Malaysia’s local film industry seems to have established a niche for itself in the horror genre though they’ve always seemed dumb to me. I’ve read however that many of the gags were copied straight out of this popular Thai film and it is the record-holder for the highest grossing film made in Thailand so I thought I’d give this a chance.

Pee Mak and his four friends are soldiers in the service of the King of Siam in the 19th century. Knowing that his wife Nak back home is about to give birth, Pee Mak is determined to survive the war and does so despite suffering horrendous wounds. By the time they return to his home village however, Nak has seemingly given birth by herself. Naturally Pee Mak invites his friends to stay in the village for a while and they are impressed by how beautiful Nak is. When they visit the local market however they discover that the villagers are terrified of them and refuse to sell them anything. It is only when they come across a drunk seller of booze that the four friends hear that both Nak and her baby are dead and that they are therefore ghosts. The friends are fearful but are determined to convince the skeptical Pee Mak.

This is a simple, predictable tale and the twisty fake-outs that are included don’t make it any more sophisticated. With much more emphasis on comedy than horror, it’s also not in the least scary. I do appreciate its technique of ramping up the tension in the usual manner with mood music and lighting only to puncture it with a joke. The gags themselves are usually worth a chuckle or two which is not bad at all. Apparently the four friends are played by a group of actors who are used to performing together, which explains their good comedic timing and group dynamics. Unfortunately the film is too long and fills its time by repeating the same gags to little effect. It gets especially tiresome when the actors have to resort to the same fearful expressions and poses repeatedly. The film could have been much improved by simply editing its length down somewhat.

I’d say that this is still decently entertaining and I suppose the campiness is part of the fun. It has some clever gags like having a ghost visit a haunted house fun fair attraction and playing charades. I also note that some jokes seem rooted in the Thai language and so are lost in translation. But it’s not great cinema and is easily forgettable.