Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 11:39:06

Excellent Low-Budget Horror Film

Whisper is a suprisingly entertaining horror film. The story centers around a couple of crooks who get hired to kidnap a little boy. Trouble ensues when their employer decides to change the terms of their arrangement that would result in a death and that the child they abducted is an ordinary child.What happens next is a classic battle between good and evil; a man's battle for his life and soul. Horror and non-horror film fans will enjoy the strong acting performances and engaging story in Whisper.

rube2424 2012-05-24 20:14:16

Better Than I Had Expected

Cross THE OMEN with THE SHINING and add a great dollop of "The Ransomof Red Chief", and you get WHISPER, a slick, "better than I hadexpected", horror flick. The cinematography is beautiful and thedirection fluid and sure. The acting is good with a standout, scenestealing, turn by Joel Edgerton, someone I had never heard of before,but whose films I will now seek out. There are lots of wolves withglowing eyes, the usual "jump out at you" scenes,"and a really creepychild actor, and even with an overlong screenplay, somehow the wholeproject comes together nicely. (I guessed who the main kidnapper waspretty quick, but the reveal still held a couple of good shocks.) Look,DOCTOR ZHIVAGO it ain't, but for a fun night around a bowl of popcornyou could do worse. 7 out of 10!

xredgarnetx 2012-05-21 23:24:53

Surprising

WHISPER is a classy cross between THE STAND and THE OMEN, with touchesof Dean Koontz throughout. Some lowlifes kidnap a young boy and spirithim off to a cabin deep in the Maine woods. Problem is, the kid isn'twhat he seems and pretty soon people are dying. The cinematography isterrific and moody, and a scary-looking wolf or dog-wolf at the boy'scommand adds to the suspense. For a TV movie, WHISPER comes acrosspretty well, even with its distinct lack of blood and gore. The closestto a name star appearing in this tidy little thriller is big-screenfavorite Michael Rooker, but he is in and out of the movie prettyquickly. A scene halfway through, set on the ice of a nearby lake,appears to be a straightforward homage to a similar scene in THE OMEN.It is also the best scene in this TV movie.

gertru007 2012-05-21 01:54:30

A Beautiful Movie

It is one of those movies that look ordinary and start slow but catchup fast. I admit some of its plots look predictable but that is alsothe whole point. Human beings are all the same and all have similarweaknesses. I was particularly impressed with Josh Holloway'sperformance. He has talent and provided the right opportunity he candeliver. I can't say the same about Sarah Wayne Callies, she appearedto be struggling. It seemed a little light on horror for its story butotherwise gives a chilling experience nevertheless. And the ending wasalso good.Overall a movie with character.

2012-05-21 18:51:05

Definitely Not A Formula Movie

This review is from: Whisper (DVD) "Whisper" is a movie about a man (Josh Holloway) who is hired to kidnap a young boy (the adorable Blake Woodruff) and hold him for ransom. The man, Max, and his 'associates' think this plan is straightforward and foolproof. They sure have a lot to learn. This film is definitely not your typical 'formula' Adventure/Horror film. The various plot twists keep the film one step ahead of the viewer. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering what was going to happen next. The young director, Stewart Hendler, does an excellent job with this movie. He has a clear vision of where he wants the story to go. Josh Holloway gives a very strong performance, and young Blake Woodruff plays his character to perfection. (I think this kid has a great future in acting.) If you are hesitant to watch this movie because you think it is just a ripoff of every other horror film you've seen, then you will be missing out on something spectacular. I would call this film unique, creative and definitely thought provoking. I'm glad this film is on DVD. It is a treasure among films.

FD ER 2012-05-21 05:18:24

Alright but nothing special

This is one of those movies that is not bad, it's simply nothingspecial. It's highly predictable and doesn't manage to scare you at all- or barely at best. If you haven't read the description of the movieyou will most likely be able to predict the rest of the movie by thetime you figure out what's going on.This movie is a typical mediocre horror movie that is a good example ofwhy horror movies aren't more popular. The story is very simple andnothing really happens that is interesting or unpredictable. It's justone cliché after another.The actors are alright, though. The ending was the best part of themovie. That's it. Nothing else to see.

