Man who was genuinely swallowed inside whale watches new movie of diver who suffers same fate

A man who was swallowed by a whale and survived the ordeal has not only watched a ‘claustrophobic’ horror about a diver suffering the same fate, but he did so in the ultra-immersive 4DX cinema and issued his verdict after.

Whalefall stars former Euphoria star Austin Abrams as a young diver who is swallowed by a sperm whale and has an hour to escape before he runs out of oxygen.

The concept was seen as a tad ridiculous when the announcement for the film was made until viewers found out this was something that has happened to real divers, including Michael Packard.

Packard is a longtime lobster diver and in June 2021 became caught in a humpback whale’s mouth.

The experience was disturbing and he spent much of the time in its mouth thinking about his wife and two young children, describing in various interviews how he could feel the muscles of the whale’s mouth contracting around him.

Whilst the whale was similarly confused by the incident, with Packard stating it was clearly not intentional, the veteran diver still became fearful that he would die without a miracle.

Packard luckily escaped after the whale sharply swam upwards, and five years on was brought to a special screening of Whalefall by CNN.

Speaking about the experience he went through, Packard described it in quite a matter of fact way saying: “How did it feel? It felt like I was inside of a live creature that was trying to eat me.”

The diver stated that he had got ‘shiver bumps’ watching the trailer, but despite reassurances he could leave was convinced he could get through the screening due to the liquid courage of a few beers.

Packard was brought to a 4DX screening, uber-realistic cinemas that shake the chairs, spray water, and blow air to try and make moviegoers feel like they are inside the film.

Describing the experience it was a rather stressful one for Packard, who said: “He was there where the tongue was contracting, and I could feel the tongue of my whale contracting on me, and the movements of this giant animal, so I could totally relate.”

It’s not surprising the movie made him feel this way as it has been widely praised for how immersive and sheerly terrifying it is.

The Telegraph warned viewers not to eat before watching the movie, whilst Empire Magazine said in their four star review: “Frightening, thrilling, bold and brutal, this one-location survival horror is a genuine one-off and the most surreal blockbuster in years.”

Another review from IGN said: “Whalefall pulls the viewer into an unthinkably frightening, incredibly gross, and panic-inducing environment that plays on primal human fears about being predator or prey.”

Whalefall is available to watch in cinemas now.