Austin Abrams‘ ascension to “scream king” status has resulted in an emotionally raw survival/body horror based on Daniel Kraus’ 2023 novel.
In Whalefall, written and directed by Brian Duffield, Jay (Abrams) goes diving in the Pacific Ocean to find the remains of his late father Mitt (Josh Brolin), who took his own life a year before amid a terminal illness. When Jay and a giant squid are devoured by a whale, he has an hour of oxygen left to find a way out of the giant mammal’s stomach, while unpacking his grief around his dad.
The film is steeped in beautiful coastlines and underwater shots by cinematographer Aaron Morton, all of which he filmed in California thanks to the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program.
Meanwhile, the natural beauty of the Golden State is offset by the graphic body horror of the whale’s innards, built on practical sets by production designer Ramsey Avery and lit by bioluminescence. It’s like watching a really gross car wash while dropping acid, which is sure to be a fun time for any gore fans, reminiscent of the alien abduction scene in Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022).
Even in the confines of an artificial stomach, with an oxygen hose shoved in his mouth, Abrams manages to exude humor through the physical comedy of being trapped in the most bizarre of situations, as well as some quippy dialogue with a jellyfish that tugs on the same heartstrings Tom Hanks did when he befriended a volleyball named Wilson.
At times, the dynamic between father and son can feel drowned in melodrama, but Abrams and Brolin are able to reel in their gutsy performances to portray a troubled relationship that’s still grounded in love.
Despite some definite womb symbolism in the unexpected fleeting comfort Jay finds in the stomach, symbolizing his emotional regression in order to process some heavy unresolved issues with his late dad, I didn’t immediately get that Jay was projecting his dead father onto the whale through his inner dialogue.
While the point of their relationship appears to have been the surfer bum Mitt wanting to prepare his son for the hardships of the world through many a whale metaphor, masked in some light toxic masculinity, but no real communication about the important things weighing on Jay, Dad was somewhat conveniently prepared for the circumstances of being trapped in a whale’s stomach, which is illustrated through multiple emotional flashback scenes.
“That’s called whale fall,” said Brolin in a ridiculously on-the-nose line reading, which for many will evoke the Ladybird GIF of Beanie Feldstein declaring, “It’s the titular role!”
One whale metaphor that lands quite nicely is how the sperm whale calls out for help when in distress, which inspires a Hail Mary plan in Jay’s fight for freedom from the belly of the beast. In addition to its literal implications in his survival, it serves as a symbol of the protagonist’s inability to communicate his own grief to those who love him most.
While Duffield’s adaptation of Kraus’ Whalefall is not subtle on the metaphors and melodrama, it’s an enjoyable gross-out genre film charged with raw, relatable emotion, and featuring strong performances from Abrams and Brolin as well as Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd.
Title: Whalefall
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Release date: October 16, 2026
Director: Brian Duffield
Screenwriters: Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus
Cast: Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 1 hr 46 mins