PerfectDarkZeroFan 2012-05-14 19:22:20

Blake Woodruff comes out in this movie.

Blake Woodruff who plays David stole this movie from the rest of thecast. When I was watching Cheaper By The Dozen 1 & 2 I said many timesthat Blake Woodruff who played Mike Baker in that movie was great butunfortunately he had bairly any airtime. The great news this is hisfirst acctual film for me.Wow he's still cute and outstanding to boot. This movie was crazy. Atfirst I was kind of scratching my head and hoping what will happen didhappen but on the second round I just enjoyed myself. The emotionsDavid made where just outstanding. OK im going to give one away soSPOILERS beware. The part where the guy is telling David a story in bedand David says you say it so much you want to believe it. The guy wassurprised and he says I know your going to have a heart-attack. Wowthat was creepy and great.Unfortunately Hollywood though a movie with a killer kid was justsaying well how are we going to put this in theathers when there is nobig movie actors. This is better then most horror movies out there.

2012-05-14 09:33:52

Whisper - Omen

Good Santa?!? Josh Holloway as Max (a.k.a. Sawyer - LOST) he kidnaps an 8 year old kid that wanted his money. Devil Child (like Omen) Blake Woodruff as David. He wants everybody whispering in there own ears. Good movie, different story & different kid. But well never see part 2 on this movie. You will see it in the Alternate Ending if it would have been?.BONUS:- Alternate Ending (Time 3:54) Minutes- Deleted Scenes (Time 4:09) Minutes- Extended Scenes (Time 6:48) Minutes- The Making of Whisper (Time 8:45) Minutes* WIDESCREEN 1:85

Angelfish_Solo 2012-05-10 19:06:27

Watch it or you'll regret it forever

This film is what the Omen should have been. It is quite simplybreathtaking.It contains elements of "The Ring" and both version of "The Omen" buttakes the genre to a whole new level.Also it is one of the few films I have seen where there are no 'Good'or 'Bad' characters there are just shades of grey. This to me is whatsets it apart from just about any other film I have seen recently.Whilst rationality tells your sympathies to lie with the child, anotherpart of you feels sorry for two of the kidnappers I guess you could saythis is what happens when Bad meets Evil.Watch it or you'll regret it forever.

2012-05-10 15:57:11

Passable knock off of The Omen

In this terror film, the most inept band of kidnappers in world history abducts the child from hell, an eight year old adopted boy from a very wealthy family in New England, who's in fact the antichrist or something. One by one, the kidnappers will pay for their deed. The film looks like an unauthorized knock off of The Omen, and while mildly entertaining, is hardly a great film. Made with a no name cast (except perhaps for Michael Rooker, who twenty years ago has a cult hit in Henry, Portrait of a serial killer) the good scenery from New England in winter and a good hand in the directing adds a little to this passable movie. Just don't take it too seriously.

Michal Poniedzielski 2012-05-05 15:47:56

Good enough not to be a "bed-time" movie.

If you too like to watch a movie just for a bed-time story you know thekind - it can't be complete crap, because you won't get into the storyin the first minutes, but can't be too good too, 'cause you won't fallasleep during the rest of it. Magic category. And not so numerous as itlooks like. "Whisper" seemed to fit, but - surprise - it doesn't.A quite good Ransom-Omen-Shining mix story provides actors some gooddialogues to play and apart from few flaws it holds the level. Solid,creative directing (which could be even better if wasn't so "present",so "hey!-this-cut-was-a-director's-idea!") draws the tension properly.Convincing acting, without embarrassing moments (especially the kidearns respect) and very good dark music harmonized with cinematographyin few mood-building panoramas (don't know why I remembered this)complete the work - WE HAVE A GOOD MOVIE HERE (and we can't sleep).

