I must say I put my expectation high for this since I love Binjong's previous movies; Alone and Shutter but I'm a bit not satisfied since this one is less scary and story is less impacted compare to his previous horror work. Most scariest scene are already in the trailer and some part doesn't really make sense and brought more question than answer. Still this movie is worth watching and deserve at least 7/10 not bad but not reach its maximum potential.
185 Reviews
Burns slowly but intensely throughout
Sir_AmirSyarif28 October 2021
Thai-Korean supernatural horror, Banjong Pisanthanakun's 'The Medium,' burns slowly but intensely throughout. It has all the elements of Asian horror unique to the Korean and Thai genres, such as creepy music and a darkly saturated filter. The film loses steam at times owing to flaws in its mockumentary style, but Pisanthanakun succeeds far more when he concentrates on the complexities of the familial links and what some of the key reveals imply for each character.
Creepy
atractiveeyes10 November 2021
Thailand's official submission to 2022's Oscars is the creepiest exorcism movie I have ever seen. It's so scary, brutal, captivating and provocative. It grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seats from the very beginning until the credits start rolling. It's the year's best horror film so far.
felt too long/slow at times to this reviewer. good film.
surfisfun19 November 2021
Okayish, but nothing new.
stereosteve-19 October 2021
Saw this at the cinema last night, and while I found it to be good-looking and well-made, with an interesting setting, it was still nothing new or special. I've seen everything in this film before. Nowhere near on the same level as The Wailing, which this shares many elements with.
The screaming and running around and people acting possessed in the last act becomes tedious after a while, as there's barely any emotional involvement with the characters. I simply did not care about any of the characters who made it to the last act.
Not often I'd say this about a horror film, but this would have been improved by actually being subtler, and leaving out some of the mayhem. And an edit - this is much too long at 130mins.
The screaming and running around and people acting possessed in the last act becomes tedious after a while, as there's barely any emotional involvement with the characters. I simply did not care about any of the characters who made it to the last act.
Not often I'd say this about a horror film, but this would have been improved by actually being subtler, and leaving out some of the mayhem. And an edit - this is much too long at 130mins.
Another potentially great horror ruined by tropes
lemurloyal31 May 2022
The Medium begins as a captivating yet slow-burning thriller that eventually transitions into recycled scares and an incredibly underwhelming finish. If you've watched horror films centred around spiritual possession, then you have a good idea of what to expect. The Medium does not try to do anything new with the formula as it boldly embraces every found footage cliché. In addition, the actions of some characters will definitely frustrate and seem like cheap ways to move the plot closer to its chaotic yet uninspired climax. I'd recommend watching The Wailing and skipping this one.
I didn't want to use this pun, but The Medium is, well, medium
youngcollind19 November 2021
In the first leg it has a lot going for it. The cinematography is great, and as much as they attempt to make things dreary, this thing could really function as travel vlog for Thailand. The faux doc style brings a realism to the mystic elements and it feels like a unique backdrop for a horror flick. The setup is slow but enjoyable and you begin to wonder if it's ever going to erupt into full blown horror. Rest assured, it does. However, with the quality of the preamble, you grow to believe the film had something more clever up it's sleeve. What you eventually get is a rather run of the mill possession tale, and things sort of fall apart from there.
Where the mocumentary initially lent credibility, it eventually devolves into the common found footage problem of "why would a real cameraman actually be filming this?" At one point reaching the height of ridiculousness where a girl has a mishap with her period and the camera follows her to the bathroom, like a psychopath. The possession element does little to set itself apart from it's many contemporaries, aside from forgoing the regular Christian/Satan angle. Narilya Gulmongkolpech's performance is enthusiastic but is often reminiscent of haunted house staff doing the crazy/scary routine. The whole thing seems to overstay it's welcome a bit, which is strange because the slow build seems to breeze by and it's only when things heat up that they start to feel redundant.
I don't want to be too hard on it, because it's in many ways a well made picture, it just doesn't live up to it's own potential.
