If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken. If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass. If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.

That’s the chilling playground rhyme at the centre of The Whisper Man, a new Netflix thriller adaptation of Alex North’s bestselling novel of the same name. Starring Oscar winner Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott, the new film follows an investigation into a serial killer thought to have been imprisoned years ago. But when children start disappearing, the playground rhyme comes back to life – and the retired detective who first arrested the so-called Whisper Man is called back into action.

The result? A chilling abduction drama with a terrifying twist that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

After the death of his wife, crime writer Tom Kennedy (Scott) and his young son Jake move to a sleepy town in hopes of a fresh start. But the town holds a dark secret. Two decades ago, a serial killer nicknamed The Whisper Man kidnapped and murdered five young boys, luring them out of their windows at night. Although The Whisper Man was caught and imprisoned, everything is called into question when children begin disappearing shortly after Tom and Jake move into their new home.

When eight-year-old Jake becomes one of them, Tom turns to his estranged father, Peter Willis (De Niro), a retired police officer, for help, and they soon discover a link between the disappearance and the decades-old murders committed by The Whisper Man. But can they catch him for a second time?

Intrigued? Luckily, there’s not too long to wait, as The Whisper Man will be available to watch on Netflix on 28 August.