The gripping trailer for Whalefall has gained millions of views in less than 24 hours, leaving audiences terrified and curious about its origins. Whalefall is an upcoming survival horror film hitting cinemas this October that already has film buffs shaken by its horrifying, claustrophobic premise.
What is Whalefall About?
The film follows young man Jay Gardiner, played by Austin Abrams, who, after the death of his father (Josh Brolin), decides to dive off the Coast of California to search the bottom of the ocean for his remains. However, he somehow finds himself swallowed by a huge sperm whale with time rapidly running out. A synopsis teases: “While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realise that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.”
Is Whalefall Based on a True Story?
The film is not directly inspired by a factual account but is actually based on the novel of the same name by author Daniel Kraus, which was released in 2023. In both the book and the film, Jay is a young diver searching for his father’s remains who encounters a giant squid being pursued by a gigantic sperm whale. When Jay gets tangled in the squid, he’s pulled further down into the whale’s gullet until he’s swallowed and must use his resourcefulness to escape in under an hour.
Real-Life Inspirations
While this very specific incident has not happened, author Kraus was inspired by a number of accounts of divers encountering whales and almost being swallowed. He initially got the idea from a viral video from 2020, in which a group of kayakers in California were caught in the mouth of a humpback whale. Kraus then got in touch with scientists to find out if it was possible for a whale to swallow a human and explained his findings in a YouTube video posted to publisher Simon and Schuster’s account. “When you read about someone being swallowed, generally they’re just being mouthed,” he said. “But, they did say that if it was the right kind of sperm whale in a certain set of circumstances, it was theoretically possible.”
Other accounts that may have inspired the thriller include Michael Packard, a lobster diver in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who was working underwater when everything suddenly went dark. Packard realised he was completely inside the mouth of a humpback whale, remaining there for 30-40 seconds before the whale surfaced and spat him out. He thankfully survived with severe bruises but no broken bones. Another example is South African conservationist and photographer Rainer Schimpf, who was swallowed by a Bryde's whale. Knowing the whale’s throat was too small to actually swallow a human, Schimpf was still gripped with fear that the beast could drag him to the bottom of the ocean to drown. Luckily, the experience only lasted a few seconds as the whale quickly realised Schimpf was too large to devour and spat him out.
Whalefall releases in UK cinemas on October 16.
