The Medium

The Medium, a Thai found-footage horror film that delves deep into shamanism; it’s the same director who did Shutter (2004), so my expectations were high for this one.

The plot was great, a horrifying story of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. What could be possessing a family member might not be the Goddess they make it out to be.
It started out great, the introduction of the family members, and the goddess that was involved in the story, until it got to mid way, it felt dragging then and too slow; the thrill/suspense kind of like flat-lined there. If you’ve watched any paranormal possession films before, you have an idea of what usually happens.

Music and Production

Chatchai Pongprapaphan’s score adds a nice bit of atmosphere to The Medium, and some of Akadech Kaewkot’s interior sets help too. The acting’s mostly solid — though the whole fake “realism” angle doesn’t really do newcomer Gulmongkolpech (as Mink) any favors. She’s stuck doing a bunch of over-the-top stuff that ends up feeling kinda silly in the mock-doc style, like a nod to Linda Blair but without the same impact. There are definitely some shocking and bloody moments, but even those lose their punch thanks to the film’s weirdly unconvincing vibe.

Characters

It was kind of hard to get any emotional attachment with the characters in The Medium, they didn’t build them up as much as I would’ve wanted. Even towards the end of the movie, during that big climax scene, I could care less for those who made it to the end. Nim (played by Sawanee Utoomma) was a convincing shaman, I’d say she carried this mediocre found-footage horror movie on her shoulders, performance-wise.

What I didn’t like

It took two long hours and the ending of The Medium was underwhelming, could’ve been something great in my opinion. Some of the casts decisions in the film felt stupid and purposefully done just so it could lead into the demise of the people involved. The cameraman/crew in the film were unconvincing, they didn’t even act according to the situation, they were just there, like a walking tripod. It was very annoying. The mockumentary style starts off feeling pretty legit, but it eventually runs into that classic found footage issue—like, seriously, who would keep filming this? It gets totally ridiculous when a girl has a period accident and the camera literally follows her into the bathroom like some kind of weirdo.

Conclusion

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 (2016)” and “Noroi: The Curse (2005)” (and skipping this one.