It is this conclusion about the film that leaves me feeling Whisperer is best seen as a collector’s item for those of us completists out there. Lovecraft fans will appreciate the tale told and the manner in which it is done. I cannot hate Whisperer for its faults, for in relation to other films I have seen made with the same values, Whisperer could be called a classic. The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) Trailer Based on the H. In the end what we have with this version of Whisperer is an experiment in storytelling that delivers based on its story alone. Sure it was a cheap jump scare, but it worked. One scene happened so fast and came out of nowhere with such fury as to make this jaded reviewer jump. Wilmarth uncovers old legends about monsters living in the uninhabited hills who abduct people who venture or settle too close to their territory. The story is immensely faithful to the source material, and where we are treated to creature effects, director Mike Hundley keeps the low-grade CGI to a minimum with quick shots of the Mi-Go. Please do not think that Whisperer is not without its merits. When you’re forced to watch something like this under the microscope of a director who has not yet been properly tempered, the result can be painful at times. You’re watching a Z-grade Lovecraft film with actors who are being asked to stretch their abilities to the limit. This is the worst moment in the film, and it completely encompasses any problems that a person may have with Whisperer. It suffers from Sexton’s acting ability being showcased by an unflinching camera shot that forces him to struggle with the scene for all to see.
The scene has Mike Sexton’s Ackeley shouting out a mad soliloquy to an unseen listener. Most notably there is a psychological meltdown that stands out like a sore thumb and could have ruined the film for me with its over-the-top approach. It’s the moments where the film tries too hard where it creaks around the edges, cracks I would attribute to directorial inexperience and a really low budget. Lovecrafts iconic genre-bending tale of suspense and alien terrors is brought to life in the style of the classic horror films of the 1930s like Frankenstein, Dracula and King Kong. MacGregror makes a good bard, and I cannot fault the film’s reliance on the voice-over, as Whisperer works best as a story being told to us as if read from a page. Most of the film revolves around Wilmarth and relies heavily upon voice-over narration by MacGregor himself. Wilmarth is played by Ken MacGregor, whose strong jaw line and borderline overacting style make him a serviceable Bruce Campbell knock-off. But, Ackeley is a man who knows a lot more than he should about these things in the woods.
Ackeley is a fountain of information and takes Wilmarth’s investigation to a new level. As his studies take him deeper into the mystery, Wilmarth is approached by a reclusive, eccentric man by the name of Henry Ackeley. The story revolves around Albert Wilmarth, a Miskatonic University professor who is fascinated with stories of odd things seen in the woods.