Where the mocumentary initially lent credibility, it eventually devolves into the common found footage problem of "why would a real cameraman actually be filming this?" At one point reaching the height of ridiculousness where a girl has a mishap with her period and the camera follows her to the bathroom, like a psychopath. The possession element does little to set itself apart from it's many contemporaries, aside from forgoing the regular Christian/Satan angle. Narilya Gulmongkolpech's performance is enthusiastic but is often reminiscent of haunted house staff doing the crazy/scary routine. The whole thing seems to overstay it's welcome a bit, which is strange because the slow build seems to breeze by and it's only when things heat up that they start to feel redundant.
I don't want to be too hard on it, because it's in many ways a well made picture, it just doesn't live up to it's own potential.
A terrifying slowburn horror which left me extremely spooked
khokharansha23 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie recently and I noticed that it's gotten a lot of mixed reviews. I think people fail to understand that the ending was not supposed to be a zombie apocalypse and the fine details of the plot.
The movie started off quite slow, with nothing much happening but that is not true. I think the first act of the movie was building up for the events in the second act and the conclusion in the third act.
The movie was not boring because there was a lot of foreshadowing and subtle plot points which took place initially. If a viewer missed those, understanding the rest of the movie becomes harder to understand.
Mink's outburst at her father's funeral and her strange antics which could be shrugged off were extremely important as the plot progressed. The main characters seemed to be dumb but in honesty, they were swayed by their emotions and prejudices., which is a very human thing which everyone experiences.
From Mink's mother's experience, rejecting Ba Yan did not have any consequences so when Mink started showing signs of possession, neither Moi nor Mink liked what was happening since Mink did not want to live as a Shaman. It wasn't their stupidity which caused the story to progress how it did. In fact, it wasn't even stupidity since no one knew about the curse on Mink's father's family and the fact that Mink was also being possessed by evil spirits along with Bayan.
The other thing some people don't like about the movie is the fact that the cameraman did not help pick up the baby when Mink's aunt was fighting to open the door since she could hear her baby cry inside. There are two reasons for it. First, Mink had made sure that she scared everyone since she stole the baby a couple nights before but did not harm him. Mink just wanted to scare Pang that she had the potential to steal her child and harm him. Second, there is a folklore or a belief relating to ghosts in Thailand that the spirits can make it so that the mother cannot see the child even if it right infront to fool them and make them more emotional. Even if Cameraman had picked up the baby, there is a high chance Pang would not have seen him still because Pang had already looked in the crib and she could not see her child.
Third, the ending was not a zombie apocalypse. The spirits possessed the people involved in the ritual to make them fight each other. Mink's family owned a dog meat shop so the reason why a lot of the possessed people were acting like dogs was because the spirits of the dogs that Mink's family slaughtered possessed them. It is in a rabid dog's nature to tear apart anyone he sees which was what those people were doing. Not just that, they were attacking each other. It was the spirit's plan.
The Medium might have used some cliche horror tropes but overall the movie was quite unique and original. The movie was two hours long since they were building up the tension and showing the struggle between Bayan and the evil spirits trying to possess Mink's body. It was only after Bayan was defeated that the events accelerated.
Overall, the movie left quite an impression on my mind because Mink's antics were actually extremely terrifying. The point of the ending was to show that everyone was fighting for a lost cause and even though the ending can be a little bland for some people, i think it managed to showcase a lot of things in a subtle manner. Everything will not be obvious to the viewer on the surface and the viewers will have to use their own brain and pay attention to the detail to enjoy the movie fully. If you want a no-brainer movie, then it is not for you.
The movie started off quite slow, with nothing much happening but that is not true. I think the first act of the movie was building up for the events in the second act and the conclusion in the third act.
The movie was not boring because there was a lot of foreshadowing and subtle plot points which took place initially. If a viewer missed those, understanding the rest of the movie becomes harder to understand.
Mink's outburst at her father's funeral and her strange antics which could be shrugged off were extremely important as the plot progressed. The main characters seemed to be dumb but in honesty, they were swayed by their emotions and prejudices., which is a very human thing which everyone experiences.
