Whisper [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

Spooky Stuff.......2007-10-15

This little chiller seemed to completely disappear off the radar after production wrapped. It bypassed cinemas with no pre-release hype, no mention at all of the film anywhere besides Internet cult circles. Is it coincidence the film is called "Whisper," and no one has heard of it? This film probably would have been completely gone like a ghost in the mist were it not for the big screen debut of Josh Holloway (from TV's hit show Lost) leading the charge.

Holloway makes a charismatic leading man, and while this isn't the meatiest role for him to sink his teeth into, it certainly is one he was born to play. Another television show remnant takes the role of leading lady, Sarah Wayne Callies (more familiar from Prison Break fame). Both TV stars are extremely impressive in this movie, while the chemistry between them doesn't quite spark, their performances leave you confident that they can handle more big screen material. The story is more or less a combination of horror classics, predominantly "The Omen." The little boy (Blake Woodruff) is a terrifying creation. In any other type of film his performance would come off as wooden, but in this he is positively a chilling presence.

I came to this film with a certain amount of cynicism due to its troubled release history, expecting a B-movie deserving the sentence of straight to DVD hell. My expectations were pleasantly surprised. The film draws you in almost immediately with an arresting opening chase sequence. Although I would have to say that this is one case where more set-up for the characters wouldn't have gone amiss as we shoot straight into the artery of the plot before getting a clear sense of the back story and history between the four kidnappers. That does drain some of the interest away from the events that unfold in the cabin because we know little about who these people were before they begin turning on one another.

The most refreshing aspect of this chilly horror was that it avoided the use of orchestral underscoring for the jump moments and left it more to the sound effects and camera movement to create foreboding and fear. There are some genuinely frightening spooks and scares that pop up at regular intervals. Nothing is too overplayed by the cast, nor the filmmakers. There is one particularly silly death scene and a few laughable moments that were never fully realised, and Dule Hill's cop could have been excised completely, but on the whole "Whisper," builds up enough tension and frights to keep the one-trick idea moving along briskly. The climax owes much to "The Shining," proving quite an obvious homage, but still tastefully appropriate to the movie's end game, capped off by a final end coda that is agreeably subtle and well played.

Holloway and Callies keep the viewer pulled into the human aspect of this supernatural tale while director Stewart Hendler makes beautiful visual use of his wintry locations. This is no classic, and still too derivative of other horror movies to be considered a 'cult' classic, but it's still good, spooky stuff for a late night viewing in the dark.

20 Pack: Woman's Own (including Behind The Mask, Somewhere Tomorrow, Deadly Whispers, Do You Know The Muffing Man, Love Can Build A Bridge & 15 More) [2007]

Average customer rating:

20 Pack: Woman's Own (including Behind The Mask, Somewhere Tomorrow, Deadly Whispers, Do You Know The Muffing Man, Love Can Build A Bridge & 15 More) [2007]
Woman's Own
Manufacturer: Boulevard Entertaiment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000XZ8QBW
Release Date: 2007-10-17

Average customer rating:

Whisper Of Love [2007]

Manufacturer: Ultimate Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Music DVDs | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000X1FPUQ
Release Date: 2007-10-01

Whispers Through the Willows: The World of Kenneth Grahame [2007]

Average customer rating:

Whispers Through the Willows: The World of Kenneth Grahame [2007]

Manufacturer: Artsmagic
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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All Children's DVD | Children's DVD | Categories | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000KHX7IU
Release Date: 2007-01-30

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