Whalefall Writer Details the Gruesome Real Science Behind the Whale Belly Thriller
The upcoming survival thriller Whalefall is banking on real science to sell its stomach-churning premise, according to a report by MovieWeb.
Writer Daniel Kraus explained he did deep research into sperm whale anatomy, which heavily shaped the script. He noted a common misconception is that a person swallowed by a whale would be killed by acid in minutes. In reality, the first stomach is a 'chewing stomach,' with the acidic second stomach coming later. The film uses this fact to heighten the protagonist's prolonged terror.
The film stars Austin Abrams as a scuba diver who gets consumed by a whale during a mission to locate his dad's body. He's left with roughly an hour of oxygen to avoid being digested. Director Brian Duffield told MovieWeb the environment is not survivable, so they took creative liberties to make the claustrophobic scenario visually engaging on screen.
The production team built a practical, anatomically accurate whale interior on a moving rig. Abrams described the filming experience as chaotic and disorienting, like tumbling violently in a machine full of liquid. Duffield admitted they enhanced the lighting for the second stomach beyond what would be possible in pitch-black reality, stating he 'wasn't interested in directing a podcast.'
A consulting comparative anatomist told Science News that while a massive bull whale could theoretically swallow a person, the chance is remote as they feed at depths far beyond where humans dive.
