Robert Eggers knows a thing or two about scary scenes, and he’s right when he says the ending ofWhistle and I’ll Come to Youhas one of the scariest scenes ever filmed.Robert Eggers' horror movieslikeThe WitchandNosferatuare some of the most stylish and intense of the past decade.
Eggers has established himself alongside Jordan Peele and Ari Aster as a modern master of the genre. In terms of influences, Eggers tends to lean towards classic genre cinema, such asNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror(obviously),Rosemary’s Babyand British ghost storyThe Innocents.
Black and whiteBritish horror moviein general seem to be Eggers' bag, as in 2024 he selectedWhistle and I’ll Come to Youas featuring the scariest scene of all time. This 1968 short film adapted a story by M.R. James and became the unofficial first outing in the BBC’sA Ghost Story for Christmasstrand.
Robert Eggers Named Whistle And I’ll Come To You’s Ending As Cinema’s Scariest Scene
The originalA Ghost Story for Christmaslasted from 1971 to 1978and largely focused on M.R. James adaptations. The BBC has resurrected this series over the decades, such asMark Gatiss' adaptation of mummy taleLot No. 249, a story by Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite having some fantastic entries,Whistle and I’ll Come to Youis still the best.
Like most James tales, this focuses on a fussy old academic named Professor Parkin (Michael Hordern) who takes a trip to a small coastal village and unearths a whistle from a graveyard. Naturally,Parkin blows into the whistle and is soon haunted by a ghostly figure, though it’s never made clear if he’s imagining the haunting. Says Eggers (viaTHR):
[Whistle and I’ll Come to You] is 40 minutes of slow-burn atmospheric and understated horror that all leads up to perhaps the best articulation of a shroud-like ghost and of sleep paralysis in film. I watch it about once a year.
What gave an entire generation of British children nightmares for life isWhistle and I’ll Come to You’sending, where Parkin is confronted in his bedroom by the phantom. From the black and white cinematographyto the ghost’s unearthly movements and Parkin’s distorted shrieks of terror, it’s a truly bone-chilling sequence.
What Whistle And I’ll Come To You’s Final Scene Is Really About
M.R. James was a scholar and intellectual who also had a deep love for writing and performing ghost stories. There are certain themes he came back to again and again, with the setup formany of James' stories involving academics uncovering some forbidden knowledge and paying the ultimate pricefor their hubris.
John Hurt starred in a 2010 remake ofWhistle and I’ll Come to Youfor the BBC, which updated the story to modern times.
That’s true ofWhistle and I’ll Come to Youtoo, where Parkin is portrayed as an aloof, stubborn intellectual who mocks the mere concept of the supernatural. When faced with increasing proof that he’s been pursued by a ghostly figure,the paranoia and fear Parkin endures make him revert to an almost childlike state.
As Eggers mentioned,Whistle and I’ll Come to Youalso features a truly nightmarish take on sleep paralysis. Parkin is so petrified when the figure rises from his bed that all he can do is howl in choked fear as he’s rooted to the spot.
Whistle and I’ll Come to You
Cast
Whistle and I’ll Come to You is a 1968 film exploring the unsettling conflict between a university professor’s rational beliefs and supernatural events. Vacationing in a remote Norfolk village, he uncovers an ancient whistle on the beach, inadvertently summoning inexplicable horrors that challenge his convictions.
A Ghost Story for Christmas
A Ghost Story for Christmas is a BBC television series that began broadcasting in 1971, adapting classic ghost stories to the screen. The series draws from the tradition of sharing supernatural tales during the holiday season and ran annually until 1978, with a revival starting in 2005.
