Make Me Shudder.II
“Make Me Shudder 2: Shudder Me Mae Nak” is a horror comedy about a group of rowdy schoolboys who are transported back in time to relive the famous ghost story of Mae Nak/Nang Nak. Their only hope of escape is by obeying Mae Nak’s orders, but they soon discover that it will take a lot more before they can return home. It stars Wanida Termthanaporn (Mae Nak), Pongpitch Preechaborisuthikul (Pee Mak), Kunatip Pinpradub (Nick), Puvadol Vechwongsah (James), and Kittipat Samarntragulchai (Bew).
The movie was a mixed bag of surprisingly good moments and painfully over-the-top scenes. It suffers a bit from trying to pacify two genres, but still manages to deliver a new take on an old tale with interesting elements, such as:
A genuine performance from the teenage cast
Casting younger actors is always a gamble – the rawness of their acting can either bring touching sincerity or overacted goofiness. In this case, the boys had very good rapport and played off each other with the honest camaraderie of childhood friends. Their energetic ensemble scenes outshined their slower, less emotive individual moments far more, showcasing the rough but loyal interactions of school friendships.
The plot was well resolved
From the beginning, the plot seemed to head towards a tragic, but inevitable conclusion. Yet the movie, in it’s typical irreverent style, manages to subvert the expectations of the story, and brings forth a happy ending. It’s a comedy, after all, and this nice twist to the story of Mae Nak/Nang Nak helps keep the good vibes of the movie.
The mix of modern day and period settings
Watching the characters adapt to the kampung setting of the Mae Nak tale was pretty amusing, and it managed to steer clear of the usual “present day character stuck in the past” stereotypes. You can really see the young cast enjoying themselves in their olden day costumes, yet their speech and mannerisms constantly remind you that they’re from our time.
Unfortunately, there were a number of rough edges to the movie.
The ghost was not threatening
The thing about horror is that the ghost must be of a lethal, legitimate threat to the heroes. Thanks to the comedic style, and also the humanisation of Mae Nak, there’s no sense of danger. There are virtually no casualties in the film. And without the sense of danger, all that’s left of the horror element are some gruesome visuals and shock effects.
Slapstick humour
Visual gags are effective when used sparingly, but there is an overdose of sight gags where characters run into random props on screen. It’s one thing to have some physical humour, but not at the expense of believability.
The editing was awkward
Two issues with the cuts – there are some scenes that occur simultaneously, which are edited together in a very incoherent fashion. This breaks the momentum of the storytelling as you’re forced to stop and decipher what exactly is happening. Also, the flashback scenes are done very abruptly and without clear explanation. This makes the story difficult to follow at times, which is exacerbated by the language barrier.
“Make Me Shudder 2: Shudder Me Mae Nak” was an ambitious attempt at a horror comedy that succeeded mostly with the comedy, but not with the horror. Still, it was well put together and an curiously entertaining modern Thai movie to catch if you’re in the mood.
“Make Me Shudder 2: Shudder Me Mae Nak” opens in cinemas 12 June, 2014 (Thursday).
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