Whisper (2007)

Review by Tim-O



Starring: Josh Holloway
Directed by Stewart Hendler

When it comes to the creepy kid subgenre of horror, I’m a bit indifferent. I did like the 2008 movie “The Children” and I absolutely LOVE the 1980 film of the same name. For the most part though, movies with an evil kid on the DVD cover make me chuckle and move along to the next title while searching for things to watch. I think if you’re a parent, the scariest thing about kids is how we may react to a child’s behavior as opposed to the actual behavior of the child. That’s exactly what’s at the heart of the movie, “Whisper”.

I picked up “Whisper” a while back because of good things I had read about it. It had been sitting on my shelf for months but I could never catch myself in the mood to watch it. Then I had the misfortune of watching the terrible “House on Sorority Row” remake/reboot/whatever (*sigh*) “Sorority Row”. I just so happened to check to see who directed the film in case I had grounds for a lawsuit. The name Stewart Hendler appeared and I cross referenced it to see what else he had done (habit of mine) and guess what title popped up? Yep, it was “Whisper”. Figuring that my intelligence hadn’t been abused enough for the week, I decided to watch the movie and was prepared to spend the evening practicing my MST3K/Film Crew “riffing” techniques. My Mike Nelson impersonation would have to wait however due to the fact that “Whisper” ended up being an enjoyable and even fairly original little supernatural horror thriller.

“Whisper” is about a group of petty criminals who are given an opportunity to get rich by an anonymous/unseen party. All these folks have to do is kidnap the young (10 maybe?) son of a wealthy family and wait to collect their share of the ransom. It’s to be easy and no one will get hurt. (hahaha… nobody has ever heard THAT one before have they?) The losers of course go through with the kidnapping and take the child up to a remote cabin to hold him until the ransom is received. Needless to say, it isn’t long before the kidnappers start to realize that there is something wrong about this kid. He seems to know every detail of the kidnappers’ lives and never once appears scared or threatened in any way. As the kidnappers begin to die one by one, it becomes apparent that this child is not what he appears to be…neither is the kidnapping plot.

The story is pretty much that, but the identity of the anonymous kidnapping mastermind and why this is all happening is what drives the movie to its conclusion. I guess you could call it a plot twist, but I saw all the answers coming a mile away. My wife was completely thrown off guard when the real reasons for the kidnapping were revealed, however. Even if you see through the plot like I did, it doesn’t ruin the movie because who (what) the kid is always a mystery. The true plot of the movie is hidden while focusing on the kidnappers struggle to understand what is happening and how the kid is manipulating everything that is going on. The thing I really liked about “Whisper” is what usually bugs me about these kinds of movies; the kid. Blake Woodruff plays the kid perfectly. He’s charming but evil and possesses a power that he uses seemingly to amuse himself.

The movie is low budget but not micro budget and is stuffed with familiar character-actors. My wife alerted me to the fact that the adult star, Josh Holloway, is a cast member from “Lost”. I happen to be one of the 6 people on the planet who hasn’t seen “Lost” so we was new to me but did a suitable job along with the rest of the adult cast. The always wonderful Michael Rooker plays one of the kidnappers, too. “Whisper” is not a gore or a T&A flick so if you’re looking for some then look elsewhere. If, however, you feel like watching an interesting supernatural/psychological thriller give “Whisper” a chance. It’s not a great movie but it’s a good one and the kid is creepy fun to watch. 7/10