‘Whalefall’ Trailer: Brian Duffield’s Whale Survival Thriller Looks Ridiculous

That first trailer for “Whalefall” was better than we had any right to expect; it was tightly edited in a way that made it intense and anxiety-inducing. But this second trailer? Yeah, it veers toward the silly.

Then again, this is a survival-horror story about a diver trapped inside a sperm whale with limited oxygen. It’s less plausible than, say, “127 Hours,” or even “Buried.” It’s “Pinocchio,” “Moonfall,” and Jonah and the Whale all rolled up into one.

This second trailer makes it look ridiculous—especially the moment when the guy screams “Help me!” from inside the whale. It plays like a goofy creature feature.

Brian Duffield directs “Whalefall.” He’s only helmed two features so far, “Spontaneous” (2020) and “No One Will Save You” (2023), both well-reviewed direct-to-streaming efforts. I’ve only seen the latter, which felt like a mid-tier version of “Hush” and “A Quiet Place.”

“Whalefall” stars Austin Abrams as Jay Gardiner, a diver searching the ocean for the remains of his late father, Mitt Gardiner, played by Josh Brolin. Soon after, he’s swallowed alive by the creature. The film is based on a well-regarded novel that alternates between the protagonist’s real-time struggle for survival inside the whale and flashbacks involving his late father. Duffield appears to be preserving that structure, and the book’s author, Daniel Kraus, co-wrote the screenplay.

Here’s what I wrote a few months ago:

What I’m really curious about is whether the premise itself is biologically plausible. Can a sperm whale actually swallow a diver intact? It wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me whatsoever, as the premise simply requires a suspension of disbelief. Still, it’s a question worth asking. So I googled it, and this is the answer I got:

Marine biologists generally say that a person being swallowed by a sperm whale is physically possible. The bigger issue is survival. A diver caught in the mouth of a sperm whale would likely face crushing forces, violent movement, a lack of breathable air, and potential injuries during the swallowing process. Even if the person reached the stomach intact, survival would be extremely unlikely. The whale’s digestive system, oxygen-poor environment, and the trauma involved make survival nearly impossible.

“Whalefall” hits theaters via 20th Century Studios on October 16, 2026. You can watch the trailer below.