From Mink's mother's experience, rejecting Ba Yan did not have any consequences so when Mink started showing signs of possession, neither Moi nor Mink liked what was happening since Mink did not want to live as a Shaman. It wasn't their stupidity which caused the story to progress how it did. In fact, it wasn't even stupidity since no one knew about the curse on Mink's father's family and the fact that Mink was also being possessed by evil spirits along with Bayan.
The other thing some people don't like about the movie is the fact that the cameraman did not help pick up the baby when Mink's aunt was fighting to open the door since she could hear her baby cry inside. There are two reasons for it. First, Mink had made sure that she scared everyone since she stole the baby a couple nights before but did not harm him. Mink just wanted to scare Pang that she had the potential to steal her child and harm him. Second, there is a folklore or a belief relating to ghosts in Thailand that the spirits can make it so that the mother cannot see the child even if it right infront to fool them and make them more emotional. Even if Cameraman had picked up the baby, there is a high chance Pang would not have seen him still because Pang had already looked in the crib and she could not see her child.
Third, the ending was not a zombie apocalypse. The spirits possessed the people involved in the ritual to make them fight each other. Mink's family owned a dog meat shop so the reason why a lot of the possessed people were acting like dogs was because the spirits of the dogs that Mink's family slaughtered possessed them. It is in a rabid dog's nature to tear apart anyone he sees which was what those people were doing. Not just that, they were attacking each other. It was the spirit's plan.
The Medium might have used some cliche horror tropes but overall the movie was quite unique and original. The movie was two hours long since they were building up the tension and showing the struggle between Bayan and the evil spirits trying to possess Mink's body. It was only after Bayan was defeated that the events accelerated.
Overall, the movie left quite an impression on my mind because Mink's antics were actually extremely terrifying. The point of the ending was to show that everyone was fighting for a lost cause and even though the ending can be a little bland for some people, i think it managed to showcase a lot of things in a subtle manner. Everything will not be obvious to the viewer on the surface and the viewers will have to use their own brain and pay attention to the detail to enjoy the movie fully. If you want a no-brainer movie, then it is not for you.
Stay with it
BandSAboutMovies24 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A Thai-South Korean horror movie? Let's do this!
This film starts with a documentary being filmed in the northeast part of Thailand to show what happens in the life of a local medium named Nim. She's possessed by the god Bayan and just the latest in a long line of women in her family who have given their existence over to this deity.
Yet as the movie continues, her daughter presents herself as perhaps the next in line, but it turns out that the spirits that want to enter her body are something...else. I mean, when you cook and eat the family dog, perhaps you aren't the shaman that will protect your village, you know?
What I really loved about this movie was that it goes from found footage - expected - to something quite unexpected, a movie that transcends where others have been before.
Banjong Pisanthanakun also made Shutter (which was remade in English in 2008 by Masayuki Ochiai, as well as in Tamil as Sivi and in Hindi as Click) and producer and writer Na Hong-Jin made the serial killer movie The Chaser. That means that this has a pedigree and why it won best feature film during the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
You can check this out on Shudder. Its got a two hour plus run time, but it's worth the time and effort, as the found footage style allows you to see a culture that would otherwise remain alien to us.
This film starts with a documentary being filmed in the northeast part of Thailand to show what happens in the life of a local medium named Nim. She's possessed by the god Bayan and just the latest in a long line of women in her family who have given their existence over to this deity.
Yet as the movie continues, her daughter presents herself as perhaps the next in line, but it turns out that the spirits that want to enter her body are something...else. I mean, when you cook and eat the family dog, perhaps you aren't the shaman that will protect your village, you know?
What I really loved about this movie was that it goes from found footage - expected - to something quite unexpected, a movie that transcends where others have been before.
Banjong Pisanthanakun also made Shutter (which was remade in English in 2008 by Masayuki Ochiai, as well as in Tamil as Sivi and in Hindi as Click) and producer and writer Na Hong-Jin made the serial killer movie The Chaser. That means that this has a pedigree and why it won best feature film during the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
You can check this out on Shudder. Its got a two hour plus run time, but it's worth the time and effort, as the found footage style allows you to see a culture that would otherwise remain alien to us.
