This whistle is widely recognized from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 1, where it accompanies tense scenes involving Elle Driver. The melody itself comes from the theme "Twisted Nerve," originally composed by Bernard Herrmann for the 1968 film of the same name. After Kill Bill brought it to a new audience in 2003, the whistle became a recurring choice in meme edits and short videos whenever creators want an instant feeling of menace, stealth or stylish suspense.