Death Whisperer 2

I really liked the first Death Whisperer. It was a classic supernatural horror movie with a Thai context, instead of same old catholic imagery I've seen a million times. But this one didn't know what it was. Most of the time it felt like there were 2 movies going on at once. One about a family battling with a dark invasive spirit, and --as many others have mentioned- a slapstick Army of Darkness clone. If you love horror and just want to see something new, I guess it's not a total waste of time. Yak is pretty good-looking. But don't expect it to be anything like the first Death Whisperer movie.

This 2024 sequel directed and written by Teeweetah Wantha claimed that this film was inspired by a Thai novelist, Brittanon. But after viewing action-horror epic, it resonated too much, resemblance of the Evil Dead franchise. Starting with the lead character, "Yak" helmed by Thai ex-teen sweetheart, Nadech Kugimiya looking all beefcake via a Bruce Campbell flair.

The production was quite good with CGI gore and optical effects. There's abit of off-beat humor that doesn't work go over-the-top like Campbell in "Evil Dead II" or "Army of Darkness". This inspired (or rip-off) story replaced the Necromon book and forest demonic possession synching up with Thai folklore . Its sequel begins with an ancient witch who tied (since the late 1800s invited possession) with a near dead soldier, cursing his future family generations.

Then the film continues with the first "Tee Yod" story of "Yak's" family trying to mourn their loss to the witch and rebuilding themselves in the sequel. Losing his sister, "Yam", "Yak" begins to form a group of men (with cursed families) willing to fight the witch and her possessions to their deaths.

The film is set in the 70s and in a rural Thai farmland setting, then all action starts ala Evil Dead style. The witch can get a bit tiresome with the jump scare entries. If ignoring her tackiness, the film can carry throughout to the end where the whole family (imagine an intergenerational group of 10) fighting ancient sorcery - pure fun!

Of course it's recommended to view the first film, which is a long, slow moving story. The sequel takes it up a notch for extreme action! And yes, after a viewing one see Kugimiya as "Yak" can be considered eye candy - dare one say - far better than Campbell's physique. No wonder Kugimiya's teen idol past is probably a total cash-in for this series. These films were received with much popularity in Thailand. The natural setting gives to the idea of folk horror along with a decent soundtrack.

The story is interesting and good but I still choose season 1 as the best, the first season while watching I could feel the tension and fear of all the characters in the film. In season 2, I felt less excited while watching, more like who is this guy? Who's that? Why is that the story and yes now I am curious about the story of the woman in black. I think some of the men who died at the beginning weren't really necessary, and am I the only one who felt this film felt very fast, but I liked the ending. The little girl who plays Yee is very clever, I love heracting. I had a bit of a heart attack when the yak was shot and I thought the ending would be bad.

Death Whisperer 2 picks up a few years after the ending of its predecessor, with Yak obssessed with finding the spirit, called a pop (ghoul), that killed his sister. That is the story pretty much.

IMDB's plot summary is quite over the top, which is funny. Disregard it completely: Death Whisperer 2 is not a high-concept film.

This time, writers Sorarat Jirabovornwisut (the only recurring writer in this series), Taweewat Wantha, and Krittanon opted for a simpler plotline: a main one and one subplot. The main one follows Yak and his quest; the subplot is about the haunting of Yak's family while he is away. While the main plot is pleasing, the subplot is a bit exploitative, it doesn't really add up to any character nor story development, its deletion unaffecting the main plot. The feeling is that this film is adapting a short story.

Another change in comparison with the first installment is that there is a lot more comedic relief. Character Sarge throws more jokes than a comedian, sometimes being funny, others just being inappropriate. Other characters are also unfittingly funny in weird situations, which causes a bit of cringeness.

The horror elements, though, are off. Where the first installment was creepier and had a lot more scares, Death Whisperer 2 feels more like a horror adventure for high-schoolers. Never was I in the edge of my seat, nor the jumpscares were effective.

The storyline is simple and enjoyable, mainly because it feels like a tale, the quest of Yak for revenge. His motivation is so strong in his character that we root for his success, we want to see that ghoul pay. The ghoul, though, is just this evil entity without clear intentions other than just feeding off of humans, a bit uninspired.

To wrap up this review, cinematography is beautiful with regards to photography, but bad when we look at the CGI. Blood and wounds are computerized, and they look digital. Maybe that was cheaper than going practical, but I wonder. The effects on the ghoul, however, are pretty nice.

Overall, Death Whisperer 2 is a must to conclude the full narrative arc of Yak. If you enjoyed the first film, I figure these types of Eastern horror pleases you, so you won't be disappointed with this sequel, it plays by the rules and avoids risks, working out in the end.

I already compared the first movie to Evil Dead, and I think this sequel continues that atmosphere while expanding the story from the first film. The first movie ended in a really unsatisfying way and pretty much gives you no choice but to watch this sequel if you want to see how the story concludes.

This movie starts with an engaging opening scene, and after that, we pick up right where the first film left off. I really like the premise as our protagonist is searching for the dark spirit that killed his sister three years ago. Through his quest for revenge and knowledge about the spirit, the movie sets up some pretty interesting moments, though unfortunately, this also harms the pacing a little.

Like its predecessor, Death Whisperer 2 has some gnarly gore and a few truly unsettling moments. The effects looked a little poor upon closer inspection but were still effective. The movie doesn't shy away from gore, and the dark atmosphere from the first film carries over into this sequel.

It's a bit shorter than the first movie, which was a pleasant surprise, and the final act was both creative and well executed. I liked this sequel a little more than the original, and I'm curious to see what they do with the third movie, which is currently set for release in October 2025. [6,0/10]