Starts promising and ends in zombie apocalypse
edgar_manik23 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie after hearing rant about this movie. The trailer is also very promising. The movie started with interview about the shaman, and a team of documenting following her and her family lives. Everything looks so right in the beginning, but throughout the movie, all this documentary idea feels so wrong. A team of documenter who just recorded the scene without feeling scared and running away, until he got eaten. Seriously? And the cameraman not doing anything while everything already end up so wrong, he just stood there recording. Big flaws. Spirit posses human body not gonna make you a zombie eating flesh. And there are reviews comparing this to "The Wailing". The difference in storyline and quality of story are night and day. Don't bother to go to theater to watch this. Just wait till it's on tv.
Scary, twisted and brutal Thai horror
lareval25 September 2021
The Thai horror has just achieved a new step up into the genre with this bone-chilling, nerve-wracking movie. Its more than two hours fly through a complex and engaging story revolving about family, legacy, curses and devilish fates. It's more fast paced and much more entertaining than many movies under 90 minutes. The performances are top notch and the filmmaking style a la found footage is very effective. The POV helps to introduce the audience into the reality of the story, so when the scares starts, it's a total knock-out. Until a more conventional third act (in a good way, though), the two thirds of the movie manages to scare the living daylights of you without cheap jump-scares, which is pure gold nowadays. The ending is much more filled with them, but that's not a downer for me at all. It's a twisted, ballsy ending that works wonderfully with how the story was building up until that moment. While I could watch it with lights out (unlike the Thai cinemas whose audience demanded to watch it with lights on - if it is not a marketing sting), I recognize its hipnotic power upon me from start to finish, its ability to scare properly and the fact that I keep thinking about the movie after watching it. A terrific horror movie, a must see if you are a fan of the genre.
The Scariest Horror Film Of 2021
CinemaClown19 October 2021
The scariest film of the year so far and one of the creepiest entries in the world of horror in recent years, The Medium begins as a documentary about a shaman possessed by a local deity in North-east Thailand but soon develops into a dreadful & diabolical nightmare that you can't escape from. Powerful, petrifying & perturbing in equal measure, this Thai-South Korean supernatural horror reeks of death & devilry.
Co-written by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) & directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter), the film employs the faux-documentary format to narrate its tale of faith, inheritance, malaise & malison and gradually brings the viewers into its world of beliefs, curses & superstitions with its informative approach & natural acting from the cast. It takes its time, is never in a hurry & starts to ratchet things up only after the audience is fully on board.
While suffused with a feeling of something sinister & unholy brewing under the surface from the beginning, the film's horror elements lunges to the forefront only after the board is set & all the characters are properly introduced. And the execution is genuinely effective & nerve-wracking. There are scenes in here that are downright shocking & disturbing but what lends those moments their uncanny weight & power are the thoroughly convincing performances.
Overall, The Medium is one of those unnerving horror offerings that feels cursed, brims with an ill-omened quality and is smeared with a blood-curdling atmosphere that only intensifies as plot progresses. Intelligently directed, deftly scripted, finely detailed & strongly bolstered by Narilya Gulmongkolpech's bone-chilling act, the film does run longer than it needs to but the terror it invokes from its eerie setting & skin-crawling imagery is as unrelenting as it is unsettling. Don't miss it.
Co-written by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) & directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter), the film employs the faux-documentary format to narrate its tale of faith, inheritance, malaise & malison and gradually brings the viewers into its world of beliefs, curses & superstitions with its informative approach & natural acting from the cast. It takes its time, is never in a hurry & starts to ratchet things up only after the audience is fully on board.
While suffused with a feeling of something sinister & unholy brewing under the surface from the beginning, the film's horror elements lunges to the forefront only after the board is set & all the characters are properly introduced. And the execution is genuinely effective & nerve-wracking. There are scenes in here that are downright shocking & disturbing but what lends those moments their uncanny weight & power are the thoroughly convincing performances.
Overall, The Medium is one of those unnerving horror offerings that feels cursed, brims with an ill-omened quality and is smeared with a blood-curdling atmosphere that only intensifies as plot progresses. Intelligently directed, deftly scripted, finely detailed & strongly bolstered by Narilya Gulmongkolpech's bone-chilling act, the film does run longer than it needs to but the terror it invokes from its eerie setting & skin-crawling imagery is as unrelenting as it is unsettling. Don't miss it.
a GOOD movie that should have been GREAT! Would totally recommend anyway!
