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Ghost of Mae Nak: It may be creepy, but it’s hardly heart-stopping

A little creepy? Maybe.

A heart-stopping thriller? Hardly.

The Ghost of Mae Nak has all the ingredients of a horror flick, from exorcisms and unnecessarily gruesome deaths to a haunted house. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.

The movie is based on a well-known Thai legend about a pregnant woman called Mae Nak who dies after her husband Tid Mak goes off to war. When he returns home she is there waiting for him.

The sappy concept of this folklore: Mae Nak’s love transcended death.

This subtitled film is a modern take on that legend. A young newlywed couple – also called Mak and Nak – buy an abandoned house that puts them in contact with Mae Nak’s ghost.

Mak has also bought his wife an antique brooch. Too bad it was originally part of Mae Nak’s skull, and consequently she won’t stop tormenting them until they give it back. (Gee thanks for the gift, honey.)

While Mae Nak at first protects the couple from various mishaps, she expects their help in return. And to get Nak’s attention, the ghost allows Mak to endure a terrible accident that puts him in a coma.

Unfortunately Mak’s family decided his best chance of survival requires an exorcism. Nak knows she must return the brooch to Mae Nak to save her husband before that happens.

And on top of that, her friends and family think she’s gone a little loony and thus refuse to help her complete her mission for Mae Nak. (Can you blame them?)

Besides a few laughable attempts at special effects (i.e. the decapitation scene) the main problem with this movie is the plethora of unnecessary scenes and random characters introduced for no reason.

You find yourself thinking, this movie should’ve ended by now.

At any rate The Ghost of Mae Nak is a mediocre film worth seeing for the amusement factor. But that’s about it.[[In-content Ad]]

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