‘The Whisper Man’ ending explained: Who is the copycat killer?
Netflix brings a chilling serial killer mystery in The Whisper Man, launching viewers into the heart of the sleepy town of Garretton, where children keep going missing.
Directed by James Ashcroft and based on Alex North’s bestselling novel, the crime drama follows recently widowed crime novelist Tom Kennedy, who moves into Garretton with his eight-year-old son Jake, seeking a fresh start. But their plans are dangerously derailed when Jake is abducted just days into their move, and another boy is found dead.
The abductions and killings promptly remind lead investigator Amanda Beck of ‘The Whisper Man’, AKA Frank Carter, who was put behind bars by Tom’s estranged ex-cop father, Pete Willis, and has been locked up for life since. But when the mysterious cassette tapes of the Whisper Man interviewing Jake arrive, confirming their suspicions, they realise the killer is inevitably someone different and new.
As Tom is forced to ask Pete for help rescuing his son before it’s too late, the first suspect to raise eyebrows turns out to be Norman Collins, a local true-crime junkie with a collection of creepy murder memorabilia. Although he’s caught trespassing in his basement and is identified as one of Whisper Man’s cellmates, his alibi clears him. Then who exactly is the killer?
Who is the real killer in The Whisper Man?
The real breakthrough in identifying the serial killer terrorising the characters in The Whisper Man comes when Pete and Tom discover a pair of bodies in the latter’s basement. One is the fifth victim of the original Whisper Man, Tony Smith, who was never found, and the other is Dominic Barnett. It is revealed that Norman struck a deal with the notorious serial killer, trading him something in exchange for Tony’s mummified remains.
Ex-con Barnett comes into the picture as an outside liaison who rented the home before the father and son relocated and hosted house tours to interested parties. However, when Norman found him mocking his guest’s proclivities, he lost his cool and murdered him. While that seems to tie up the loose ends, right? Not really.
When confronted with everything, Norman refuses to admit to kidnapping any children, and before the audience realises, he kills himself, leaving a major question unanswered. However, Pete figures the answer out from something Frank Carter tells him during his prison visit: “When you’re denied your father’s love, you of course mythologise him.” Pete suspects that the copycat killer is none other than Carter’s son, Francis Carter Jr.
And once they’re confirmed, Detective Beck dispatches all her resources to locate Francis Jr, resulting in an extremely violent confrontation, ruthless bloodshed, and heartbreaking tragedy. But that is for you to find out in The Whisper Man, now streaming on Netflix.