Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Disclaimer: Some SPOILERS ahead
Death Whisperer (2023)
Death Whisperer is a supernatural horror film from Thailand directed by Taweewat Wantha (Long Weekend). The entire film takes place during the early 1970s in an agriculturally reliant province in the western part of Thailand. The plot’s intense atmosphere combines Thai folklore and cultural beliefs with supernatural elements that enhance the scary nature of the story.
The family has six siblings: Sons Yak (Nadech Kugimiya), who is currently away serving in the military; Yos (Kajbhunditt Jaidee); and Yod (Peerakrit Phacharaboonyakiat), who collaborate with their father on the family’s large farm; and daughters Yad (Jelilcha Kapaun), Yam (Rattanawadee Wongtong), and Yee (Nutthatcha Padovan), who are still attending school.
One day on their way home from school, the three girls see the terrifying apparition of a woman dressed in black by a sinister-looking tree. Almost immediately afterward, the second-eldest daughter Yam gets stricken by a mysterious illness and begins to exhibit strange behavior, frightening her younger sister Yee who sleeps with her. At the same time, the eldest son Yak who has been away in the army returns after feeling that something might be wrong at home. With the help of a friend and mentor named Sarge (Ongart Cheamcharoenpornkul), they conclude that Yam is possessed and under the control of a powerful evil spirit. An intense struggle begins to try to save Yam’s soul while the evil spirit plays a vicious cat-and-mouse game with her family members as they desperately try to protect her in vain.
Death Whisperer is a film that depends on creating that tense, scary atmosphere where you just know that something is going to happen at any moment but still find yourself unprepared for that jump scare. Also, kudos to Thai actor Nadech Kumigiya on his impressive performance in the role of Yak. Yak is a character that is easy to overlook at first because he is a jokester and a bit of a rebel on the surface. But, once he feels like his family is in danger, he steps up and takes control of the situation as the eldest son should with unexpected courage and perseverance, making any parent proud to call him son.
The film’s practical effects are refreshing to see in an industry that is so heavily dependent on computer-generated images. There are some issues with uneven pacing, and I thought that the audience deserved to have a bit more development and explanation in terms of the folklore that the supernatural elements are based on. The violence and jump scares are deliciously over the top and trope-heavy, but not for the faint of heart. The body horror elements can be particularly gory and gruesome, so just brace yourself for the glory of uncensored Asian horror cinema. Just think about it as one of those truly terrifying tales that old people like to tell children when there’s no electricity times a hundred.
Death Whisperer also manages to depict how powerful the bonds of family can be once banded together with the common purpose of protecting loved ones from a sinister threat, in this case a demon. The film ends with a definitive confirmation of there being a sequel, which was released in October 2024, titled Death Whisperer 2.
Dark Alice’s Score: 6.5 out of 10
Death Whisperer 2 (2024)
Death Whisperer 2 is set three years after the events in the previous film. Yak (Kumiguya) has been relentlessly hunting the evil spirit that caused his sister Yam’s death with the help of his loyal friend Sarge (Cheamcharoenpornkul).
The film begins in the year 1854 when a wounded soldier named Puang is saved by the same evil spirit from the previous film, the terrifying woman dressed in black. In exchange for saving him, he agrees to be a host. The spirit then takes out her tongue and shoves it into Puang’s mouth. Puang then becomes her prisoner for more than a hundred years, as he helps her to feed on the souls of many innocent victims. The story then flashes forward to 1975, where Yak and Sarge are interrogating a demon as to the whereabouts of the evil spirit now referred to as a ghoul that killed his sister. Meanwhile, his other sister Yad prepares for her upcoming wedding but has been suffering from mysterious seizures ever since Yam’s death. The grieving family prefers not to discuss the elephant in the room, which is Yam’s absence. The father has been left traumatised, as he waits with a loaded shotgun by the door after locking up the house as soon as the sun goes down.
Yak and Sarge find out about Puang’s location in a forest where many powerful supernatural forces reside. The journey is wrought with danger at every turn and time is of the essence, as the ghoul reaches closer and closer towards Yak’s family to take out her revenge, where her new target is his sister Yad (Kapaun).
Unlike the first film, the special effects are more reliant on CGI this time around, which is a bit disappointing. However, I enjoyed the second film a bit more than the first due to its ghost-hunting element and the spectacular cinematography. It’s also more adrenaline-pumping, with even more unexpected jump scares that are guaranteed to scare you the heck off your seat. While the film has been criticised for lack of originality, the similarities are not as in-your-face as some movie critics want you to believe. Once you tread the grounds of the supernatural arena, you are going to find dozens of other films that may have one or two similar elements to them. Again, the standout performance goes to Nadech Kumigiya, returning to the role of Yak. Kumigiya commands onscreen attention with his own brand of quirky but fierce determination that produces a tough-as-nails character for the audience to root for.
My advice is to enjoy the frightening mayhem and continuity of the story along with the comfort of the fluidity of returning characters aka familiar faces. Death Whisperer 2 is a wild ride for sure that’s definitively terrifying horror content that promises little in terms of disappointment. Both films are currently available on Netflix for streaming enjoyment.
As of February 2025, producers have confirmed that Death Whisperer 3 is already in the works with all surviving characters confirmed for their return and a definitive storyline set.
Dark Alice’s Score: 7.5 out of 10
Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More