TreeFiddy5318 October 2021
I haven't watched anything so EERIE/Unsettling is a long time. Something I dislike about horror movies is that they take the easy way out and heavily on jump scares and I am not a fan of that. If you can make a horror movie that's creepy, you have my money. The Medium was just that. I counted, and there ONE jump-scare in this one.
The movie talks about Shamanism in Thailand, so there's a little bit you'll learn about the culture. The movie was very well shot too! PHENOMENAL acting by everyone involved, especially the lead. The film did NOT hold back and went all out. Two particular 'shocking/horrific' scenes in the movie make it not for the squeamish. Nobody/nothing is off limits. But if you're the "I like me some Horror" types, you HAVE to watch this.
The storytelling is...not straightforward. Is that a flaw? Maybe/maybe not. It's also a slow-burn, you'll have to be a little patient. I had VARIOUS questions after the movie, which I had to look up and read to find answers for. But questions kept aside, you should watch it just for the creeps. If you then want to chat about the movie, this is for you!
The movie talks about Shamanism in Thailand, so there's a little bit you'll learn about the culture. The movie was very well shot too! PHENOMENAL acting by everyone involved, especially the lead. The film did NOT hold back and went all out. Two particular 'shocking/horrific' scenes in the movie make it not for the squeamish. Nobody/nothing is off limits. But if you're the "I like me some Horror" types, you HAVE to watch this.
The storytelling is...not straightforward. Is that a flaw? Maybe/maybe not. It's also a slow-burn, you'll have to be a little patient. I had VARIOUS questions after the movie, which I had to look up and read to find answers for. But questions kept aside, you should watch it just for the creeps. If you then want to chat about the movie, this is for you!
Profound idiocy ruins what should have been a great horror movie.
frankblack-799616 October 2021
This was suprisingly good until the characters got completely stupid. There was some great creativity in the plot, but like so many movies, the writers relied on utter stupidity from the characters to drive the plot and situations forward. Some great scenes in this film though. Very hardcore in some aspects.
It's a craft until the last 20 minutes.
ellispohn14 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I would say I love the beginning and really thrilled to watch what is going to happen next. It's a craft movie until the last 20 minutes. The Korean style narration at the end blurred all narrators' characters. The zombies part is the worse.
What a letdown, especially the ending
syazwanrosman27 October 2021
This feels like a cheap version of The Wailing... I mean like really.. The Wailing had such such great conclusion (ending) that made me watch it multiple times. But this one? This ending suck. Unsatisfactory at freaking all. And also, the character. How are you so freaking dumb to live with possessed people in a same house, let alone with a freaking baby? Is this a shortcut to filmmaking now, to make all character become stupid?
Above average found footage
RichardCarlsen7230 October 2021
One if the most realistic ever
PedroPires9029 October 2021
An almost perfect horror film.
Loved every minute of it. Strongly atmospheric since minute 1, creepy, full of traditions, cultural and religious folklore, some really suspenseful and horror moments and fantastic acting from all the cast, making this one of the most realistic horror films I've ever seen. Probably the best found footage ever and one of the best possession films in history.
Sad that this short attention span world (affecting already order generations, of course, due to the usage of the same tools the young use) will never recognise this as the classic it should be.
Loved every minute of it. Strongly atmospheric since minute 1, creepy, full of traditions, cultural and religious folklore, some really suspenseful and horror moments and fantastic acting from all the cast, making this one of the most realistic horror films I've ever seen. Probably the best found footage ever and one of the best possession films in history.
Sad that this short attention span world (affecting already order generations, of course, due to the usage of the same tools the young use) will never recognise this as the classic it should be.
Best horror movie of 2021
alexnsanate25 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
First of all if you are used to watching western horror movies you need to approach this movie with a fresh palate. You won't find furniture moving on it's own or people levitating or some CGI monster. Also I know if you are a fan of The Wailing(I am too) don't expect the same thing, sure they're similar and both have Na Hong-Jin but they're not the same. This is a thai & buddhist story.
