The content space is more crowded than ever, making it challenging to keep up with all of the genre titles available via streaming platforms, VOD, and theatrical releases. It can be overwhelming just to browse. To help prevent great indie horror from slipping through the cracks, we’ll spotlight our favorites every month.
True to form, October marked another insanely busy Halloween month in terms of horror releases. So much so that it became tricky to keep up, mainly thanks to the return of significant franchises on both the big screen and small. One of the most under-the-radar titles of October happens to be one of its most startling, the Shudder release of The Medium, a documentary-style nightmare hailing from Thailand.
The Medium introduces us to Nim (Sawanee Utoomma), a Shaman possessed by the spirit of Bayan in the Isan region of Thailand. Nim explains to the documentary crew that Bayan has been inhabiting women in her family for generations. She came to become the vessel for the deity after older sister Noi (Sirani Yankittikan) refused and turned to Christianity to ward off Bayan. The documentary crew decides to stay and use the family as the sole subject of their feature when Noi’s daughter Mink (Narilya Gulmongkolpech) starts demonstrating signs of possession. What’s first suspected as Bayan choosing her next successor gives way to worries of something more sinister afoot.
Sawanee Utoomma as Nim – The Medium – Photo Credit: Sasidis Sasisakulporn/Shudder
Producer and co-writer Na Hong-jin first thought of creating a follow-up to his hit, The Wailing, with a story that would center on Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), the shaman hired to help the village and exorcise the demon. It then evolved into Mink’s story, a narrative of someone’s first encounters with shamanism and the road to becoming a shaman, inspired by what Il-gwang’s origins might’ve looked like had he written the sequel. The Medium, which Na Hong-jin wrote with Chantavit Dhanasevi, ultimately isn’t connected to The Wailing, but it does bear some thematic resemblances stemming from its initial conception.
The Medium‘s lengthy two-hours and ten-minute runtime might seem intimidating, but it breezes right by thanks to its infectious and engaging cast. In an interview with Screen Daily, Na explained that this was achieved through a loose script that required improv. Director Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter) gave his actors scene objectives and let them improvise their dialogue. That direction and the mockumentary setup infuse authenticity, making for a more immersive entry point into this world. It puts the characters first, engendering rooting interest long before the real horrors arrive.
At first, the scares are subtle. The horror begins with tell-tale signs of possession in Mink, a young woman raised by a mother who long ago rejected her family’s spiritual beliefs. The more Nim and her brother Manit (Yasaka Chaisorn) try to intervene to help, the more Noi angrily rebuffs, choosing denial until Mink grows violent. The halfway point marks one of the most chilling moments involving a reflection in a vehicle window, but it’s so understated that it’s easy to miss.
Then it builds. Eerie found footage-style video of Mink’s nighttime activity grows more disturbing. Even still, it can’t prepare for the absolute insanity of the climax, an onslaught of spiritual exposition and gruesome horrors. It’s gory, shocking, and unpredictable.
Much like The Wailing, faith plays a prominent role in The Medium‘s events. Local cultural beliefs clash with Christianity, muddying the fight for Mink’s soul. But there’s a more personal tragedy underpinning Pisanthanakun’s film; this is the direct fallout of events that transpired so many years ago, before Mink was even born. Noi’s selfishness, her refusing her duties of accepting Bayan and purposefully shaping events for Nim to take her place, irrevocably altered the family’s future. Noi’s choices removed any for Nim and then Mink. The Medium dangles the question of whether Mink’s plight is Bayan seeking retribution, course correction, or abandoning the family altogether for the offenses committed.
The ultimate answer manages to break your heart regarding some of the characters we grow attached to, and leaves your jaw on the floor.