sharks seemed really scary.

While working in the studio, the crew loved to play a little joke on everyone. They had several handmade fake sharks and would hide them around the water tank. It didn’t matter how many times we saw them, we’d round a corner and be startled by a shark! Even though I knew they weren’t real, it always gave me a huge fright.

In Whistle, there’s a way to avoid dying: sacrificing someone else. How did this difficult moral choice affect the characters and the decisions they made?

I want to discuss the character Rel, who really embodies this idea first. We see him grappling with the consequences – realizing he might have to sacrifice someone else to save himself. It’s a selfish choice, born out of desperation, and creates a major conflict for the characters. It’s a sadly relevant dilemma, whether you’re someone trying to help others or prioritizing your own survival.

Ellie is a genuinely kind person. While Rel shows more complexity, Ellie consistently prioritizes others’ well-being over her own, which is both her biggest strength and a potential flaw. She’s incredibly selfless, and it was never really a question of whether she’d help someone else, even if she briefly looked for another way to do things. Ultimately, dealing with her selfless nature isn’t a bad thing.

The movie Whistle comes out in theaters this Friday, February 6th. Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/list/7-worst-horror-movie-sequels-ever-ranked/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-05 18:12