Pee Mak Phrakanong

I watched this movie yesterday along with some new friends in Singapore,and this is the first Thai movie I have watched.I had watched the trailer of Pee Mak and thought I should watch it and boy,I was in for a treat as it turned out to be an amazing movie.What I liked the most about the movie is the perfect combination of horror and comedy.Its not like "scary movies" where the ghost is also funny and all.There is time where you are terrified with the horrific events but then the movie takes you to the opposite end of those emotions by putting some genuine comedy around it.I repeat,I quite liked how perfect the combination is.The stupidity of the boy characters and how well those characters are played out bring a lot of laughter (with tears in my case) is brilliant.And there is drama, some tiny plots that goes quite well with the story,and human emotions of love which does not want to let go of love even after death.This movie is highly recommended if you like to laugh a lot, and missing it just because you are not a fan of horror movies or Thai movies in common, would be a big miss.

We were not disappointed. We laughed until our stomachs ached. Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone, 4bia, Phobia 2) is a freaking genius!  This time he used the over-used Nang Nak legend and craft out a comedy-horror fest. Yup, it's comedy first followed by horror.

If you are a fan of the best part of 4bia and Phobia 2, you will find yourself in the familiar company of the four irrelevant dudes. I thought we would be jaded since we are fans of the mentioned anthologies but we were laughing like nuts at all the ingenious situational comedy.  There are also quite a number of pop-culture references like Ang Lee, David Blaine, 300, Last Samurai thrown out at us with gusto.

It did get a bit repetitive in the middle act but the final climatic act in the monastery saved it. Pisanthanakun even brought on the indispensable melodrama then and it managed to surprise me with a nice twist on the legend I know quite well. Pisanthanakun could also balance the movie very well - shifting from comedy to horror in a heartbeat. But he had great help from the 4 actors whose comic timing is just impeccable.

"Pee Mak Phrakanong" is sort of an interesting Thai ghost movie. It stands out from the usual ghost movies that come from Thai cinema, as this one is a mixture of horror and comedy - sort of a Thai ghost version of "Ghost of Mae Nak" meets "Shaun of the Dead". And the end result is actually quite enjoyable, fun and exciting.

The story in "Pee Mak Phrakanong" is about Mak (played by Mario Maurer) who returns home to Phrakanong after having served in the war. Here at his how awaits his wife Nak (played by Davika Hoorne) and their child. Mak have invited his war buddies along home with him. However, something is wrong in Phrakanong, and the villagers are avoiding Mak at all costs, claiming that his wife is dead. But how can Nak be dead when she is right there in their home, cooking his meals and looking after their child?

Storywise, then "Pee Mak Phrakanong" manages to blend the horror and comedy genre quite well, and the movie has lots of funny moments and also manages to build up some suspense - suspense that usually climaxes into something hilarious and will have you laughing instead of being scared.

And the story actually had a good love-story woven into its fabric as well. However, if you have watched "Ghost of Mae Nak" from 2005, then you should essentially be familiar with the story told in "Pee Mak Phrakanong".

The acting is good enough in the movie, although you should be prepared for some really scared and whiny characters. But despite this, then the characters were fun and likable.

The movie was great, lots of laughs, thrills and funny moments. However, it got a little bit over-dramatic towards the end. It was as if the balloon deflated once you get the to the temple scene as the movie draws to a closure. The ending could have been better in my opinion.

But all in all, a good new take on the Thai ghost genre, and a much welcomed addiction to the genre mix of horror and comedy. I rate "Pee Mak Phrakanong" 6 out 10 stars.

I saw this yesterday with kids in Netflix. Family friendly Thai movie. The genre is horror-comedy but it had more comedy than horror really.

Most of the ideas looks like we have copied in Tamil movies (specifically there is a scene completely copied in Darling movie- ghost gopal varma). It is stretched at places and would have done good to reduce the content.

Overall - it had some really laugh out loud comedy and I should say it used comedy very cleverly. It is a period film but makes current references - right from movies to history.

See if you have time to kill.

This was a really cute, somewhat romantic, comedy horror. The story was solid and that is a big thing for me. I liked all the actors and felt they played their parts well. It had little special effects but what were used were ok. My biggest complaints were that I had to read the subtitles, which diverts my eyes from the screen, and I had a hard time getting past their teeth. I guess that is a bit petty but it just bothered me. Having said what I did about the subtitles, let me add that this is the type of movie that makes watching foreign films worth the effort. I'll recommend this to my friends. Hope others will give it a chance. It is worth the watch. (Loved the credits!!)