2012-05-04 19:35:28

Underrated but very skillfully made

Skillfully made horror flick distinguished from its genre companions primarily by Dean Cundey's superb cinematography. Some memorable and powerful overhead shots of Maine. One shot was almost a still with only images of cars moving, very affecting. Clever touches throughout in the direction. For example, there is a match cut from three cards on the wall, two of them clubs, to blinds with with clover silhouettes. Very good scoring through much of the film, although the score and the sound design falls off substantially in the last hour, where there is much too much stock foley effects and also stock creepy horror music. But the "Carol of the Bells" montage is spectacular, and the Cash "Ring of Fire" very apt.Acting is quite good throughout. Plot somewhat marred by the "lone cop syndrome" that so many movies rely on, and an ending perhaps a bit long with some cliched expects, but here again, it was really the sound design and the score that marred it.Overall, though, a deft film.As to the DVD, transfer was good quality. Deleted scenes (usually overrated) were not entirely useless here. Some reasonable background on the cop, for example. Making of feature was interesting and frankly surprising in many respects (for instance, that a child stunt double hanging 40-feet above the ground doing acrobatics was used for some of the stunts), although it was missing a description of how they got all those aerial shots (CG? helicopter? some kind of remote dolly?), and not much on the lighting.

Steamboy 2012-05-02 00:23:20

David thinks he's Damien, Danny and Kevin

This was truly an awful film, towards the middle I was mostly laughing.The plot was infinitely stupid and, as it's been said in the messageboards, the script was in desperate need of a thorough rewrite. Thecharacters were not convincing at all in part because they were sooblivious to this kid behaving really strangely right from thebeginning (He was never scared! How could they fail to notice that? Helooked as if he was on a boring school trip). No one was surprised hecould draw like some professional comic book artist or that lockeddoors didn't stop him.There's something called "suspension of disbelief", well, with thisfilm it's not a suspension you needed it's an obliteration. Thedirection and the actors were OK, nothing outstanding, nothingoutrageous. I liked the bird's-eye view of the snowy landscapes(reminiscent of Shining, like a few other things) until they started toget overused.Whisper was like a serious version of Home Alone where Kevin the funnykid was replaced with Damien the satanic kid (from The Omen). A stuntthat could have been pulled on South Park but didn't need a movie ofits own.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-01 14:41:59

The Evil Soul Collector

After being released from prison, Max (Josh Holloway) and his fiancéeRoxanne (Sarah Wayne Callies) wish to have a fresh restart of theirlives running a small dining of their own. However, the bank refuses toloan US$ 50,000.00 to them and without alternatives, Max accepts theinvitation of his former partner Sydney (Michael Rooker) and hisassociate Vince (Joel Edgerton) to participate in the kidnapping of theeight year old David (Blake Woodruff), the son of a wealthy woman inNew England, under the command of a mysterious leader. The quartetdrives with the boy to a camping area in Maine, closed in the coldwinter, where they are individually disturbed by whispers that affectstheir behaviors until Max discloses the dark secret about David and hismother."Whisper" is a very effective horror movie that scares without explicitviolence or gore. The association of the fallen angel David and theAntichrist Damien from "The Omen" is quite immediate, but the creepystory is engaging and developed in a suitable pace. The young actorBlake Woodruff has a top-notch performance in the role of the evil soulcollector and the acting and direction are solid. The twist with theidentity of the leader of the kidnappers is a great unpredictable plotpoint. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Reféns do Mal" ("Hostages of the Evil")

Stef 2012-04-28 15:13:09

A movie which it's worth it

This is a movie that you start to see it like a movie at Friday night,maybe even a cheap horror, but in conclusion it's established to be agood movie, not a cheap horror as you think at beginning. It prove toworth all the time you've spend to watch it. The good acting of JoshHolloway (known as Sawyer from Lost), Sarah Wayne Callies (known as Dr.Sara Tancredi from Prison Break) and the talented child Blake Woodruff,is make you feel good with this movie, only in case when you want tosee a good thriller-horror movie. It has an interesting subject with avery well constructive story, almost like The Omen (2006), only better,and you'll discover that this movie doesn't have good or badcharacters, only good or bad choices and strength of choose. Enjoy thismovie! It's worth all the money.

Bryce David 2012-04-28 07:39:12

Kidnappers wearing white belts!

