Whalefall trailer dares to ask: But what if you got swallowed by a whale?

A new thriller that urges us to fear the ocean.

"The odds of being swallowed alive by a whale are not zero." This is the tagline from the movie I've been giddy about since I first discovered its logline while writing our 2026 movie preview.

As I wrote then, "OK. So of all the film movie plotlines I've researched in writing this list, this is my favorite for the sheer WTF of it all: Based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, Whalefall centers on a scuba diver (Austin Abrams) who is seeking his father's remains in the ocean when he is swallowed by a sperm whale, giving him only an hour to escape or die. See what I mean? If you want to add Kraus' novel to your library queue, join the club."

Now, 20th Century Studios has given us the first look at Whalefall. Directed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, No One will Save Us), this thriller had me at "swallowed by a whale." I love the ocean. I also fear it, some say because I saw Jaws too young. After so much watching of shark movies, I didn't know there could be new fears to unlock in the depths. But this trailer has done exactly that!

I'm seated, in 4DX. How about you?

Whalefall opens in 4DX and other large format theaters on Oct. 16.

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