Whispers (1990)

Director:

Douglas Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Dean R. Koontz (novel)
Anita Doohan (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 December 1990 (Canada)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear shouts. Terror whispers.

Plot:

A woman is stalked by a psychotic killer. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Victoria Tennant	...	Hilary
Jean LeClerc	...	Bruno
Chris Sarandon	...	Tony
Peter MacNeill	...	Frank
Linda Sorenson	...	Kayla (as Linda Sorensen)
Eric Christmas	...	Joshua Rinehart
Keith Knight	...	Avril
Jackie Burroughs	...	Mrs. Yancey
Tom Rack	...	Dr. Rudge
Vlasta Vrana	...	Sherrif Laurenski
Christopher Britton	...	Bookseller (as Chris Britton)
Mark Camancho	...	Morgue Assistant
Walter Massey	...	Bank Manager
Linda Singer	...	Prostitute
Stephan Perron	...	Young Bruno

Also Known As:

Dean R. Koontz's Whispers

Runtime:

100 min | Australia:94 min

Country:

Canada | USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Soundtrack:

Love Ain't Easy

You don't want it to speak up

I haven't read the novel, nor anything else by Koontz. Therefore, I cannot comment on how accurate and adaptation this is. I can, however, point out that this really is pretty standard fare, and at times, not even quite that. Let's get the couple of positives out of the way... while the editing and cinematography are average, there are a few cool shots. The mystery is fairly unexpected, and the plot twists are rather surprising. Pacing isn't too bad, and the 90 minutes don't feel as much longer than they are as you'd think. The reasons why this still sucks are plentiful... let's start with the characters. Can someone point me to where Hilary has any personality? Seriously, we're given zero reason to care about her, other than that she's the lead. It seems like she's arrogant, but even that isn't seen that often here. Sarandon is basically playing the exact same role as he did in Child's Play, the cop who's not sure what to believe. His partner is a despicable, intolerable jerk who spends the entirety of his screen-time being a misogynist(seriously, I haven't seen that much hatred towards the gender since Saving Silverman). I'm not sure there's a single likable human being, or one that the audience can relate to, in this whole thing, and most stand out only by the negative(and on notable occasions, downright sick and disgusting) traits. The music is unimpressive and not memorable. That goes for the dialog, as well. Development of any kind is handled in a lazy and careless way. This doesn't really build suspense, though it does try to. The trailer, the only special feature on the DVD, gives exceedingly big hints of what happens, and should probably not be viewed until after watching the movie. This has nudity, for the guys, infrequent, strong language, and some violence and disturbing content. I recommend it only to those with indiscriminate taste, or huge fans of those who had anything to do with making it. 5/10