The story for WHISPER: kidnappers get more than what they bargain forwhen they kidnap a kid with psychic/supernatural powers.At the isolated cabin where the kidnappers are hiding him, the evil boyplays with their minds and they start dying one by one.That's it.It's pretty obvious the people involved with this film do not knowanything about horror films. The kidnappers are, in my book, scumbecause kidnapping is not cool at all. IMO, these kidnappers deserve todie. So when the Damien-like child started toying with these criminals,I wasn't terrified or on the edge of my seat. I couldn't care lessabout what was going to happen to them because, well, they're scum. So,where's the horror element to the story? Exactly. This is NOT a horrorfilm. You need to empathize with the characters' plight in order forthe horror elements to work properly. This never happened in the wholesuper slick film.The kidnappers were all good looking and young, so I guess that's howthe director thought viewers would sympathize with these criminals. Ohno, don't kill that beautiful babe. Don't kill that Metrosexual guywith the white belt.Yep, one of the kidnappers actually wears a white belt. How gruff. Howmuch time did the wardrobe department spend on this unintentionallyfunny detail? Was it an inside joke? I couldn't concentrate on anythingelse other than the white belt when that character was terrorized onthe frozen lake. Okay, enough with the white belt.Obviously influenced by Japanese horror films, WHISPER is more aboutmood and creating suspense than gore and violence. Think of this as aJapanese version of THE OMEN (there are two death scenes which areidentical to those in DAMIEN: OMEN 2). But it even failed at that. Asanemic as the story was (no one notices the massive painting in theroom?; what are those wolves about anyway?), the main problem was theidea itself. The film could have worked if the writers actually knewsomething about horror or how to play with guilt vis a vis kidnappingand other human emotions but the drama fell flat. And because thehorror never registered, WHISPER was doubly forgettable.In the end, it's just one of the many boneheaded horror films madethese days!(Notice the big disparity in the Useful Comments compared to the otherreviews. I guess the crew has been logging in and voting not useful!LOL!)

2012-04-25 15:30:37

Not Jesus...

When it comes to eeevil kid movies, there are some fabulous examples. WHISPER is one of the better ones. It's up there w/ THE OMEN, JOSHUA, THE BAD SEED, and BLOODY BIRTHDAY. This time, our devil-child is kidnapped by a gang of ne'er-do-wells who have no idea that they have abducted the instrument of their doom! David (Blake Woodruff) only appears to be an angelic 8yo boy. In reality, he is far more! David has many supernatural surprises in store for these kidnappers. They will regret their crime and pay for it dearly. WHISPER delivers the shivers, along w/ some suspenseful thrills. There's even a nice, wicked twist toward the end! Awesome stuff!...

2012-04-25 04:16:21

wasted potential

Its very surprising to see a top studio like Universal let a rookiewriter and rookie director make a complete hash of a movie. This moviehad so many plot holes I don't know where to begin. Most importantlythough, we never find out what David was, an angel, a demon, a childwith amazing powers, were the others just having visions etc. At leastin a movie like the Omen, you knew what the child stood for. And likemany other poorly written and contrived movies, the ending was veryweak, the kid was made out to be invincible so he shouldn't have diedand I don't think anybody got anything out of max giving away themoney. The alternate ending was better but this movie was so poorly puttogether, nothing could really save it. In the making of on the DVD, alot was made of the fact that Dean Cundey was the director ofphotography (when do they ever get top billing) and it transpired thathe was helping the director do most of the shoots which goes back to myoriginal point. At least the beautiful sarah wayne callies was worthlooking at.

2012-04-24 14:03:33

Slow and Predictable

The movie moved along slowly with a fairly predictable plot. The boy slowly turns the kidnappers against each other.There were few special effects and not the graphic scenes one might expect from a "horror" film.

2012-04-24 11:18:06

Whisper - Omen

Good Santa?!? Josh Holloway as Max (a.k.a. Sawyer - LOST) he kid-napped an 8 year old kid that wanted his money. Devil Child (like Omen) Blake Woodruff as David. He wants everybody whispering in there own ears. Good movie, different story & different kid. But well never see part 2 on this movie. You will see it in the Alternate Ending if it would have been?.BONUS:- Alternate Ending (Time 3:54) Minutes- Deleted Scenes (Time 4:09) Minutes- Extended Scenes (Time 6:48) Minutes- The Making of Whisper (Time 8:45) Minutes* WIDESCREEN 1:85