This movie is slow(up until the final act), luckily there are few moments throughout which helps to keep you glued. If you want instant action this movie is not for you.
As far as first person (found footage/documentary) camera work is concerned this is one of the better ones. Although sometimes the cameraman just stands there and watches things happen ,wouldn't a real cameraman just run away or put down the camera and help?(I guess he's frozen in fear).
The scenery and composition is beautiful , the countryside, temples and even the abandoned building helps to root the viewer in the environment of the story.
The clash of beliefs between old age mysticism, Christianity and atheism/new age beliefs(Min says she doesn't believe in spirits and gods) is a good story element although I would have them clash ?harder? But that's just personal preference.
The final act is the scariest and most enjoyable part by far. The night-time camera and the ritual aftermath scenes fill you with slow dread that quickly explodes into terror.
I could go on but I don't wanna write a wall of text. I love this movie but I can see why some people don't like it .Some just prefer the western style, some bought the hype and it ruined the movie for them,some expected "The Wailing 2" but didn't get what they wanted or some simply don't like it, that's fair.
This movie is slow(up until the final act), luckily there are few moments throughout which helps to keep you glued. If you want instant action this movie is not for you.
As far as first person (found footage/documentary) camera work is concerned this is one of the better ones. Although sometimes the cameraman just stands there and watches things happen ,wouldn't a real cameraman just run away or put down the camera and help?(I guess he's frozen in fear).
The scenery and composition is beautiful , the countryside, temples and even the abandoned building helps to root the viewer in the environment of the story.
The clash of beliefs between old age mysticism, Christianity and atheism/new age beliefs(Min says she doesn't believe in spirits and gods) is a good story element although I would have them clash ?harder? But that's just personal preference.
The final act is the scariest and most enjoyable part by far. The night-time camera and the ritual aftermath scenes fill you with slow dread that quickly explodes into terror.
I could go on but I don't wanna write a wall of text. I love this movie but I can see why some people don't like it .Some just prefer the western style, some bought the hype and it ruined the movie for them,some expected "The Wailing 2" but didn't get what they wanted or some simply don't like it, that's fair.
Meh
ansirahka5 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The story, cinematography, and plot were good, the movie just felt unpolished overall. The biggest turn-off for me is how underwhelming and overly awkward "mink" character was, i don't know if it was lack of direction or a miscast but homegirl gave elizabeth berkley-showgirls vibe instead of emily rose. And the third act of the movie is just nonsensical with no payoffs.
Great Thai horror movie. Must watch in theatre!
leodhilip12 August 2021
Watched the movie today. I would say the movie was beyond my expectation, the characters and scenes were so original. Gripping movement after the first 30 minutes of the film until the end. Thumps up to the directors and the producers.
I would suggest, please do not watch with children's.
I would suggest, please do not watch with children's.
A much better version of paranormal activity.
HotDoggyBoomBooM18 November 2021
It's just bad
up-7382221 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie had no redeeming characters, the documentary style did not help it at all especially for its story. The cameramen did nothing, if they are there recording these dangerous supernatural things happening then why won't they help (they are the most useless things in the movie and they were a lot of useless characters). The main character tried to help but she doesn't communicate with the mom/ her sister. Honestly, the reviews with the score of 2 are far more generous than me but they are right what absolute waste of time. I can't believe this movie actually made me create an IMDB account for all the wrong reasons.
The Greatest Documentary-like Movie In 2021
mryumonium14 November 2021
This movie is really good, The details of the cameraman nailed it in this movie. At first, The movie looks like it doesn't makes sense. Like is this a documentary or a horror? It turns out to be both.
20 - 30 minutes in the movie, it gets more interesting and scarier. I really love the cameraman details. Like chasing the character without any stabilization (shakiness).
Either this movie is low-budget or just the producer planned to make the movie like this.
After all good movie loved this movie.
20 - 30 minutes in the movie, it gets more interesting and scarier. I really love the cameraman details. Like chasing the character without any stabilization (shakiness).
Either this movie is low-budget or just the producer planned to make the movie like this.
After all good movie loved this movie.
See also
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