Killer Whale (2026)
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Two best friends find themselves trapped in a remote lagoon with a vengeful orca.
The story
Maddie, a talented cellist struggling with hearing loss following a tragedy, joins her best friend Trish on a luxury vacation to Thailand. After a night of drinking, the pair, along with an acquaintance named Josh, break into a water park and witness a janitor being killed by a captive orca named Ceto. The next morning, the trio ventures into a secluded atoll lagoon. Their excursion turns into a nightmare when they are ambushed by the vengeful whale. The three must navigate the treacherous waters and a remote island while being hunted by the confused predator, who cannot distinguish them from its former handlers.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Maddie, a cellist with hearing loss, and her friend Trish travel to Thailand. After breaking into a water park and witnessing a janitor's death at the hands of a captive orca named Ceto, the trio flees. They later explore a remote lagoon where they are attacked by Ceto. Josh is killed, and the two women are forced to flee to an islet. During the ordeal, Trish confesses she planned the robbery that led to Maddie's injuries. They attempt a desperate plan to reach a different islet; Trish successfully distracts Ceto but is bitten and left for dead. Later, as her hearing aids fail, Maddie faces Ceto alone. She manages to reach a sand bank, buries Trish, and eventually stabs Ceto in the eye with a cello endpin, causing the whale to retreat. Maddie is eventually rescued by helicopter and later performs a cello piece in a concert hall.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States; Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jo-Anne Brechin
- Writers
- Jo-Anne Brechin · writer; Katharine McPhee · writer
- Cast and characters
- Virginia Gardner · Maddie; Mel Jarnson · Trish Stevens; Mitchell Hope · Josh; Isaac Crawley · Chad; Ron Smyck · Khwan; Aliandra Calabrese · Chelsea; Mia Grunwald · Dana; Shinji Ikefuji · a janitor at the water park; Scott James George · a robber
- Genres
- survival; thriller
- Themes
- survival; friendship; trauma; guilt
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Setting
- Thailand and a remote lagoon.
- Premise and plot tags
- aquatic horror; survival; orca
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising its premise but criticizing its inconsistent tone and similarity to other aquatic thrillers.
- Reported review scores
- Dread Central · score: 3 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- No real animals were used in the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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