Death Whisperer is a middle-grade Eastern Horror movie that combines possession with Thailand's culture. A few Direction bad choices aside, this movie delivers a solid horror story, albeit with shallow character development - classic horror entry at its best.
The story follows a huge family in Thailand that starts believing that one of their young members is being possessed by a demon. The lack of a protagonist reference on this sentence is not a coincidence, and perhaps is the major flaw in this otherwise interesting Thai horror.
For some reason, Director Taweewat Wantha didn't see a problem with not focusing on one particular character and developing it to its core. Throughout the story, we seemingly mostly follow character Yard, the oldest sister - middle sister of a family with 6 children -, while the story is really developing character Yak, the oldest brother.
Yak came back home after his deployment in the Army, a long deployment that left a stain on his relationship with his father and brothers. As the oldest brother, his father expected that he would follow his steps and provide for the family; his brothers expected that he would care for the family. To top this off, Yak seems to have a drinking problem, and is also a hot-headed piece.
Yak is the protagonist, but the story seems to put Yard in the spotlight more than it should. Yard is the naive middle sister that is trying to make everyone's life better, forgetting about her own wants. Her development is weak compared to Yak's need to redeem with his family, but even his arc does not grow enough.
The acting is alright for the most part and for most actors and actresses. Won't get them an Oscar. Except Rattanawadee Wongtong; she did a great job.
The plot development is nothing new in the horror genre, possession subgenre: someone shows behavior changes hinting at supernatural, others dismiss fact at first, then believe when stakes escalate. Death Whisperer uses the same formula as always but combined with Thai mythos, which is pretty nice.
There are some inconsistencies, though. As Yak gets a secondary treatment, subplots do not resolve in satisfying ways. The relationship between Yak and his father, or with his siblings. Yak's drinking problem. These subplots come and go unfinished, for the most part.
With no accurate information about the budget that this film had, speculation suggests that the CGI reflects a low budget. CGI is noticeable in scenes where it takes effect, and the Director could compensate by going fully practical - it worked alright for the witch.
The story culminates in an ending that leaves room for a sequel, which was confirmed right away and, in fact, is set to release on 10 October 2024. Watching the sequel is a must for full closure on the story.
Death Whisperer delivers for casual horror fans and cult-seekers of horrors from other Cinema Houses. It has a cool mix of Thailand culture with horror, a recurrent trait on Eastern Horror. Watch it with the full understanding that Yak is the protagonist, and you will find entertainment in this flick. Get passed some flaws, and you have yourself an alright horror movie - more of the same, but why complain.
