Debuting on digital platforms August 19, 2025, through Well Go USA Entertainment, Whisper of the Witch is a new Horror film directed by Serik Beyseu (Identity, 2024; Succubus, 2024). A Russian movie originally titled Zaklyate. Shyopot vedm, it follows along detective Paul (Artur Beschastnyy) as he grapples with personal issues that bring him to his hometown while also investigating the murder of a teenager in the house where everything went wrong for him and his friends years prior.
It all begins with a familiar Horror trope: a haunted house with a murder to draw attention and establish our characters. Yet its folklore spin of a whispering witch was an intriguing notion. Yes, there have been a plethora of evil witches and the like in Horror; the film is not a new and exciting horror plot line, but their version of it was interesting. Not revealing her true nature and intentions until well into the film, and showcasing the difference in her whispers depending on whose point of view we were looking at, along with the twist on who the witch was, was compelling.
Another engaging aspect of Whisper of the Witch is the parallel timeline experiences we see between the present and Paul’s flashbacks. It is reminiscent of the 1990 IT miniseries, where the first round of teenagers encounter the house and the witch, and then modern-day teenagers experience the same events. It connects the two well, although if the flashbacks had been introduced a bit earlier, the transition might have been a little more seamless.
With all of this stated, Whisper of the Witch is a Horror film that feels lacking in certain areas, but overall is a decent watch. Beyseu has an excellent eye for where to put the camera, how to do different frames that can help suck you into the plot, the jumpscares, and the eerie slow moments. The camera shaking, whether edited in or done manually during scenes, was a great idea. It helped capture the fear and otherworldliness of the witch, making you experience what the characters are going through that much more.
The execution of the plot line and the overall script just feels unsatisfactory. The film develops its characters through interesting subplots and finds ways to connect most of the characters, making it more personal, but that is about it. After connecting the two, things speed up, making you feel rushed and confused. In other words, there is so much build-up for a climax that feels underwhelming in certain aspects.
A lot of the plot that makes up Whisper of the Witch is also predictable, which is fine if enough interesting things are happening, but piecing together the bits and pieces felt off. Not to mention that viewing it in the English dub absolutely ruined most of the film anyway. It was slightly off; there are many things that you will not understand due to translation, which makes it harder to immerse yourself in.
To summarize, Whisper of the Witch is a decent horror film in the basic ways most Horror films are, but it is neither groundbreaking nor particularly intriguing. While that acting was good, and so was the cinematography, the entire thing just felt off and forgettable. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Whisper of the Witch 3 out of 5 stars.
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