Killer Whale

A survival horror feature written by Katharine McPhee and Jo-Anne Brechin, directed by Brechin and starring Virginia Gardner, Mel Jarnson, Mitchell Hope and Isaac Crawley.

As the title suggests, this film is about an orca. However, this is no Free Willy. Here, this orca kills people. Think of 47 Meters Fown and Fall combined.

The plot: Maddie (Gardner) is a cellist and music student in the U.S. One fateful evening, while working a shift at a restaurant, her partner, Chad (Crawley) is gunned down during an armed robbery that also leaves Maddie with permanent hearing damage. A long time later, she now has to use hearing aids and all of a sudden, her longtime friend, Trish (Jarnson), a student and online influencer, invites Maddie to join her for a holiday in Thailand. There, they meet an Australian man named Josh (Hope) and after breaking into a water park where an orca called Ceto is being held, the three of them go jet skiing and Maddie and Trish end up stranded on an islet after the orca attacks them.

There are nail-biting moments, dread, suspense and heavy drama, all of which are supported by slow motion, tense music by Angela Little and effective camerawork during underwater scenes. And the orca herself (it is stated that the whale is female) looks great, being enormous and terrifying when it goes for the kill.

On the surface, this story is about a killer whale that eats people. However, not much of this actually takes place. Yes, victims find themselves in the orca's jaws, and characters swim frantically towards safety. The majority of the narrative is dedicated to character development, which is fine, however, taking under consideration the plot concerns an orca with killer instinct, one would expect more carnage, instead of a lengthy amount of time where two women are on a small rock, trying to survive, contemplating the past and facing a dramatic revelation.

Gardner finds herself in a situation that is similar to her character in Fall, meaning being trapped at an isolated location with another person. Her current character is a young woman who has been damaged by a terrible incident in the past. In spite of this, she maintains her inner strength and righteousness. As the person who is standed on the islet with Maddie, Trish comes across as a confident and supportive friend.

Evidently, survival is a key theme here and, as indicated by facts explained before this story's events, so is the subject of animal rights and nature getting revenge on humans. Moreover, this is a story about a number of things, positive and negative and and bad and they involve, friendship, bravery, reminiscing the past, self-reflection, loss, regrets, guilt, trauma and redemption.

A decent viewing with a strong performance by Gardner. Those who are hoping for plenty of action might be disappointed.

Killer Whale will be available on Digital Download from 18th May 2026.